Document and Entity Information	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2012	Nov. 02, 2012
Entity Information [Line Items]
Entity Registrant Name	WENDY'S CO
Entity Central Index Key	0000030697
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-30
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Sep. 30, 2012
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2012
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3
Amendment Flag	false
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		391,084,280