The Incredible Number Of Frostys Wendy's Sells Every Year
What's better than a salty-and-sweet flavor combination? If there's anyone who knows this best, it's the fast-food franchise Wendy's. If you've never combined the fast-food chain's dessert staple, the iconic Frosty, with its hot, fresh, and crispy French fries — well then, you're missing out. With the Frosty being one of the five original menu items and having just celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2019, according to the Wendy's website, there's a reason why the Frosty is beloved by customers worldwide.
A cool, creamy, and refreshing dessert with a consistency that allows it to be consumed by a either spoon or straw, it comes in flavors like chocolate, vanilla, or sometimes even strawberry, all of which keep Frosty fans coming back to their closest Wendy's location again and again. Considering how popular Frostys are, and considering they're sold by one of the most successful food franchises in the U.S., you may wonder just how many Frostys are sold every year — and suffice it to say, the exact number may shock you.
Millions of Frostys are sold every year
Because the Frosty has been a regular on the Wendy's menu for over 50 years, it would be easy to assume that the chain has sold a lot of Frosty's over the years, every year. But we never would have guessed it sells hundreds of millions in a 52-week cycle. That's right –- according to a Wendy's press release (via Reader's Digest), Wendy's sells and serves an estimated 300 million Frostys every year.
Of course, these 300 million Frostys aren't just split between its classic and chocolate and vanilla flavors. Throughout the years, Wendy's has experimented with a variety of flavors to customers to shake things up and keep customers coming back for more. According to CNN Business, Wendy's has launched three new limited-time Frosty flavors in the United States within the past 16 years. The most recent included the holiday-themed Peppermint Frosty, available to customers from the time of this writing until January 29, 2023. This knocks out the summer season's rotated strawberry flavor, as well as vanilla for the remainder of the year.
Frostys vs. fries
Let's be clear here: Wendy's is doing very well. According to Statista, the company racked in a whopping $1.9 billion U.S. revenue in 2021, with restaurant locations staying open and staple throughout the country. While the amount of Frostys amount to an average of 300 million sold every year throughout the United States, its pairing partner French fries still remain the most popular menu item.
According to the trade publication Nation's Restaurant News, Wendy's famous French fries have only been altered twice in over 50 years, the first time being in 2010. More recently in 2021, the fast-food chain reformulated its skin-on fries to retain heat and crispness for up to 30 minutes after coming out of the fryer. Because of this, Wendy's fries are the best-selling item on the menu, with a total sold surpassing the 300 million Frostys every year. While there is no exact data that shows just how many boxes of fries are sold and consumed throughout the United States every year, we can be sure that it out beats Frostys due to its number one prime spot on the menu.