Wendy's Sells An Eye-Popping Amount Of Frostys Every Year

When Wendy's founder Dave Thomas had the idea to add a new item to his menu, he had a very specific vision. He wanted a treat that was sweet and creamy, and could be enjoyed alongside his famous burgers without overwhelming them (via The Square Deal). He partnered with an ice cream distributor and came up with the Frosty. It had (and still has) the perfect balance of chocolate and vanilla flavors. Customers loved it, and Thomas loved it too — so much so that he had a Frosty machine installed at his private home on Buckeye Island in Ohio. 

Thomas's instincts about the Frosty were clearly spot on, because it's been a fixture of Wendy's restaurants for over 50 years now. Reader's Digest shares that the formula is largely unchanged and has stayed a secret all these years. Variations have been come and gone, like the strawberry Frosty, Frosty in a waffle cone, and birthday cake flavor. But the original and famous Frosty is as popular as ever. How popular? Well, the number of Frostys that Wendy's sells every year really paints the picture.

According to a Wendy's press release, Wendy's sells around 300 million Frostys every year (via Reader's Digest)! No doubt Wendy's has had to work hard to ensure a steady supply of fries to keep up, since true Wendy's fans know that the fries taste best when dunked in the sweet, creamy ice cream. It's amazing that the Frosty's popularity has stayed so strong without the formula ever changing, especially when even Wendy's famous fries have had a couple of updates, with the most recent one achieving the goal of keeping the fries crispy and fresh for up to a half hour after they're served. That'll keep the Frosty fans happy too, for the maximum flavor experience of hot, salty fries combined with their cool Frostys.

The cult of Frosty is even spreading into the breakfast hour: It was recently announced that Wendy's and Kellogg's have worked together to create a Frosty-flavored cereal with a blend of chocolate-flavored crunchy bits and chocolate marshmallows. Will it still be around 50 years from now, or sell 300 million boxes annually? Cynics might say no way, but Frosty devotees will have the ultimate say!