On most weekends I have a burning desire for some type of fast food, usually involving french fries. Wanting to stay in the campus area, I typically hit one of three places: McDonald’s, Dairy Queen or Wendy’s.
Switching off between the three restaurants has made it easy not to get sick of one, but recent events have forced me to come up with a new strategy.
With little warning the Wendy’s chain has decided to close down all four of its locations in Eugene, leaving almost 200 employees out of work and around 24,000 University of Oregon students out of a place to grab a junior bacon cheeseburger. Eight total Oregon locations have closed down recently.
“We have ended our relationship with our local franchisee,” Wendy’s spokesperson Bob Bertini said. “We cannot provide specifics, but the franchisee failed to meet certain obligations of his Wendy’s franchise agreement.”
Ending a contract with someone who can’t fulfill his or her agreements is understandable, but doing it with almost no warning to employees is wrong. Wendy’s is now the world’s third largest quick-service hamburger company with over 6,500 restaurants, according to its website.
Many students have made Wendy’s their fast food hotspot and for students living on campus, the Franklin Blvd. location was their closest source for fast food. Although it left unexpectedly, Wendy’s wants us to know that our service was valued.
“We appreciate the support of our loyal customers from the University of Oregon, and hope to return to Eugene and the other communities in the future,” Bertini said. “Any discussion regarding the potential timing or future plans would be premature at this point.”
At this time there are no future plans for most of the locations in Eugene, but one restaurant has already been revitalized.
“All Wendy’s in Eugene have been closed, but the Green Acre Road location is now a family-run restaurant called The Burger House,” district manager Brian Vogel said.
The Burger House is a one-of-a-kind creation by owners Jeff and Kathy Vogel. As of now they will serve burgers, chicken, fries and shakes, but plan to expand the menu over time.
Hopefully, in the near future, the other locations will either reopen as Wendy’s or transform into other restaurants. Maybe this will be the perfect opportunity for someone to bring a Burgerville to Eugene.
I still haven’t fully grasped the fact that I can’t go down the street for a pretzel bacon cheeseburger and a classic frosty anymore. What other fast food restaurants will serve me a baked potato or a salad that is actually fresh?
Continuing to see Wendy’s commercials on television and advertisements on my Facebook timeline feels like salt in the wound. Getting over my Wendy’s addiction could take a while, as I am still recovering from when they discontinued the pretzel bun for a few months last year.
If you really cannot handle life without a double stack or a spicy chicken sandwich then you are going to have to make a trip down to Roseburg to satisfy your cravings. The drive is about an hour south down the I-5, so bring a friend and make a little day trip out of it.
Follow Tanner Owens on Twitter @T_Owens21