You Can Get 5 Free Wendy's Jr. Frosty Treats, But There's A Catch

There's nothing scary about Wendy's Halloween promotion. Drop by the fast food restaurant and pick up the most satisfying book you'll find this time of year — that is, if you like Wendy's Frosty treats. Wendy's has announced in a news release (via PR Newswire) that Boo! Books are available for $1 at participating locations through October 31. Inside, you'll find five coupons for free Jr. Frosty treats, plus something new this year: a coupon for free fries that can be redeemed with the Wendy's app.

Wendy's entices customers with the Jr. Frosty regularly. In 2017, according to Fortune, the chain offered the six-ounce ice cream treats free for the whole year, with the purchase of a $2 key tag. In March 2020, per Thrillist, Wendy's was giving away Jr. Frosty treats to everyone who rolled through the drive-thru, probably to help keep business afloat and to make customers feel just a little bit better at the very beginning of COVID-19 lockdowns. (Free is always good but the Jr. Frosty sells for about 80 cents, so it was a kind yet small gesture.) The 2017 key tag promotion was a fundraiser for the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. The Boo! Books support the same cause.

Buy a Wendy's Boo! Book for $1, and 85 cents will go to Dave Thomas' foundation, which places foster children in permanent homes (via PR Newswire). The money pays the salaries of adoption recruiters who have smaller caseloads than the typical social worker in foster care. The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption approach has proven to be three times more effective and finding "forever families" for foster children, according to the Wendy's news release at PR Newswire. The Boo! Book promotion is part of an effort to raise more than $5 million for this cause.

The Jr. Frosty coupons inside the Boo! Book are valid until December 31. The bonus coupon, free fries of any size with any purchase, can only be redeemed through the Wendy's app. Fast food chains are trying to get you on their apps because their special deals and prompts encourage you to visit their restaurants more often, according to QSR.