A Dedication To Wendy’s, The Most Magical Place In Australia
You know what could make any day better when you were an angsty pre-teen with the weight of the world on your shoulders? Seeing the heart-shaped Wendy’s logo and the bright pink ice cream counter that beckoned you to let all your problems melt away.
The (Australian) Wendy’s was the land of ice cream, milkshakes and hot dogs, and it was an absolute dream come true for those of us who were lucky to grow up in close proximity to one.
Now sit down children, grandma’s ready to tell a story.
When I moved to Sydney I was beyond SHOOK that so many people I met had never heard of Wendy’s. That, teamed with the fact that there just seemed to be NONE around the city blew my teeny, tiny brain.
Wendy’s was a bloody institution in my rural city growing up. It was the first thing you saw as you rode the escalators up into the the local shopping mall. It was the place the ~cooler~ girls worked, like the Supré of snacks and dessert.
It was the place that motivated you to go help your mum with the grocery shopping on the off chance she’d then treat you to a Flake Shake, the place where we all knew Blitzes were 10 x better than McFlurries, and the place where you’d get weirdly fascinated by the rotating hot dog buns on spikes.
Hot dogs AND ice cream? Genius, honestly.
Before the world got fascinated with freakshakes, Wendy’s was already there doing its thing with its variety of Supa Shakes.
They were 100% that bitch.
And then, there were the HOT DOGS.
I haven’t consumed a hot dog in at least 15 years and never plan to again, but this picture is invoking some serious nostalgia in me. I might cave. Stay tuned.
The nutritionally deficit but delicious snack was one for the ages. The bread rolls were kept warm and crusty on these weird hot dog spikes, and all you had to do was whack some tomato sauce and mustard on that bad boy, team it with a milkshake and you had yourself a killer lunch.
Though I have to mention for some weird reason Wendy’s appears to do “Dippers” now and I feel low-key traumatised.
While we’re on this journey together, holding hands, salivating over the thought of ice cream, let’s remember Wendy’s iconic ice cream cones.
If you missed out on this in your childhood then, I’m sorry, you never really experienced the freedom of being a kid.
Sure, in this day and age there’s a lot of concern about “sugar” and “fat” and “hot dogs are just processed pieces of crap” and you may be right.
But nothing beats the sweet memories of truly not giving a shit and going on a Wendy’s run after school on a Thursday afternoon.
Bring back the good old days.
