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Craig Bahner, the company's chief marketing officer, notes that all brands need to evolve.
• "It's a tangible signal of change," Bahner said.
• The Wendy's name and original logo were inspired by founder Dave Thomas' daughter, whose real name is Melinda Lou (her siblings couldn't pronounce her name when they were younger, so they called her "Wenda," which turned into "Wendy").
• Thomas thought the name conjured the image of the wholesome hamburger restaurant he dreamed of opening.
• In his book "Dave's Way," Thomas recalls how the family dressed up Wendy, then 8 years old, in a blue-and-white striped dress for the opening of the first location. To make her pigtails stick out, they put pipe cleaners in her hair. That's roughly the image of the little freckle-faced girl in the logo.
• In undertaking the redesign, the company realized there were three key elements that had to be preserved; the image of the little girl, the color red and the way the "Wendy's" font swerves up -- what executives call "the wave."
• In the new logo, Bahner notes that Wendy's pigtails peek out from the oval frame, bringing her forward and making her more dynamic. The logo will be part of the new restaurant design that Wendy's is looking to expand to its roughly 6,000 locations in North America.
• Brolick has noted that the revamps "enhance all dimensions of the Wendy's experience" and that renovated locations see a 25 percent bump in sales. By 2015, Wendy's plans to have half its 1,425 company-owned locations updated.
• Ultimately, Brolick wants the company to be seen as a "top-end" fast-food chain -- better quality than McDonald's, but perhaps not at the same level as Panera.
• "Our goal is to be a five-star restaurant at a three-star price," he said.
• Building on the introduction of its sweet baked potato and Bacon Portabella Melt cheeseburger this year, the company is looking at introducing whole wheat buns and flatbreads. Brolick says those type of small adjustments can have a big impact on perceptions about the healthfulness and quality of the chain's food.
• The changes are even extending to employee uniforms, which will be updated next year to have a more tailored look.
• The early feedback is positive and Brolick says workers like them -- so much so that they even feel comfortable wearing them outside the restaurant.
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