Believe it or not, when Dave Thomas founded Wendy's in 1969, bacon wasn't on the menu. That's right - our loved onesBaconator®was first introduced in 2007 – more than 38 years after our founding – followed by the popular Son of Baconator® in 2012. By now you probably thought that bacon was always on the menu, because the bacon we use contains everything that is tasty with Wendy's – fresh and tasty. But the moral here is that quality takes time, and finding a quality partner can take even longer. And when you know, you know.
Although it took a while to create these two bacon-based culinary masterpieces, Dave – always a leader in innovation in the quick-service restaurant industry – thought about putting bacon on burgers long before the Baconator fulfilled the dreams of bacon lovers let go.
Dave had friends at Fresh Mark, the parent company of Sugardale Foods, which has been making bacon for almost 100 years. Fun Fact: Sugardale representatives personally delivered the first eight boxes of bacon directly to Dave at Wendy's in downtown Columbus, cooked it with Dave and tested it on a hamburger in 1982. Did you also know that 1982 is the year we introduced our first introduced bacon? cheeseburger? Sugardale has been supplying our bacon for 36 years and is also a great partner for our international business. And just as our burgers are made from fresh, never frozen beef*, our bacon is made from fresh pork belly that Sugardale cuts and packages for team members to prepare daily in our restaurants.
But for Wendy's, Sugardale is more than just bacon. Sugardale is also a proud supporter of our favorite charityDave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. Sugardale has supported the foundation since its inception in 1992 and continues to help us find permanent, loving homes for children in foster care by sponsoring Wendy's annual Frosty 5K Run for Adoption, various golf tournaments and our annual Wendy's Convention. Like we said, when you know, you know, and Dave's instincts were right with this collaboration.
Sugardale has also created and donated 10 custom, handcrafted Swarovski crystal wallets – designed in honor of the Wendy's brand – to be auctioned off as part of an annual fundraising campaign. The purses alone raised over $500,000 for the foundation, which Dave would have said: well done!
The Baconator as a wallet
SEE: THE BACONATOR AS A POINT. OUR PARTNER SUGARDALE HAS CREATED AND DONATED 10 CUSTOM HANDMADE SWAROVSKI CRYSTAL WALLETS, WHICH ARE BEING AUCTIONED FOR ADOPTION TO SUPPORT THE DAVE THOMAS FOUNDATION.
In 2016, Sugardale hit the road and brought along their bacon food truck (you read that right –spek foodtruck!) to our Restaurant Support Center in Dublin, Ohio. They're here today for the third year in a row with their own Sugardale hot dogs and a toppings stand (yes, bacon and Wendy's chili are both offered as toppings) to serve lunch and raise money for the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. Who doesn't love a hot dog lunch for charity?
Thank you, Sugardale, for all you do for Wendy's and for children in foster care. We hope our partnership will bring many more bacon treasures to Wendy's fans in the years to come!
*Fresh beef available in the contiguous United States, Alaska and Canada.
