Wendy's Corporate big money sellout?

[opensoul7]

Wendy's Closed the doors on it's first resteraunt the other day here in Columbus Ohio. The reason given is that it does only half the 1.4 million dollars per year the rest of their stores do on average. Dave thomas a high school dropout and local workaholic made good would have never shut down this location if he was still alive. does this represent the loss of a dream ? does shutting down the first Wendy's ever , represent the worst of corporate America ? Willing to kill it's own history and success story just for a buck ! Where the bottom line means more than history or tradition . Is this a microcosm of what the corporate world will do to us all if given the chance?

 

[robtex]

Maybe it is only as symbolic tragic as you or anyone makes it out to be. Surely not anything signifigant or insignifgant and the symbolism you attach to it is likey not the symbolism the corporate office attaches to it. Interesting thing to dwell on. I wouldn't have blinked over this if you hadn't made a thread on it. 'Wonder how the other posters will react to this?

 

[Shadow Wolf]

A Wendys in Kokomo closed years ago. Only the managers knew. The crew still showed up to work, unaware of the closing.

Closing the first one though, just because it's low volume, doesn't make since.

 

[Jaymes]

From what I understand the main reasons they closed was because the parking lot was FAR too small for a modern Wendy's and because they'd have to do serious reconstruction on it to meet building standards. The money also played a part in it, too, though.

All the news reports quote the company spokesman as saying the following: "I guarantee he would support this decision," Lynch said. "He recognized that a company needs to be profitable." How come you disagree?

 

[opensoul7]

The parking was limited , there was no drive thru window . I understand half the profit from this location . But inside they displayed items from the history of wendy's. Also the shape and layout was unique , because Dave Thomas converted a car dearlership into hos first resteraunt. Could you display those items in another store or in the corporate headquarters in Dublin ,Ohio , sure. To me having gone to that Wendy's since I was a kid it was dissapointing . That location made enough money to keep itself going , it was not a burden on the corporate overhead. To me it represents the problem with big buisness or corporate America. That people ,tradition, history, means nothing copared to the bottom line, the almighty dollar . It is symbolic that profit means everything at all cost . Will anyone loose sleep over this , no .And as for Dave , that location has always been the same even when he was alive , but he never shut it down. Dave was a local success story .A man that with limited education hard work , and treating his people good turned one small resteraunt in downtown Columbus ,Ohio , into a fast food Giant . Not bad for a dropout.For me I am willing to say there is some sentimental value , having gone to that location since I was a kid. And growing up in Columbus you can't help but know his story . To me it wasn't a financial strain to keep that store open and it was a location that showed people the roots of the chain and the man that had started it.

 

[SoyLeche]

The parking was limited , there was no drive thru window . I understand half the profit from this location . But inside they displayed items from the history of wendy's. Also the shape and layout was unique , because Dave Thomas converted a car dearlership into hos first resteraunt. Could you display those items in another store or in the corporate headquarters in Dublin ,Ohio , sure. To me having gone to that Wendy's since I was a kid it was dissapointing . That location made enough money to keep itself going , it was not a burden on the corporate overhead. To me it represents the problem with big buisness or corporate America. That people ,tradition, history, means nothing copared to the bottom line, the almighty dollar . It is symbolic that profit means everything at all cost . Will anyone loose sleep over this , no .And as for Dave , that location has always been the same even when he was alive , but he never shut it down. Dave was a local success story .A man that with limited education hard work , and treating his people good turned one small resteraunt in downtown Columbus ,Ohio , into a fast food Giant . Not bad for a dropout.For me I am willing to say there is some sentimental value , having gone to that location since I was a kid. And growing up in Columbus you can't help but know his story . To me it wasn't a financial strain to keep that store open and it was a location that showed people the roots of the chain and the man that had started it.

Wendy's is not in the museum business, it's in the fast food business. If somebody cares about the "history" (maybe someone in the community, the family, etc), they should buy the building and the memorabilia and set it up as a museum. Maybe they can even talk the corporation into letting them run it as a museum/franchise, maybe just selling the food that Dave Thomas first sold there. There are some good opportunities here - take advantage of them if you feel so inclined.

 

[MaddLlama]

If the store is not making enough money to fund the repairs it needs, then why should it stay open? If a business is not doing well, nostalgia and sentiment aren't exactly good reasons to keep it going. A businesses first obligation is to make money. Entertaining customers with business history tidbits is far down the list of "things a business needs to do", if it's there at all.

And, to be frank, I'm not sure how many people who eat and Wendy's really care about it's history. People who buy Starbucks coffee don't make pilgrimages to their first store in Washtingon. Likewise, I bet most people who eat at Wendy's outside of Ohio even know that's where the first store is.

 

[SoyLeche]

Likewise, I bet most people who eat at Wendy's outside of Ohio even know that's where the first store is.

Or care, for that matter. If anyone cares, it's going to be family or the community. If they want to save it, it's up to them.

 

[FatMan]

The story of Dave Thomas is an excellent one. People will remember that story with or without the original restaurant being open. Businesses that do not make sound financial decisions do not stay in business for very long.

 

[Djamila]

Wow, that is kind of sad. We have the opposite extreme in Europe. It wouldn't matter if it cost $10,000,000 a year to keep open, some national heritage law would require it remain.

 

[Scuba Pete]

I see this as a non-issue. Sure, no one likes to see change, especially a change from their earlier years.

 

[CaptainXeroid]

I don't know the laws related to building codes in Columbus, Ohio, but in many communities there are some bizarre clauses. In many places you can keep an old buildling open for public use with nary an inspection, but the minute you want to make ANY kind of improvements to you, you have to bring the ENTIRE place up to code.

The effect of this provision in metro Atlanta is that it is often more economical to tear the whole thing down and build it from scratch rather than try and remodel.

I remember a bit of sadness at hearing the news, but as others have said Wendy's is a business, and they have a responsibilty to make sound business decisions.