The History of the Wendy’s Baconator

Although Wendy’s opened its first location back in 1969, the Baconator wasn’t introduced until June 2007. At the time, the chain was struggling in the wake of founder Dave Thomas’ death. (Thomas was known for his leadership of the chain and even played a starring role in a series of popular and impactful Wendy’s commercials.) The Baconator was created in an effort to revitalize Wendy’s menu and marketing. In keeping with founder Dave Thomas’s philosophy of using fresh, never-frozen meat, the sandwich was designed with a fresh beef patty, fresh bacon, and cheese. According to then-CEO Kerrii Anderson, it was specifically aimed at 18 to 34-year-old males, who had been identified as the most common consumers of fast food at the time. The Baconator was an immediate success and in less than one year, the chain reportedly sold over 68 million sandwiches! In March 2008, Wendy’s rolled out a spicy version of the Baconator, but it was not as successful and was later removed from the menu entirely. Then in 2012, Wendy’s released a smaller version of the Baconator, called the Son of Baconator, which was much more successful than the failed spicy option. Over time, the Baconator has become one of the most iconic fast-food burgers in the United States. In 2020, the chain even partnered with Pringles to create a Baconator-flavored snack! Today, the Baconator remains a beloved, iconic fast-food offering and is one of the most popular menu items at Wendy’s.