Wendy’s elusive Strawberry Frosty has finally arrived in the U.S. but it’s only available in one location.
The strawberry-flavored frozen drink is only being offered at the Wendy’s Hamburger Stand inside the Walmart in Heath, Ohio, which is just 42 miles away from the fast-food restaurant chain’s headquarters. The Wendy’s Hamburger Stand, which opened just last August, also serves other exclusive menu items, including nuggets in Buttermilk Ranch and Jalapeno Cheddar flavors, as well as Frosty sundaes in Chocolate Lover and Strawberry Celebration flavors.
The availability of Wendy’s Strawberry Frosty in the U.S. was confirmed by the company’s CEO and president Todd Penegor to Nation’s Restaurant News. “If you want to find a strawberry Frosty, you can only find it today in the Hamburger Stand restaurant [at the Walmart in Heath, Ohio],” he said. “And we’ve got this unbelievably great Jalapeno Popper Chicken Nugget in that restaurant that isn’t in our freestanding restaurant.”
Explaining the non-traditional venue of the said Wendy’s Hamburger Stand, Penegor told the news outlet: “It’s just another opportunity with a little more limited menu to continue to provide access to our brand. We do think access drives awareness; awareness drives trial and repeat, and that really drives frequency overtime. So that’s part of our strategy moving forward.”
While the Wendy’s Hamburger Stand in Heath, Ohio is the first of its kind, the restaurant chain already has plans to open a Wendy’s Snack Shop format at another Walmart somewhere in Ohio as part of its objective to expand into more nontraditional locations. “Over the next four or five years, we’re probably going to be doing about 40% to 50% of our new-unit development in non-traditional,” revealed Penegor.
Wendy’s Frosty was one of the five original menu items offered in the restaurant when it was established back in 1969. The Frosty comes in a number of flavors, but the strawberry one has become somewhat of an urban legend among U.S. customers, as it has only been available in Canada.
Wendy’s Strawberry Frosty debuted at various franchises in Canada in 2010. After being absent from the menu for a long time, the sweet treat made a limited-time comeback in the country last April. It’s not clear though whether Wendy’s has plans to offer the Frosty flavor at its other U.S. locations in the future.