John Shearer: Chattanooga's 1st Wendy's Has Closed - The Chattanoogan

The restaurant at 5200 Brainerd Road a short distance east of the Moore Road intersection is now boarded up.

If so, it marks the end of an era, as the first Wendy’s opened in 1976 in the same building that has only been moderately remodeled over the years.

That restaurant was also the first quick-service restaurant in Chattanooga to offer drive-through window pickup service as well.

The local Wendy’s restaurants were initially opened by local franchisee Ed Tenent after having been started in 1969 in Columbus, Ohio, by Dave Thomas.

In recent years, newer Wendy’s restaurants have had a more vertical look reflecting more modern architectural styles, a move done by other quick-service restaurants like McDonald’s.

Published On: Sat, 03 Apr 2021 17:41:21 GMT