There is something endlessly fascinating about seeing international menus for American chain’s like Wendy’s, even if you end up a little jealous when you find out that people abroad can enjoy their Baconators with a beer. Fast food menus are little windows into local culture. Seeing how they differ from country to country is actually a pretty good way to understand and be surprised by the tastes of people around the world. It’s not a shock that Wendy’s in Canada serves poutine (the country’s unofficial national food), or a jalapeño burger in Mexico, but why are onion rings limited to Wendy’s in the Middle East and New Zealand? And why will you find a Wendy’s teriyaki burger served alongside alcohol and pasta in Japan?
That’s right, Wendy’s in Japan is a true melting pot of flavors that American locations just can’t match. The alcohol is less surprising, as some locations offer a selection of craft beers, but the pasta menu at Wendy’s in Japan is all over the place. There are some decidedly Japanese flavors, like a sea urchin pasta with squid and cod roe, but there is also Italian carbonara, and a much more American-sounding dish called bacon and butter pasta. Maybe Wendy’s love of bacon just transcends borders, because the tomato sauce and mozzarella pasta on the menu has bacon in it too. But while some of the flavors are easily explained by catering to local tastes, the especially unusual combo at Wendy’s Japan actually comes from the unique way the company expanded there.
Wendy’s in Japan serves squid pasta, beer, and truffle cheeseburgers
Wendy’s in Japan is actually called Wendy’s First Kitchen, because the American brand acquired a pre-existing Japanese restaurant chain called First Kitchen in 2016. Wendy’s has previously struggled to franchise in the Japan, and buying a brand with over a hundred locations and name recognition in the country was a different way to break into the market. First Kitchen already sold burgers, making it a natural fit, but it also featured pasta and fried chicken. The new Wendy’s First Kitchen menu now looks like a hybrid of the two, with First Kitchen items like chicken consommé fries living alongside Wendy’s chili and Dave’s Doubles.
It turns out that this unique approach has been pretty successful. Since acquiring First Kitchen the co-branded locations with Wendy’s have spread all over Japan including in major cities like Tokyo and Kyoto, and the wide-ranging menu has been credited for its unique appeal. There are burgers topped with Japanese favorites like takoyaki, special Wendy’s Japan creations like a Truffle and Cheese Baconator and classics that any American would recognize like the Wendy’s Spicy Chicken Sandwich. And you get to wash it all down with a beer too. Which all begs the question, if Japan can get a Wendy’s Baconator, why can’t we get a teriyaki burger over here? And as for Wendy’s carbonara pasta, maybe that one is best left back over the ocean in Tokyo.
