(12) Transactions with Related Parties (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Jan. 02, 2011 sqft	Oct. 02, 2011 options		Oct. 03, 2010		Jul. 05, 2011	Jan. 01, 2011
Wendy's Restaurants, LLC [Member] | Segment, Continuing Operations [Member] | Initial term [Member] | QSCC [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Period of lease (years)		1
Wendy's Restaurants, LLC [Member] | Segment, Continuing Operations [Member] | Amendment [Member] | QSCC [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Period of lease (years)		1
The Wendy's Company [Member] | Segment, Continuing Operations [Member] | General and administrative expense [Member] | The Management Company [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Subleases with related parties		$ (1,225)	[1]	$ (1,228)	[1]
Advisory fees		500	[2]	750	[2]
Liquidation services agreement, related party		220	[3]	331	[3]
Sublease, number of floors		2
Number of installments		2
Liquidation agreement services, amount paid		900
The Wendy's Company [Member] | Segment, Continuing Operations [Member] | General and administrative expense [Member] | TASCO [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Executive use of corporate aircraft		(100)	[4]	(90)	[4]
Extended option for aircraft lease		1
Monthly sublease income, revised		13
Wendy's Restaurants, LLC [Member] | Segment, Continuing Operations [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Subleases with related parties		(157)	[5]	(100)	[5]
Dividends paid		0	[6]	443,700	[6]
Tax sharing payment to parent		13,078	[7]	0	[7]
Share-based compensation		10,917	[8]	9,841	[8]
Wendy's Restaurants, LLC [Member] | Segment, Continuing Operations [Member] | General and administrative expense [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Expense under management services agreement		2,521	[9]	3,763	[9]
Wendy's Restaurants, LLC [Member] | Segment, Continuing Operations [Member] | General and administrative expense [Member] | SSG [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
SSG agreement		(2,275)	[10]	4,900	[10]
Wendy's Restaurants, LLC [Member] | Segment, Continuing Operations [Member] | SSG [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Subleases with related parties		(23)		(16)
Commitment to pay expenses		5,145
Commitment to pay expenses, commitment period, in months		24
Wendy's Restaurants, LLC [Member] | Segment, Continuing Operations [Member] | QSCC [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Subleases with related parties		(134)		(84)
Sublease, date of agreement							1/1/2011
Square footage of subleased property	14,333
Revised annual base rental							176
Number of renewal options, lease		5
Sublease, renewal date						Jul. 05, 2011
Wendy's Restaurants, LLC [Member] | Segment, Continuing Operations [Member] | The Management Company [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Advisory fees		0	[2]	2,465	[2]
The Wendy's Company [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Share-based compensation		13,756		10,519
Wendy's Restaurants, LLC [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Dividends paid		0		443,700
Tax sharing payment to parent		13,078		0
Share-based compensation		$ 12,973		$ 9,841

[1] The Wendy’s Company recognized income of $1,225 and $1,228 from the Management Company under subleases, which expire in May 2012, for office space on two of the floors of the Company’s former New York headquarters for the first nine months of 2011 and 2010, respectively, which has been recorded as a reduction of “General and administrative.”

[2] The Companies paid approximately $2,465 in the second quarter of 2010 in fees for corporate finance advisory services in connection with the negotiation and execution of the Wendy’s Restaurants credit agreement. In addition, The Wendy’s Company incurred service fees of $500 and $750 in the first nine months of 2011 and 2010, respectively, which are included in “General and administrative.” These fees were paid to a management company (the “Management Company”) which was formed by our Chairman, who was our former Chief Executive Officer, and our Vice Chairman, who was our former President and Chief Operating Officer, and a director, who was our former Vice Chairman, in connection with a services agreement which expired on June 30, 2011.

[3] The Wendy’s Company paid the Management Company a fee of $900 in two installments in June 2009 and 2010, which was deferred and amortized through its June 30, 2011 expiration date for assistance in the sale, liquidation, or other disposition of certain of our investments. Related amortization of $220 and $331 was recorded in “General and administrative” in the first nine months of 2011 and 2010, respectively.

[4] On June 29, 2011, The Wendy’s Company and TASCO, LLC, an affiliate of the Management Company, entered into an agreement to extend an aircraft lease agreement for an additional one year period (expiring on June 30, 2012) for an increased monthly rent of $13. Under the extended lease agreement, TASCO, LLC continues to be responsible for operating costs related to the aircraft’s usage. The Wendy’s Company received lease income of $100 and $90 in the first nine months of 2011 and 2010, respectively, which is included as an offset to “General and administrative.” We intend to dispose of the Company-owned aircraft leased under the lease agreement discussed above as soon as practicable. As of October 2, 2011, the aircraft has a carrying value that approximates its fair value, is classified as held-for-sale, and is included in “Prepaid expenses and other current assets.”

[5] Wendy’s and QSCC entered into a sublease amendment, effective January 1, 2011, which increased the office space subleased to QSCC to 14,333 square feet for a one year period for a revised annual base rental of $176 with five one-year renewal options. On July 5, 2011, QSCC renewed the lease for a one year period ending December 31, 2012. The Companies received $23 and $16 of sublease income from SSG and $134 and $84 of sublease income from QSCC during the first nine months of 2011 and 2010, respectively.

[6] Wendy’s Restaurants paid cash dividends to The Wendy’s Company which were charged to “Invested equity.”

[7] Wendy’s Restaurants made cash payments to The Wendy’s Company under a tax sharing agreement, as discussed in Note 8.

[8] Wendy’s Restaurants incurs share based compensation costs for The Wendy’s Company Common Stock awards issued to certain employees under The Wendy’s Company various equity plans. Such compensation cost is allocated by The Wendy’s Company to Wendy’s Restaurants and is correspondingly recorded as capital contributions from The Wendy’s Company.

[9] Wendy’s Restaurants incurred $2,521 and $3,763 for management services during the first nine months of 2011 and 2010, respectively. Such fees were included in “General and administrative” and were settled through Wendy’s Restaurants’ intercompany account with The Wendy’s Company. Effective upon the sale of Arby’s, the agreement for such management services was terminated.

[10] As agreed by its board of directors in March 2011, effective April 2011 the activities of Strategic Sourcing Group Co-op, LLC (“SSG”) were transferred to the Wendy’s independent purchasing cooperative, Quality Supply Chain Co-op (“QSCC”), and Arby’s independent purchasing cooperative (“ARCOP”), which, following the sale of Arby’s, is no longer a related party. Wendy’s Restaurants had committed to pay approximately $5,145 of SSG expenses, of which $4,900 was expensed in the first quarter of 2010, and was to be paid over a 24 month period through March 2012. During the first quarter of 2011, the remaining accrued commitment of $2,275 was reversed and credited to “General and administrative.”