Wendy's Kicks Arby's to the Curb

When I looked up this news story, it was on account of the "news brief" I heard on the radio. From that short story, the impression I got was that Arby's (America's Roast Beef, Yes Sir!) was history. Wendy's owned them--which was news to me--and was getting rid of the name. Not quite as it turns out. Wendy's just sold their stake in Arby's and took the "Arby's" out of their corporate name. Who knew that Wendy's/Arby's was an entity anyway?



I'm from central Ohio, and so is Wendy's. And Columbus is something of a test market area, or at least it used to be. We had all sorts of restaurants and new menu items, often from Wendy's, that other parts of the country didn't get. My favorites: 1) a Wendy's chain called "Sisters Chicken and Biscuits," which would've kicked KFC's and Popeyes' butts if it had been given half a chance; and 2) Wendy's late-80s breakfast menu, which was a cut above ordinary fast food.

[Excerpt]

Wendy's completes Arby's sale, changes name

Wendy's/Arby's Group Inc. completed the sale of Arby's Restaurant Group Inc. to private equity firm Roark Capital Group on Wednesday and dropped the roast beef sandwich chain from its name. . .

Read more at: Forbes

Blast from the Past: More 70s & 80s Fast Food!

Last week in Blast from the Past, I featured several classic commercials of the best era to grow up in, the 70s and the 80s (I say that, because that's when I grew up, duh). There were so many good ones, I thought it deserved a sequel. I mean, I could  run a "Top 10 Best Super Bowl commercials ever!" but that's probably being done all over the internets.



1. Wendy's - "Step aside!" This one's funny, but my favorite one was the one with the drive-thru: "Park it!" I couldn't find that one.
2. Burger King - Yes, that's Sarah Michelle Gellar of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
3. Kentucky Fried Chicken - 11 herbs & spices? Finger lickin' good!
4. Wendy's - Yes, again. As I said last week, Wendy's had the best and funniest ads of the era, and no list complete without the classic Clara Peller "Where's the Beef?!?"
5. Snapp's (Rally's) - Seth Green (Also of Buffy) starred in this ad, and also unwittingly put "ca-ching!" into the lexicon.
6. Taco Bell - Put a smile on your face at Tac-a-tac-a-taco Bell! Yeah, this one didn't really catch on.

Okay, that's it for this week. Happy Monday, everyone!

Blast from the Past: One More Vintage Commercial

OK, I promise to lay off the vintage commercials after this post (for a while, anyway). While looking for the classic, "Step Aside" commercial from Wendy's (no such luck), I found:

Parts Is Parts

Blast from the Past: Vintage Commercials

It's amazing how pop-culture can infiltrate your brain. Haven't you ever caught yourself singing a ditty, only to realize it's a commercial? Some of these commercials can be just as powerful in our memories as any TV show or movie or classic rock tune.

Here are some of the ones that litter my brain. First up, the Oscar Meyer bologna kid. Next, a classic Diet Pepsi ad, you probably don't remember that you remember. Then we have two classic 80s Wendy's commercials--they must have had a great advertising agency. Enjoy

UPDATE: For some reason, the Diet Pepsi ad ("Now You See It, Now You Don't"), arguably the best ad in the bunch, is no longer available. In it's place, I have substituted "Me and My RC."