The '80s Rap Song Wendy's Wrote To Teach Employees 'Grill Skills' Will Stick In Your Head For Days

Before corporate training videos were mundane, boring, and borderline dystopian, there was a brief, glorious moment in the 1970s/'80s when fast-food chains took a more ... unhinged route. Many restaurants made surreal training videos, but none served it up better than Wendy's. We are familiar, as we ranked Wendy's chicken sandwiches from worst to best. The fast-food burger chain taught new employees how to become grill masters with a rap video (yes, you read that right), called "Grill Skill." And it delivers on all the over-the-top, kitschy aspects that defined the '80s.

The Grill Skill training video is equal parts instructional guide and hip-hop fever dream. I would imagine the bigwigs at the burger franchise at the time hearing Run-D.M.C. or The Beastie Boys, and saying, "Yes, let's do this to teach employees to make hamburgers."

This VHS/mixtape relic is a Wendy's International production, put on by "the crew." The video is educational but also fully committed to the bit. There's choreography, the Golden Age '80s boo-bap sounds, and crew members training rookies to master grilling, along with building and serving up a classic Wendy's cheeseburger with finesse.

Wendy's "Grill Skill" training video starts normally with an upbeat retro pop sound. Founder Dave Thomas gives his spiel about what sets the burger chain apart, boasting that it serves "the best hamburger in the bidness." He shows you how they make them and has you doubting your hearing every time he pronounces "Old Fashioned."

Around minute three, a new employee heads to a VHS player to watch a training video on grilling. That's when things get a little weird. A floating head wearing a bucket hat and shades flies out of the smoking machine, introducing himself as "The Duke of Grill." The employee is sucked into a spotlight-lit kitchen, where The Duke waves a spatula around, rapping about the right way to grill a Wendy's burger. His dance moves would make any B-Boy shudder. Animated makeup-wearing patties sing on backup vocals. You will be flabbergasted, impressed, and educated all at once.

And that's not the only time the fast-food joint has rolled out the theatrics for training. Wendy's also cued up the music to teach employees how to make hot and cold drinks. The chain has carried that quirky personality to its online presence, too, roasting fans and fellow restaurants alike on its Twitter since 2017. It reentered the rap game that same year, this time trading insults with Wingstop. Wendy's ate them for lunch. Here's hoping there's more heated food battles in the future.