(30) Guarantor/Non-Guarantor Balance Sheets (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jan. 01, 2012	Jan. 02, 2011	Jan. 03, 2010	Dec. 28, 2008
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	$ 475,231	$ 512,508	$ 591,719	$ 90,090
Accounts and notes receivable	68,349	84,258
Inventories	12,903	22,694
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	27,397	24,386
Deferred income tax benefit	93,384	34,389
Advertising funds restricted assets	69,672	76,553
Total current assets	746,936	754,788
Noncurrent assets
Properties	1,192,200	1,551,261
Goodwill	870,431	883,644	881,019
Other intangible assets	1,304,288	1,358,574
Investments	119,271	107,223
Deferred costs and other assets	67,542	77,164
Total assets	4,300,668	4,732,654
Current liabilities:
Current portion of long-term debt	6,597	18,415
Accounts payable	81,301	81,361
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities	210,698	245,157
Total current liabilities	368,268	421,486
Noncurrent liabilities
Long-term debt	1,350,402	1,553,987
Deferred income	6,523	11,460
Deferred income taxes	470,521	412,293
Other liabilities	108,885	170,254
Invested equity:
Member interest, $0.01 par value, 1,000 shares authorized, one share issued and outstanding	47,042	47,042
Other capital	2,779,871	2,771,126
Accumulated deficit	(434,999)	(412,464)
Accumulated other comprehensive income	102	7,017
Total stockholders’ equity	1,996,069	2,163,174	2,336,339	2,383,445
Total liabilities and invested equity	4,300,668	4,732,654
Wendy's Restaurants, LLC [Member]
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	346,648	198,686	538,864	63,080
Accounts and notes receivable	67,453	83,352
Inventories	12,903	22,694
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	18,408	24,032
Deferred income tax benefit	94,963	45,067
Advertising funds restricted assets	69,672	76,553
Total current assets	610,047	450,384
Noncurrent assets
Properties	1,192,196	1,541,853
Goodwill	875,708	888,921	886,296
Other intangible assets	1,304,288	1,358,574
Investments	114,651	102,406
Deferred costs and other assets	66,827	74,559
Net investment in subsidiaries	0	0
Deferred income tax benefit	0	0
Due from affiliate	0	0
Total assets	4,163,717	4,416,697
Current liabilities:
Current portion of long-term debt	5,137	17,047
Accounts payable	80,986	81,148
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities	212,150	244,300
Advertising fund restricted liabilities	69,672	76,553
Total current liabilities	367,945	419,048
Noncurrent liabilities
Long-term debt	1,340,559	1,542,684
Due to affiliates	15,368	30,808
Deferred income	6,523	11,460
Deferred income taxes	537,689	478,472
Other liabilities	95,969	157,595
Invested equity:
Member interest, $0.01 par value, 1,000 shares authorized, one share issued and outstanding	0	0
Other capital	2,440,130	2,423,459
Accumulated deficit	(486,567)	(499,500)
Advances to The Wendy’s Company	(155,000)	(155,000)
Accumulated other comprehensive income	1,101	7,671
Total stockholders’ equity	1,799,664	1,776,630	2,197,907	2,254,775
Total liabilities and invested equity	4,163,717	4,416,697
Wendy's Restaurants, LLC [Member] | Parent [Member]
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	174,638	79,355	237,607	0
Accounts and notes receivable	2,682	320
Inventories	0	0
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	5,446	3,900
Deferred income tax benefit	59,737	17,634
Advertising funds restricted assets	0	0
Total current assets	242,503	101,209
Noncurrent assets
Properties	12,431	13,748
Goodwill	0	0
Other intangible assets	18,011	21,453
Investments	19,000	0
Deferred costs and other assets	26,446	32,610
Net investment in subsidiaries	2,253,006	2,559,526
Deferred income tax benefit	29,269	86,423
Due from affiliate	295,080	59,618
Total assets	2,895,746	2,874,587
Current liabilities:
Current portion of long-term debt	3,952	5,228
Accounts payable	9,215	4,624
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities	62,209	38,871
Advertising fund restricted liabilities	0	0
Total current liabilities	75,376	48,723
Noncurrent liabilities
Long-term debt	1,017,401	1,043,623
Due to affiliates	0	0
Deferred income	0	0
Deferred income taxes	0	0
Other liabilities	3,305	5,611
Invested equity:
Member interest, $0.01 par value, 1,000 shares authorized, one share issued and outstanding	0	0
Other capital	2,440,130	2,423,459
Accumulated deficit	(486,567)	(499,500)
Advances to The Wendy’s Company	(155,000)	(155,000)
Accumulated other comprehensive income	1,101	7,671
Total stockholders’ equity	1,799,664	1,776,630
