Acquisitions and Purchase Accounting - 2016 Acquisitions (Details) $ in Thousands		1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Jul. 25, 2016 USD ($) unit restaurant	Jan. 31, 2017 USD ($)	Dec. 27, 2016 USD ($) fee_owned_property	Dec. 29, 2015 USD ($)	Jan. 31, 2016 USD ($) unit
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Number of recently constructed restaurants acquired | restaurant	4
Wendy's 2016 Acquisitions
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Number of restaurants acquired | unit	39				3
Total purchase price	$ 44,188		$ 4,000		$ 8,000
Number fee owned properties acquired | fee_owned_property			2
Purchase price, including working capital and development fees	$ 36,200
Business Acquisition, Pro Forma Information [Abstract]
Total sales			$ 1,273,509	$ 1,287,072
Net income			9,613	$ 7,256
Revenue of acquiree since acquisition date, actual			$ 31,900
Wendy's 2016 Acquisitions | Franchise rights
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Acquired franchise rights, weighted average amortization period	19 years
Wendy's 2016 Acquisitions | Subsequent Event
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Sale leaseback transaction, net proceeds		$ 2,600