Why This Fast Food Chain Keeps Baked Potatoes On Its Menu - Tasting Table

"They were added to the menu, along with the legendary salad bar, as part of the health food craze that was sweeping the nation in the early '80s. This was a big deal at the time. In the early 1980s, the USDA released its first dietary guidelines, suggesting Americans cut back on saturated fats, sodium, sugar, and cholesterol. In 1982, Coca-Cola introduced Diet Coke. The diet craze was in full swing, so Wendy's took its own big swing by offering a baked potato in 1983."

"A single, plain baked potato is only 270 calories compared to fries, which can be as much as 470 calories. Sour cream and chives only add another 30 calories, so the potato is a great, lower calorie option. Wendy's offers five versions of its baked potato on the menu. Aside from plain and sour cream and chives, there's also cheese, bacon cheese, and chili cheese."

Wendy's sells roughly one million baked potatoes each week. The baked potato joined the menu in 1983 amid an early-1980s health-food craze and the introduction of USDA dietary guidelines encouraging reduced saturated fat, sodium, sugar, and cholesterol. A plain baked potato contains about 270 calories versus fries that can reach 470 calories. Sour cream and chives add roughly 30 calories, making the potato a lower-calorie choice. Wendy's offers five standard potato varieties—plain, sour cream and chives, cheese, bacon cheese, and chili cheese—and allows full customization with other sauces and toppings. Regional and past variations have included ham and ranch, tomato sauce, salsa, and broccoli cheddar.

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