Total liabilities and invested equity	2,895,746	2,874,587
Wendy's Restaurants, LLC [Member] | Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	128,818	53,810	255,230	36,412
Accounts and notes receivable	59,137	61,508
Inventories	11,766	12,522
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	11,732	12,434
Deferred income tax benefit	34,226	20,926
Advertising funds restricted assets	0	0
Total current assets	245,679	161,200
Noncurrent assets
Properties	1,120,383	1,084,546
Goodwill	828,411	823,539
Other intangible assets	1,262,070	1,285,615
Investments	0	0
Deferred costs and other assets	40,131	32,384
Net investment in subsidiaries	348,931	381,828
Deferred income tax benefit	0	0
Due from affiliate	0	0
Total assets	3,845,605	3,769,112
Current liabilities:
Current portion of long-term debt	923	687
Accounts payable	64,251	52,242
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities	137,105	128,089
Advertising fund restricted liabilities	0	0
Total current liabilities	202,279	181,018
Noncurrent liabilities
Long-term debt	319,643	310,339
Due to affiliates	308,654	60,653
Deferred income	6,132	6,291
Deferred income taxes	551,579	541,800
Other liabilities	84,647	86,993
Invested equity:
Member interest, $0.01 par value, 1,000 shares authorized, one share issued and outstanding	0	0
Other capital	2,168,046	3,244,488
Accumulated deficit	358,524	(515,141)
Advances to The Wendy’s Company	(155,000)	(155,000)
Accumulated other comprehensive income	1,101	7,671
Total stockholders’ equity	2,372,671	2,582,018
Total liabilities and invested equity	3,845,605	3,769,112
Wendy's Restaurants, LLC [Member] | Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	43,192	65,521	46,027	26,668
Accounts and notes receivable	5,634	21,524
Inventories	1,137	10,172
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	1,230	7,698
Deferred income tax benefit	1,000	6,507
Advertising funds restricted assets	69,672	76,553
Total current assets	121,865	187,975
Noncurrent assets
Properties	59,382	443,559
Goodwill	145,133	65,382
Other intangible assets	24,207	51,506
Investments	95,651	102,406
Deferred costs and other assets	250	9,565
Net investment in subsidiaries	0	0
Deferred income tax benefit	0	0
Due from affiliate	0	0
Total assets	446,488	860,393
Current liabilities:
Current portion of long-term debt	262	11,132
Accounts payable	7,520	24,282
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities	12,836	77,340
Advertising fund restricted liabilities	69,672	76,553
Total current liabilities	90,290	189,307
Noncurrent liabilities
Long-term debt	3,515	188,722
Due to affiliates	1,794	29,773
Deferred income	391	5,169
Deferred income taxes	15,379	23,095
Other liabilities	8,017	64,991
Invested equity:
Member interest, $0.01 par value, 1,000 shares authorized, one share issued and outstanding	0	0
Other capital	332,707	1,077,762
Accumulated deficit	(6,706)	(726,097)
Advances to The Wendy’s Company	0	0
Accumulated other comprehensive income	1,101	7,671
Total stockholders’ equity	327,102	359,336
Total liabilities and invested equity	446,488	860,393
Wendy's Restaurants, LLC [Member] | Consolidation, Eliminations [Member]
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	0	0	0	0
Accounts and notes receivable	0	0
Inventories	0	0
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	0	0
Deferred income tax benefit	0	0
Advertising funds restricted assets	0	0
Total current assets	0	0
Noncurrent assets
Properties	0	0
Goodwill	(97,836)	0
Other intangible assets	0	0
Investments	0	0
Deferred costs and other assets	0	0
Net investment in subsidiaries	(2,601,937)	(2,941,354)
Deferred income tax benefit	(29,269)	(86,423)
Due from affiliate	(295,080)	(59,618)
Total assets	(3,024,122)	(3,087,395)
Current liabilities:
Current portion of long-term debt	0	0
Accounts payable	0	0
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities	0	0
Advertising fund restricted liabilities	0	0
Total current liabilities	0	0
Noncurrent liabilities
Long-term debt	0	0
Due to affiliates	(295,080)	(59,618)
Deferred income	0	0
Deferred income taxes	(29,269)	(86,423)
Other liabilities	0	0
Invested equity:
Member interest, $0.01 par value, 1,000 shares authorized, one share issued and outstanding	0	0
Other capital	(2,500,753)	(4,322,250)
Accumulated deficit	(351,818)	1,241,238
Advances to The Wendy’s Company	155,000	155,000
Accumulated other comprehensive income	(2,202)	(15,342)
Total stockholders’ equity	(2,699,773)	(2,941,354)
Total liabilities and invested equity	$ (3,024,122)	$ (3,087,395)