At Wendy's? Still, when its clock ran out, customers were devastated, begging for the item to be reinstated as a permanent menu fixture. I cant imagine there is much call for alfredo on say a Tuesday afternoon, but they needed to keep the SuperBar full all the time and put it out anyway. It had everything from your standard salad bar configuration to a nacho + taco station (complete with bottomless vat of taco meat), desert bar (with chocolate pudding) and bread. Then in 2018, Wendy's announced on Twitter that it had indeed heard the people's cries and would be releasing the Bacon Portabella Mushroom melt again for a limited time only. height: 100%; The Superbar was phased out by the late '90s as customers began to prefer portable salad options, with more and more customers opting for takeout over dine-in each year, saysThe Wall Street Journal. Just as the old saying goes: "Too much of a good thing is a bad thing" and that certainly held true for the Superbar. Proceeds benefit the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. every day. single The buffet consists of various hot foods, salads, and a make your own Frosty sundae bar and the selection varies by locations that have the SuperBar buffet. At noon, PBS started a long block of nothing but cooking shows. By going back to their core competencies (the value menu, and bacon), they were able to save a lot of money on supply cost, let alone manpower to clean and stock the SuperBar on a daily basis. According to its 1991 commercial for the Cordon Bleu sandwich, Wendy's founder Dave Thomas said that he was inspired by his daughter to make something new. Back in the 80s, and even the early 90s, a lot of fast food restaurants had salad bars, or 'fixins bars', where you could pile as many pickles on your hambur. It was thick, much like what you would find pre-canned in a grocery store aisle these days, and dotted with flecks of black pepper. .field--name-field-history-media .media-image, For a period in the '80s and '90s, Wendy's expanded their salad bar into a full "Superbar" buffet. As the story goes, Dave Thomas, the founder of Wendy's, created the soup to combat food waste in his kitchens. The world loves them for a reason. In 1991, McDonald's tried to just on the low fat craze bandwagon, crafting a burger dubbed the McLean Deluxe, intended to show critics that the fast-food giant could offer low-fat options. But that wasn't the end of things for Wendy's. Yes? Tan and orange furniture everywhere, with fake wood paneling with weird iron work covered in fake philodendron, an old telephone switchboard shoved behind the desk, and a decent TV in the corner. No Filler. If it doesnt elicit at least a few AWWWWWWW YEAHHHHS, I remember those, they were awesome!, you had a very sheltered childhood. The BLT Cobb Salad was packed full of lean protein, making it an Atkins or keto dieter's delight. Not only did the Bacon Gouda Burger contain its namesake sliced Gouda cheese, it also had a Swiss Gruyere sauce, garlic aioli, bacon, red onions, tomato, and spring mix, all on a brioche bun. The next day, with the ingredients burned into my brain, I bounced around from aisle to aisle in the local Piggly Wiggly, desperately trying to find the pieces to construct this dish. Back in 1991, Burger King thought that it would be a good idea to let customers order their food between the hours of 5 and 8 p.m., then take a seat at their table, snack on free popcorn, and have their food brought to them. Per The Washington Post, Wendy's salad bars were chock full of different ingredients for practically unlimited combinations. Looking back now, I truly understand why this amazing thing was also so fleeting, considering it was all you could eat for only $3.69 and $2.99 for children 12 and under. My Mom was sold, I didn't even have to ask, so it only took a couple of nights to pass for us to go to the nearest Wendy's, about 45 minutes away. It was like half the price of the regular SuperBar, the only difference was they gave us a slightly smaller plate. Destroy it. I had never seen or heard of, let alone, experienced the things they were cooking. The feeling that you can just be you. } else { line-height: 22px; customer eating Wendy's salad and lemonade, Wendy's $2 digital Frosty Key Tag on cellphone and physical tag on keychain. Its all back. After my first set of midterms in 7th grade, me and two friends went to the Wendys (all the cool kids went to the McDonalds, but screw them, Wendys was cheaper, better food, and no lines. The SuperBar was filled with food items that were only used just in SuperBar. By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Flexibility. Single item at regular . Though they were always marketed as being available only for a limited time, that doesn't make it any less sad that they're gone. Plus, after 4 p.m., you could come in for an all-you-can-eat dinner at the Superbar for just $2.99 and the kids' Superbar included a drink and a prize! As perBrand Eating, the flatbread was warm, delicious, and had just the right amount of chew. Even though the last one closed in 1998, you really raised the bar. entry is on the Wendys Superbar. Everything is better with cheese, so it's a shame this trio didn't stand the test of time. Whatever your opinion is on its loss, it's clear that Wendy's did what it had to do for its employees and for a changing world. I could go on and on about the New Order posters plastering my house, juxtaposed with framed pages of Sears Wish Books. Try some tomorrow morning and reminisce about how much better they are than the ones the sweet woman who raised you used to make. .field--name-ingredients .field--name-body { They were spicy, crunchy, and generally well-reviewed. Everything is better with cheese, so it's a shame this trio didn't stand the test of time. The Bacon and Blue burger was such a hit that Wendy's brought it back for a limited time in 2015. Get the best food tips and diet advice } ); Deals like this dont happen every day. Back