Wendy’s Listened to the Fans and Is Bringing Back an Uber Popular Burger

Brands just love a vote. They can’t get enough of them, guys. For food businesses, it’s a way for them to gauge what their customers are interested in, create a feeling of participation, and drum up some publicity. And the fans, by way of a democratic process, get a new or returning item for their participatory troubles. It’s a win for everyone, really.

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This year so far, we’ve seen M&M’s bring back its flavor vote, and Taco Bell unveil a new butter chicken taco after a vote of its own – and now it’s Wendy’s turn. The restaurant just held a vote for its so-called Bring It Back Bracket Contest, and the winner, the Pretzel Bacon Pub Burger, is coming back in style. Here’s what you need to know. 

The Return of the Pretzel Bacon Pub Burger: A Civic Victory

Voting for the final round of Wendy’s Bring It Back Bracket began on March 30, with the restaurant holding court over on X with a series of polls on former menu favorites. The Pretzel Bacon Pub Burger was one of eight finalists, which also included its Bacon Portabella Melt, Monterey Ranch Chicken Sandwich, and Dreamsicle Frosty. The winner was to be rewarded with a spot on the Wendy’s menu once more, restoring it to its former glory.

Well, the fans duly got to work voting – and the Pretzel Bacon Pub Burger came out on top, with almost 74% of people throwing their hat in the ring for it. Yesterday, Wendy’s confirmed on its Instagram that the Pretzel Bacon Pub Burger was the top dog, and that it would be coming back to its menu “soon.” No more details than that; just “soon.” But hey. We’ll take soon over never. 

The Fans Are Rejoicing!

When Wendy’s broke the news that the Pretzel Bacon Pub Burger was coming back (which, we have to say, wasn’t really breaking news – the vote was up on X for everyone to see), it’s fair to say the people were pleased. “Massive W,” said a commenter on Wendy’s Instagram post. Another requested that Wendy’s make them its chief tasting officer: The person who’s filling that slightly wild role has yet to be announced, so hey, maybe there’s still time to get in there. 

We can understand why people are so happy that the Pretzel Bacon Pub Burger is coming back. This sandwich is pretty cool by anyone’s standards: It’s a quarter-pounder burger topped with Muenster cheese, strips of Wendy’s bacon, fried onions, pickles, honey mustard, and beer cheese sauce. All of that on a pretzel bun, which gives the sandwich slightly more chew than the standard burger. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but judging by how much Wendy’s customers got behind it, we think it’ll be very welcome when it makes its grand return.