Wendy's revives nostalgic yellow packaging after it spent decades away

Eating at Wendy's in the coming weeks will offer a new experience that may look familiar to customers who grew up with the fast-food chain.

A company spokesperson told TODAY.com that Wendy's is bringing back the iconic yellow packaging that appeared on its fry cartons, cups, wrappers and other items for decades.

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"Fans have been asking for its return for years, making it one of the most requested comebacks in Wendy's history," the spokesperson said in the statement. "Yellow has been part of Wendy's since the very beginning and is something many fans instantly recognize."

Wendy's will begin rolling out yellow packaging for its Frostys, nuggets, burgers and fries on Sept. 28, with the throwback look continuing into 2027, USA Today reported.

Dave Thomas opened the first Wendy's restaurant in Columbus, Ohio in 1969. Yellow became a recognizable part of the chain's look, though Wendy's branding changed over the years to feature red and white more prominently.

"Like any brand, Wendy's has refreshed its look and feel over time, and our packaging evolved along with it," Wendy's chief marketing and customer growth officer Tariq Hassan told USA Today.

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Yet customers apparently missed the yellow.

"Fans asked. Constantly," Hassan said. "It's one of the most requested things we've ever had come back."

Social-media users have been expressing nostalgia for Wendy's vintage-style packaging for years.

"I miss the old Wendy's," a Facebook user captioned photos of Wendy's food in yellow packaging in 2025, adding, "The yellow packaging had powers I think."

"They should do a throwback limited-time deal and bring the yellow back!" someone commented.

"Throwback, when all the Wendy's had the yellow packaging, you just had to be there to remember," another Facebook user captioned a photo collage posted in February showing a 1990s-era Wendy's restaurant, complete with its recognizable sunroom, along with food in yellow packaging.

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Reddit discussions about the return of Wendy's old-school look have also drawn dozens of comments, with some users calling for the chain to revive other elements they remember from the 1980s and '90s, including its salad bars and older-style fries.

Wendy's nostalgic packaging is part of a broader trend of major restaurant chains revisiting elements of their past.

More than 150 Pizza Hut locations, for instance, feature old-school dining rooms with red cups, salad bars, checkerboard tables and Tiffany-style stained-glass lamps reminiscent of the chain's restaurants in the 1980s and '90s.

Known as "Pizza Hut Classic" restaurants, the locations also feature promotional materials for BOOK IT!, the reading incentive program Pizza Hut launched in 1984 and continues to operate today.

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People drive from as far as three hours away to eat at Pizza Hut Classic restaurants, a franchise owner previously told Fox News Digital.

Taco Bell has similarly tapped into nostalgia through its "Decades" campaigns, bringing back fan-favorite menu items from different eras while rolling out retro-inspired merchandise, commemorative cups and other throwback experiences.

The chain's latest Decades menu, launched in August, revived several items associated with 2016, including the Naked Chicken Chalupa, Meximelt, Beefy Crunch Burrito and Caramel Apple Empanada for a limited time.

McDonald's has also returned past favorites to its menu. Spicy Chicken McNuggets and Mighty Hot Sauce are currently back at participating restaurants for a limited time.