Wendy’s is going vintage.
Starting on September 28, the fast food behemoth will blast its customers back to the past with a reissue of its iconic, bright yellow packaging — and true-blue Wendy’s fans are surprisingly ecstatic.
“The throwback we didn’t know we needed!” said fast food fan David Turner in an enthusiastic TikTok post.
“I think we can all agree that when Wendy’s logo was yellow with the packaging, the world was a better place,” added a creator named Mike, who also posted on the comeback.
The canary-colored wrappers, which date all the way back to Wendy’s first fast food joint in 1969, will hit the brand’s 7,000 locations through early 2027.
According to Tariq Hassan, Wendy’s Chief Marketing and Customer Growth Officer, the new roll-out includes sunny delights for nuggets, fries, soft drinks and other food items — including the brand’s famous Frosty.
It was inspired by fan requests on social media, along with some impassioned emails to the company.
“It’s one of the most requested things we’ve ever had come back,” said Hassan.
The bright yellow packaging comes at a time when Wendy’s could use some happiness.
Last year, the square patty empire announced plans to close 5% of stores nationwide, with company president Bob Wright saying, “we are clearly not performing up to our potential” in an earnings call update.
Perhaps the return of the traditional sunny wrapping will help turn things around.
Jared Watson, an assistant professor of marketing at NYU Stern, told The Post that the excitement for the new wrappers makes sense from a psychological standpoint.
“[The roll-out] leverages the power of nostalgia for the millennial generation, who now have some serious purchasing power,” he said. “As millennials have increasingly shifted away from ‘fast food’ towards ‘fast casual,’ the nostalgic yellow packaging piques the curiosity of an audience who likely have vivid memories of dipping fries in their frosty or eating square hamburgers.”
Watson added that even something as seemingly small as a packaging choice can “trigger a sentimental feeling that leads this audience back to the store to try to recapture some of that magic.”
The company is also offering free fries with any $5 order to loyalty program members.
