Wendy's Makes Menu Changes, Adds New Type of Fries

Wendy's menu has seen some big changes over the year. Its usual beloved Frosty flavors, classic chocolate, and vanilla were joined by three new additions to the flavor library. The Strawberry Frosty was a tribute to summer flavors, and it received a mixed reception. This fall, customers visiting Wendy's in Canada were treated to a Caramel Apple Frosty. And at this very moment, customers in the U.S. can cruise to Wendy's a taste the peppermint-flavored Frosty, a vanilla Frosty base with a light mint flavor.

The chain also resurrected the Pretzel Bacon Pub Chicken Sandwich trio featuring gooey beer cheese, bacon, and muenster cheese--an addition that fans were thrilled to see. And of course, who could forget the famous Purple Frosty in honor of its partnership with the popular streaming platform Twitch?

Wendy's even trolled Burger King a little with its Wendy’s Cheesenator, the chain's take on the unofficial Burger King menu hack item the Mozzarella Stick Double Cheeseburger.

On Nov. 16, Wendy's dropped some new menu items that are a fast-food style tribute to Italian cuisine. The Italian Mozzarella Chicken Sandwich, Italian Mozzarella Cheeseburger, and Garlic Fries are the newest addition to the Wendy's menu, and it's just one of two Italian-inspired sandwiches hitting a famous fast food menu.

Wendy's Brings the Mozzarella, Marinara, & Garlic

Just in time for the colder weather, Wendy's fans can enjoy a delicious garlic knot bun slathered in marinara and loaded with fresh Asiago cheese fried mozzarella. The Italian Mozzarella Sandwich comes with a lightly breaded chicken patty while the Italian Mozzarella Cheeseburger features the chain's famous fresh beef patty.

Meanwhile, the Garlic Fries are a new way to enjoy a classic Wendy’s staple. They're simple, but classic, made with the chain's natural-cut french fries tossed in a garlic herb sauce. The new menu items debuted the same day that the Peppermint Frosty landed. Each menu item is here for a limited time only, with no word on exactly how long supplies will last.

Wendy's has been a leader when it comes to offering new takes on fries. It's Baconator Fries have been a popular menu staple and it recently added Pretzel Pub Fries when it brought back the Pretzel Pub Burger.

Wendy's Want to Win the Battle of the Fast-Food Burgers

Wendy's isn't the only fast food giant with its own version of an Italian-inspired sandwich. Burger King brought its Italian Chicken Sandwich to the menu on Monday. The popular sammy first appeared on the menu in 1979 and it stayed there until 2014. This time it's back with a brand new name.

The newly-dubbed Italian BK Royal also features marinara and mozzarella, but it's made a couple of big changes to the old classic. This time, the chicken is breaded and the buns are round instead of long. 

When it comes to the fast food market, the biggest name worldwide is undoubtedly Mcdonald's (MCD) - Get Free Report. In the shadow of the golden arches, Burger King was often considered the #2 placeholder. But in recent years, Wendy's has been vying for that silver medal pedestal (and is number two in the United States), and the two fast food chains are battling it out over some very similar menu items.

Thanks to innovative menu additions and some excellent uses of its Twitter platform, Wendy's has managed to snag the coveted place so close to the top. Bringing back popular menu items could swing the scale in either business' favor. Burger King just brought on former Domino's CEO Patrick Doyle as executive chairman, which could lead to some technological innovation to put the Burger King that much closer to the throne.