Wendy's Sees Highest Same-Day Sales in 15 Years Thanks to Its Breakfast Menu

McDonald's and Burger King just can't keep up.

COLE SALADINO/THRILLIST
COLE SALADINO/THRILLIST

We're not saying the breakfast Baconator is the early morning pick-me-up, hangover cure, comfort food we've been waiting for, but we're not not saying it either. We'll just let the numbers do the talking. Wendy's morning menu continues to soar while competitors falter under pressure of the pandemic

Classic breakfast purveyors like Dunkin', Starbucks, McDonald's, and Burger King have all seen a decline as a result of COVID-19. Simply put, fewer people are stopping in on the way to work...because fewer people are actually going in to the office. Wendy's, however, has managed to survive this trend unscathed. The pigtailed fast food joint, which only launched its current breakfast menu this past March, has seen a consistent rise in sales. 

According to Restaurant Business, Wendy's reported same-store sales (a metric that compares revenue within a fixed period of time) rose 7% in the fiscal third quarter. This also marks the company's highest same-day sales in 15 years—a feat which was largely driven by breakfast sales. 

"In the face of the pandemic, with mobility being down, we’re very happy with how our breakfast business has been performing," CEO Todd Penegor said in an earnings call Wednesday. "We’re feeling very bullish on the future of breakfast."

The chain's emphasis on the morning daypart isn't going anywhere either, per Penegor. Wendy's plans to continue marketing the menu to consumers and increase sales. And while he admits sales are "at the low end" of what the chain had previously expected of the launch pre-pandemic, things are still trending in the right direction—especially when measured against rival restaurants.

"Clearly, with mobility down and the morning routine disrupted, we’d been hoping for even more on the breakfast front," Penegor said. "With all those headwinds, to still be within the guidance range, we feel very proud."

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Megan Schaltegger is a staff writer at Thrillist.