DUBLIN, Ohio — Salad season really heats up starting today … with the return of Wendy's® most popular seasonal favorite: Berry Almond Chicken Salad.
Featuring fresh, hand-picked U.S. blueberries and California strawberries — which are also hand-sliced in every Wendy's kitchen — the Berry Almond Chicken Salad combines a warm, grilled chicken breast on a blend of 11 types of field greens and topped with shaved Asiago cheese and California roasted almonds. This summertime delight is served with a signature fat-free raspberry vinaigrette dressing – including red raspberries, acai juice and balsamic vinegar, and is only available throughout the summer.
But the real stars are the juicy strawberries and plump, tangy blueberries that are picked at the peak of freshness. Wendy's will buy 2 million pounds of strawberries and 1 million pounds of blueberries from now through September to satisfy consumers' cravings for the Berry Almond Chicken Salad.
"Thank goodness berries are ripening on the vine – at last," said Derek Detenber , Wendy's VP, Brand Management. "Wendy's fans have been clamoring for the return of our Berry Almond Chicken Salad. It's as good as the cafe-style salads, in terms of ingredients, preparation and taste. And ours cost less."
Like all Wendy's salads, fresh preparation of the Berry Almond Chicken Salad is a key ingredient in every kitchen. Every day Wendy's starts with whole heads of romaine and iceberg lettuce then washes, chops and even uses a salad spinner to ensure crispness. The strawberries and blueberries are washed and the strawberries are hand-sliced. The chicken is 100 percent all-white breast meat. It's grilled in every kitchen, chopped and served warm on the salad. The recommended price is $6.49 for a full-size entree and $4.49 for a half-size portion.
The full-sized Berry Almond Chicken Salad supplies three servings of vegetables and one serving of fruit, and has 460 calories (360 without dressing), while a half-size portion provides two servings of vegetables and a half-serving of fruit at 270 calories (220 without dressing). The blueberries and strawberries are super foods with super flavor, packed with antioxidant-rich nutrients that promote good health. To view more nutrition, ingredient, and allergen information about Wendy's salads and all menu items, visit the expanded nutrition section on the completely overhauled wendys.com: wendys.com/en-us/nutrition-info.
Berry Almond Chicken Salad joins Wendy's year-round lineup of premium salads from its Garden Sensations® line: Apple Pecan Chicken, Spicy Chicken Caesar, BLT Cobb and Baja; and side salads: Caesar and Garden.
"Many chains offer salads, but not all salads are the same, and the word 'Fresh" is often overused. We offer cafe-quality premium salads at a quick service price," said Craig Bahner , Wendy's CMO. "We take great pride in being the salad leader in our industry."
"Best-Kept Secrets in Salads" … Revealed
Wendy's really knows salads – and is willing to share some of its secrets for serving freshly prepared, high-quality ingredients via The Best-Kept Secrets in Salads discovery hub. Since April 25, the online microsite has given consumers hints to scour the Internet and Wendy's social media properties on a scavenger hunt to find various Wendy's salad secrets – all for a chance to win $25 gift cards. Visit www.wendys.com/secrets for details and to enter; no purchase is necessary.
Wendy's has also partnered with SELF® Magazine's Workout in the Park® events (www.selfworkoutinthepark.com) and is bringing salad secrets and free salad samples to fitness fans in cities across the country. Wendy's will be at Butler Field in Chicago's Grant Park on Saturday, June 1, from 11-3 pm.
Wendy's and Salads
Wendy's is a salad pioneer, from offering the first quick-service salad bar nearly 35 years ago through the launch of its premium entree salads in 2002, followed by fresh additions in 2006 and 2010. Wendy's salads are A Cut Above the competition in the areas that matter: fresh ingredients, fresh preparation, customization portion size and price.
Wendy's sold well over 100 million salads in the US last year, in entree, half-size and side salads. Wendy's was also named #1 Zagat®-rated for Best Salads in the Zagat Annual Fast-Food survey, beating out Panera®, Chipotle®, and Subway® among others. Regarding overall menu, Technomic, Inc. recently said Wendy's is preferred by consumers over McDonald's® and Burger King® when it comes to food quality, taste and flavor*.
For videos, photos and more information about Wendy's Berry Almond Chicken Salad, visit http://berryalmondchickensalad.aboutwendys.com/.
*Source: Technomic Consumer Brand Metrics research, released in April 2013. More information available upon request.
About The Wendy's Company
The Wendy's Company is the world's third largest quick-service hamburger company. The Wendy's system includes more than 6,500 franchise and Company restaurants in the United States and 27 countries and U.S. territories worldwide. For more information, visit aboutwendys.com or wendys.com.
Source: The Wendy's Company
