Wendy's Just Brought Back the Pretzel Bacon Pub Line

How does the old saying go? If it ain't broke don't fix it. America's second-largest burger chain is bringing back some of its most beloved menu items only a year or so after removing them from the menu.

Fast-food menus are a continual work in progress. Even the biggest chains are constantly tinkering with their offerings in pursuit of happier customers and higher profits. Sometimes, though, a little bit of stability is exactly what customers are craving—especially when it comes to best-selling sandwiches.

To that end, Wendy's has decided to bring back the hugely popular Pretzel Bacon Pub line, which consists of a Cheeseburger as well as a chicken sandwich which now comes in three varieties: the Classic, Spicy, and Grilled. According to Chew Boom, the items are already available at the chain's locations.

First launched in 2020 before being discontinued last year, all four menu items making up Wendy's Pretzel Bacon Pub lineup feature a custom-made warm beer cheese sauce, smoky honey mustard, applewood-smoked bacon, fried onions, pickles, a slice of muenster cheese, and of course, an extra soft pretzel bun. No wonder they're some of the most beloved items in Wendy's hall of fame.

Why was the mouth-watering lineup shelved in the first place? To make room for the Big Bacon Cheddar Burger and Chicken Sandwich in the fall of 2021. Fast forward to today, and the tables have turned. The Big Bacon Cheddar lineup is already being retired to facilitate the return of the Pretzel Bacon Pub sandwiches.

Wendy's first toyed with using pretzel buns back in 2013, but that experiment didn't last very long despite a positive response from consumers. By 2020 the entire fast-food industry was enjoying a resurgence of sorts, and Wendy's VP of culinary innovation John Li wanted to craft a new take on the traditional pretzel burger.

The end result was the Pretzel Bacon Pub lineup. When the sandwiches first debuted, Li said he was confident that his "Oktoberfest kitchen sink sandwich" would be "a big hit."

He was right. The Pretzel Bacon Pub lineup enjoyed rave reviews among customers both before and even after being discontinued. One Reddit user wrote "absolutely loved that sandwich, RIP" after seeing news of its cancellation. Another called it "the best fast-food item anywhere in years."

This move was actually speculated about a few months back when a leaked Wendy's memo ended up on Reddit. "We are thrilled to bring back the fan-favorite Pretzel Bacon Pub Cheeseburger and Chicken Sandwich, along with Pub Fries," the internal document reads.