Speaking of the Redmond Wendy’s… (Major Update and Bump)

Update 4/4/08: Added a number of items that I found from the microfilm to this post  Please feel free to send any corrections or additions to any of the info I have here; there are a number of things that I haven’t been able to determine yet.

In the course of doing some more research on the Totem Lake Mall in the East Side Journal microfilm at the Bellevue Library, I happened to stumble onto an article from the Sammamish Valley News in early 1977 discussing the construction and impending opening of the Redmond Wendy’s.  It turns out that this particular Wendy’s was only the second one to be opened in Washington, and the first to open west of the Cascades (the other one was located in Spokane at the time.) Digging further into the matter, I found out that during 1977, there was something of a boom in fast food restaurants in Redmond.  From other articles I found in my research, it appears that Kentucky Fried Chicken and Dairy Queen were already established in Redmond by this time, but I can’t determine when this happened (there is a big hole in the microfilmed archives of the SVN between 1971-1977)  available at the Bellevue Library,) as was Bud’s Drive-Inn, which was located in Redmond Shopping Square and had been around since roughly 1963.  At some point, there was also an Arctic Circle in Redmond, but it had closed by this time, and during this time their former location was taken over by Grub Stake Charlie’s, a locally owned hamburger place that opened around the same time as Wendy’s (I believe that this was where Frankie’s Pizza and Pasta is located on Redmond Way.) 

During 1977, those places were joined by the Wendy’s, as well as a Herfy’s Burgers in Bear Creek Center and a number of locally owned sandwich shops.  Oddly enough, about the only restaurant that hadn’t made it to Redmond yet at this time was McDonalds, which would come a little bit later, although I haven’t determined exactly when yet.  At this time, Herfy’s was a fairly large regional chain, and was considered a major player in the fast food market in the area.  Herfy’s eventually went into decline and was liquidated in 1986, with a few scattrered independent franchisees surviving into the mid Nineties.  In recent years, a new chain bearing the name and logo of the old Herfy’s (but otherwise unconnected) has emerged, and last year this new Herfy’s chain opened a location in Redmond.  In an odd case of role reversal, this new Herfy’s may be the closest thing that Redmond has to a local burger joint right now.  At some point, I will do a more comprehensive post on Redmond’s Burger Boom of the late Seventies, but for now, I have more research to do on the topic.

I have included a number of items that I found in relation to the Redmond Wendys from the Sammamish Valley News archives.  Click any of these thumbnails to get a larger version of any of these.

“Relish the Thought- Wendy’s Hamburgers Hit Redmond,” from the February 16, 1977 edition of the Sammamish Valley News, P. B4.  Discusses the construction of the Redmond Wendy’s, and reports that this will be the first Wendy’s to open in Western Washington, and the second in the state.

A photo that acompanies the above article.

“Wendy’s Hamburger Open in Redmond,” from the May 18, 1977 issue, P. B4.  Right next to this blurb on the page there is a large picture of Grub Stake Charlie’s, indicating that it had just opened at this time as well.

A large ad for the Redmond Wendy’s from the same issue, P. B1.  I couldn’t get the whole thing to fit on the microfilm reader’s screen at once.

A picture of the interior of the recently opened Wendy’s, from the May 25, 1977 issue, P. A11, showing the “newspaper” tables that were a trademark of Wendy’s at that time, and for many years to follow.

An advertisement from the August 10, 1977 issue, Page A3.

A photo from the “Meet Your Merchants” section in the same issue, Page A20.

 The blurb that accompanied the above photo.  This same issue contained photos ald blurbs for Herfy’s, Grub Stake Charile’s and a number of other local restaurants.  I will include the rest of these later.