After years of speculation, the first permanent Victorian location has set an opening date. Near a major road in Melbourne, it will feature an Australian-only item and a drive-through with face-to-face service.
Quincy Malesovas
We already have McDonalds, Carl’s Jr and Five Guys. Now American fast-food franchise Wendy’s (not to be confused with Australian ice-creamery Wendy’s Milk Bar) is trying its luck in the local market. Its first Melbourne restaurant will open in Dandenong South on June 24.
The brand has been teasing its arrival for months, with its signature red pigtails popping up around Melbourne. It follows the opening of stores on the Gold Coast and in Brisbane last year. A brand spokesperson says Wendy’s now has its sights firmly set on Victoria, and most of the chain’s 20 new Australian stores over the next two years are earmarked for the state.
According to Wendy’s Asia Pacific chief marketing officer Corina Black, the move was driven by customer demand. “Since we launched in Australia in January 2025, across our social media, fans have been calling out for Wendy’s to come to Melbourne,” she says.
Some are familiar with the brand’s more than 7000 locations across the Americas, Europe and Asia. Others know it purely through social media, where Wendy’s has gained recognition for its tongue-in-cheek online presence.
So what sets Wendy’s apart in an already crowded burger market, populated by not just chains but quality independent operators?
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For one, its signature square patties, which extend beyond the edges of the bun. The 113-gram patties (or a quarter pound in American terms) are made with “fresh, never frozen” Australian beef. There is the option to stack up to three in a single burger.
The Melbourne menu largely sticks to Wendy’s global classics including the Baconator – renamed “Baconmater” for a local touch – a double stack of beef patties, American cheese and bacon. But there is one new addition: hand-breaded chicken tenders, which are exclusive to the Australian menu and, apparently, cooked fresh to order.
The brand is also known for its chocolate and vanilla Frostys, a frozen dessert that sits somewhere between soft serve and a milkshake and has inspired a ritual of dipping hot chips into it.
The chips are made from Tasmanian potatoes, served with the skin left on and dusted with sea salt. While baked potatoes haven’t made the trip to Australian stores, Wendy’s has brought over another fan favourite: beef and kidney bean chilli served by the cup.
The Dandenong South store, just off the busy Princes Highway, will be the first Wendy’s in Australia to feature a drive-through. Rather than ordering through a speaker box, customers will be greeted by staff stationed throughout the lane.
“We’re moving away from AI and really dialling up the service experience,” says Black.
Whether that’s enough to win over Melbourne’s burger devotees remains to be seen. But if the queues at the brand’s CBD pop-up on June 10 are any indication, curiosity is already running high.
Opens Wednesday, June 24 and then breakfast, lunch and dinner daily.
1A Assembly Drive, Dandenong South, wendyshamburgers.com.au
