Wendy's
Liguanea branch
Old Hope Road
Kingston
Phone: 970-0330
By Rosemary Parkinson, Freelance Writer
LAST WEEK Food looked into whether or not fast foods could be healthy. Through a general taste-testing I was able to point out a few ideas as to how one could eat fast food without putting on too much of those horrid pockets of fat touching on where and where not to go.
The front page of Food took off with a hearty congratulations for Wendy's incredible salads and because of the constraints of space last week I am focusing on the whole Wendy's story today.
Wendy's is the world's third largest restaurant chain and in Jamaica, it has proven worthy to be counted as one of the best fast food outlets. Known for their high quality ingredients and wide range of healthy options, I decided to visit their Liguanea branch and take a closer look at their offerings. First impressions are always very telling and Wendy's story is one of a wide, spacious, bright and incredibly clean restaurant. Staff members behind the counter are friendly, colourfully dressed and ready to serve. Looking at all the choices, almost unable to make up one's mind, the words confidently uttered by Paul Issa, Jamaica's franchisee for Wendy's came forward strongly, "When you go out to eat, you want to feel confident that what you're eating is made from fresh, wholesome ingredients of the highest quality, and that everything that is humanly possible has been done to ensure the safety of the food you're eating. You can eat with that kind of confidence at Wendy's I do every day!"
A good bit of information a comprehensive Internal Food Safety Evaluation is conducted every month on Wendy's by Issa, a graduate of the Serv-Safe course. Wendy's managers and supervisors must all go through this course in which all aspects of food safety and the prevention of food-borne illness are learned. Any potential risks found during Issa's monthly inspections are dealt with swiftly before they can even begin to become a problem for customers. The Public Health Department of the Ministry of Health also certifies Wendy's on a regular basis so Food is confident that when it comes to Food Safety, the assurances that Wendy's are on the right track have now been given publicly by the owner himself. Great start.
Wendy's offer consumers delicious and nutritious choices. From Burgers to Baked Potatoes to Chili to Sandwiches. But one of the areas of high interest was their new Garden Sensation Line. Six different salads gourmet salads according to Issa. So with that information on hand, I tucked in and, indeed, was pleasantly surprised. A favourite was the Mandarin Chicken Salad comprising Grilled Chicken, Mandarin Oranges on a bed of Romaine and Iceberg Lettuce on the side, for your own input, Almonds, Crispy Chinese Noodles and a noteworthy Oriental Sesame Dressing. What is interesting is that this salad, with everything included, boasts a weight of some 447 grams and contains 590 calories if you knock off the Oriental Dressing (and believe you me the salad still packs a whopping taste) the calories drop to 340 with 31 carbohydrate grams. So whether you are counting calories or carbohydrate grams, this is a good choice.
Coming in tops for those with a bit of an exotic taste was the Taco Supremo Salad. Ingredients include Iceberg, Romaine, Tomatoes, Red Onions, Cheddar Cheese, Wendy's Chili, Taco Chips, Sour Cream and Salsa - (don't you already want to do a Mexican Dance?) with 670 calories. If you don't eat the Taco Chips 450 calories is what you're looking at.
Now if you really want to watch those hips the Caesar Salad consisting of Romaine, Parmesan Cheese, Bacon Pieces, Home-style Garlic Croutons and Caesar Dressing is only 290 calories so there! We cannot forget the other three Chicken BLT Salad, Spring Mix Salad and a simple Side Salad. Different dressings are available such as Blue Cheese, Creamy Ranch, Fat Free French Style, Low Fat Honey Mustard and Reduced Fat Creamy Ranch the Fat Free giving you 80 calories, the rest going upwards to 260 calories for the Blue Cheese. However, the most interesting fact is that all the salads come with individually packed additions, so it's up to you to know your calories and use them accordingly.
Famous already for its "Old Fashioned Hamburgers" (those square ones) made from 100 per cent fresh (not frozen) Jamaican Beef when you order them and not before, Wendy's has also become famous for their great Sandwiches and more than amazing Baked Potatoes in fact their very hot Jerk Chicken Fillet Sandwich is a big favourite. Amongst the Baked Potatoes tested was the Sour Cream and Chives simply mouth-watering and only 370 calories. The potatoes are so large that one potato washed down with a bottled water or Diet Soda can fill you quite happily until your next meal. There's also Broccoli and Cheese, Bacon and Cheese, or plain with whipped margarine.
Before I left Wendy's, a taste of the Chili just had to be carried out. Now here's a tantalising low-calorie meal with a good amount of protein packing in that much needed Potassium, Vitamin A, C, and Calcium. A large serving having only 9 grams of fat content and bouncing in with 300 calories. Pretty close to home-made in taste too.
"We will continue to offer something different and something special in the world of fast food. More and more people are finding out that quality really is our recipe." We at Food do believe you Mr. Issa and congratulate you on all the good work in trying to keep Jamaica proud and healthy.
Oh! Before I forget, it appears that Church's want to know what it was that I did not eat (I only tasted) whilst visiting their establishment here goes chicken (mushy breaded outer layer), mashed potato & gravy (awful), corn (bland boiled) I did drink the Portland Coconut Water and that was good and healthy!
Rosemary Parkinson is on the East Coast of Barbados enjoying pouring rain, thunder and lightning as a holiday!
