Wendy's — Restaurant in Fort Dodge

Wendy's food as a whole and as a company, is honestly incredible. So delicious. However, Wendy's in Fort Dodge has completely massacred this image. Whenever I'm out of town, I love to go to Wendy's because I know I can't get it like that in my hometown. Ever since the new owners bought the place, it has been downhill. Everyone I've spoken to about this has said the same thing. Wendy's of Fort Dodge is terrible. A year ago I ordered a Caesar Salad and a homestyle Lemonade, and after consuming my meal, I had the worst food poisoning of my life. I didn't go back to Wendy's for about eight months. I didn't trust it; not the food, nor the employees. When I finally started going back, the drive thru speed had dwindled even more so than before. The drive through takes a very long time. I thought it was meant for speed? On average every time I go and decide to stick it through, three cars leave the drive-thru, and some even leave after ordering. Just last night, I went to Wendy's to pick up my Mobile Order of a Son of Baconator and a Large Fry. I was in the drive through lane from 7:33 pm to 8:02 pm. I kept count this time, especially because I had somewhere to be. It should absolutely never take 29 minutes to pick up a mobile order. I would have left the line if I hadn't already paid. I shouldn't have HAD to pay for that kind of service. The car in front of me in the line had been at the window for ten minutes (I kept track, this is no over-exaggeration) and I could have had my food that much earlier if they had them pull forward to speed up the line. When I finally received my food, my burger was dry, my fries were cold, and my cheese sauce ( I asked for this at the window because it's not available to order on the app) was lumpy and not heated correctly. There was also no apology at the window for the time taken, and there was no sense of urgency being displayed inside the building, I could see workers just standing around. Once again, 3-4 cars left the drive-thru lane last night during that half-an-hour I was waiting for my food. Fort Dodge is sick of this kind of service. Sell this place back to Mark and Kyle, bring them back. Give it to them at a discount too, since this place's worth and reputation has been depreciated since new ownership has taken place. You've had your chances, and I will not be coming back until something drastic has changed, and I won't come back before then for Wendy's food even if it was given to me for free.

Most...

Excellent Problem Resolution - Food Issue Handled Perfectly

Wendy's at 2313 5th Ave S in Fort Dodge showed exactly how customer service should work when problems arise.

Initial Issue: Visited on April 21st, 2025 at 5:52 PM and ordered an apple pecan chicken salad through the drive-thru. Unfortunately, the chicken came out dry and hard as a rock - completely inedible. This was clearly a food preparation problem.

Outstanding Customer Service: I went inside and showed the issue to the staff member. They immediately offered to remake the salad or substitute it with something else. No questions asked, no hassle - just immediate acknowledgment of the problem and a solution.

Great Resolution: I chose to go with a burger instead, and it was fresh and delicious. The substitute meal was prepared properly and tasted great, completely making up for the initial disappointment.

What They Did Right: The staff handled this situation exactly how it should be handled - quickly, professionally, and with a genuine desire to make things right. They turned a negative experience into a positive one through excellent customer service.

Future Improvement: While the service recovery was perfect, I hope they figure out what went wrong with the chicken preparation to prevent this from happening to future customers. Food quality control is important.

Store Details: Store #3015 - this location clearly trains their staff well on how to handle customer concerns.

Bottom Line: Despite the initial food quality issue, this location's commitment to customer satisfaction and immediate problem resolution deserves recognition. This is how restaurants should handle problems.

Great service recovery - hope they fix the kitchen processes to match their customer...

theyre super friendly MOST of the time, until you meet someone you know and have problems with. they dont seem to care abt the lack of professionalism in the work place. i ordered a baconator, baconator fries and multiple other sandwiches as i was feeding three people. all i got in the bag was a poorly put together baconator fry, and one sandwich of the four in total that i ordered. when i went back through the drive thru, the employee told me to come inside to speak with a manager as their line was starting to get full (abt three people behind me 🤦‍♂️) and when i went inside, i was told by said person that no manager was there today. i knew they were lying bc i worked there for over a year, and saw the manager myself working. they also asked me to leave when i asked for a refund and was refused, and was threatened to have the cops called. very good food when you actually get what you ordered...