News

Wendy's readies for new premium salad launch

June 29, 2010

Wendy's will announce its new lineup of premium salads next week, but the salads are already in many stores and posted on the company's website.

The new offerings continue the company's focus on fresh ingredients as part of its "You know when it's real" slogan. The new salads will include Apple Pecan Chicken with two types of apples, blue cheese, cranberries and pecans; BLT Cobb with Applewood-smoked bacon, blue cheese, hardboiled eggs, tomato and an avocado ranch dressing; Spicy Chicken Caesar with grape tomatoes and asiago cheese; and Baja with pico de gallo, guacamole and the brand's chili. The salads are paired with Marzetti dressings, including pomegranate vinaigrette, lemon garlic Caesar and creamy red jalapeno.

Wendy's CEO Roland Smith said during the company's latest quarterly earnings call that the new salads have performed strongly tests, even with a price point of $5.99. The test markets have found that customers are responding to the fresh, quality ingredients, which total 14 among the new salads.

With the emphasis on fresh ingredients, consumers may be confused by the Baja Salad, which leverages the brand's chili instead of the black beans and corn traditionally served on such salads.

The "four totally reinvented salads," as the website says, will replace the company's Garden Sensation Salads, which including Mandarin Chicken, Chicken Caesar, Chicken BLT and Southwest Taco. Those salads contained 180 to 440 calories without dressing, but nutritional information on the new salads is not yet available.