in the early-to-mid 2000s, deli-style sandwiches were all the rage. It was the first time that I got to experience a dish that others enjoyed in different walks of life and in larger places, far away. Wendy's was tapping into a fancy cheese trend at the time, crafting a Wendy's burger topped with blue cheese crumbles, applewood smoked bacon, greens, and a blue cheese aioli sauce. .field--name-field-history-media .media-image .field--name-field-image, .field--name-field-history-media .media-image .field--name-field-image, But as Wendy's loves to do, it removed this burger from the chain'smenu, forcing people to turn to Twitter to mourn collectively. It was predominately a salad bar, with your standard salad bar fixings. .field--name-ingredients h3 { 'twas awesome. He even asked himself, 'what do you do with the leftover hamburger?' If you know anything about the food crazes of the '90s, you can probably guess that this was the result of the fat-free and low fat movement. They were pulled from the fast-food chain not long after their introduction; people just weren't looking for deli sandwiches from a burger joint. So while Wendy's has had its fair share of duds (like the unforgettable loss of the Superbar), it's inspired a whole lot of successes too. The Superbar essentially a giant hot and cold all-you-can-eat buffet was set up in a zig-zag kinda pattern, with bright florescent lights beaming behind the overhanging labels: "Garden Spot." Just like your favorite boy bands, though, it just didn't last and was retired two years later in the summer of 2011. Pudding? For 50 years weve been serving up our square-shaped hamburgers and have remained devoted to treating our employees in that same spirit: fair and square. The sauce was nothing remotely like I would make at this point in my life, nor would I eat, to be honest (not to sound snobby in my older age, but I am a chef). Details are extremely scarce on the release, including when it will be available, the cost, and which retailers will carry the product. display: none !important; Your chicken parm could never. For more, check out these 108 most popular sodas ranked by how toxic they are. Plus you had lettuce, tomato, cheese, peppers and all the sauces (I don't know why more salad bars don't have taco stations.) Best Practices: How the 'Mom and Dad' of Chicagos Restaurant Scene Have Rebooted in Nashville, Best Practices: How An Apron Impresario Changed the Look of Restaurant Kitchens, Ina Garten Dishes on the Secret to Julia Child's Success in a New Podcast. While you cant go to one now, you can relive their awesomeness with some old SuperBar commercials below. Get the best food tips and diet advice every single day, Now, you'll have the best and latest food and healthy eating news right in your inboxevery Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Wendy's is perhaps most famous for its friendly-looking logo and "fresh, never frozen" beef. And honestly, with all the money Wendy's must have spent on the commercial with Terrell Owens and Vince Young, you'd think they would have kept it around longer. With 100% conviction, I can say that I may very well have never become a chef if not for that crappy, pre-made, boil-in-bag-sauced fettuccine Alfredo. .field--name-field-history-media .media-image .field--name-field-image .media--background { Some things just shouldn't be messed with and Wendy's fries are among them. Of course, in the name of profit, risk be darned and companies boldly (or, depending on one's point of view, blindly) throw caution to the wind and hope for the best. It's back for a limited time! According to MoneyWise, it had so many blue cheese toppings that the sandwich fell apart easily, creating a real problem for people trying to enjoy their burgers in the car. Turns out, the best appetizer platter is a single sandwicha single, incredible Italian sandwich. It has over 6,600 locations. Indeed, Superbar was a victim of its own success. As The Daily Meal reported, it wasn't an easy task to keep the Superbar clean and well-stocked, as throngs of customers and perishable items left out in the open mixing would make quite a mess to clean, especially during lunch rushes. Wendys Spicy Chicken Nuggets are the standard by which all other spicy nuggets are judged against. Comprised of eggs, cheese, bacon, and sausage on a sesame seed roll (add ham and you've got the Meat'normous Omelet Sandwich), this artery-clogging overload performed well at first, but sales fizzled out once consumers realized that they probably didn't want to eat 330 milligrams of cholesterol for breakfast. height: 100%; The SuperBar was filled with food items that were only used just in SuperBar. Well, guess what, mega fans, that dream is becoming a reality. Details are scarce, but we're excited nonetheless. navigator.sendBeacon('https://www.google-analytics.com/collect', payload); My dad had barely handed me my plate before I took off running towards "Pasta Pasta." One feature of the restaurant you may have forgotten about is Wendy's salad bar. New Homestyle French Toast Sticks. With its signature square-shaped burgers, and the affordable 4 for $4 deal, the chain has a distinguishable menu that many repeat customers have come to know and love. $15 million went into marketing this Pizza Hut creation in 1985, which was essentially a pizza with two crusts, piled with meat and cheese, meant to resemble a deep-dish pizza. Also, I was not a cool kid, obviously) for the SuperBar. Shortly after Chipotle debuted a "new and improved" but still disappointing queso dip and McDonald's added cheesy loaded fries to their menu, Wendy's added three new queso-drenched items to their menu: the Bacon Queso Burger, the Bacon Queso Chicken Sandwich, and Bacon Queso Fries. At participating U.S. locations. The mid-2000s was the era of the "EXTREME," and in 2005 Burger King attempted to cash in by pairing that with the growing trend of fast food breakfast sandwiches by introducing the Enormous Omelet Sandwich.