(16) Guarantor/Non-Guarantor Balance Sheets (Details) (Wendy's Restaurants, LLC [Member], USD $) In Thousands	Oct. 02, 2011	Jan. 02, 2011	Oct. 03, 2010	Jan. 02, 2010
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	$ 345,517	$ 198,686	$ 196,592	$ 538,864
Accounts and notes receivable	70,808	83,352
Inventories	12,508	22,694
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	23,385	24,032
Deferred income tax benefit	59,758	45,067
Advertising funds restricted assets	72,116	76,553
Total current assets	584,092	450,384
Noncurrent assets
Properties	1,152,617	1,541,853
Goodwill	872,978	888,921
Other intangible assets	1,309,204	1,358,574
Investments	114,609	102,406
Deferred costs and other assets	67,879	74,559
Net investment in subsidiaries	0	0
Deferred income tax benefit	0	0
Due from affiliate	0	0
Total assets	4,101,379	4,416,697
Current liabilities:
Current portion of long-term debt	6,651	17,047
Accounts payable	69,157	81,148
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities	193,510	244,300
Advertising fund restricted liabilities	72,116	76,553
Total current liabilities	341,434	419,048
Noncurrent liabilities
Long-term debt	1,338,490	1,542,684
Due to affiliates	19,401	30,808
Deferred income	13,137	11,460
Deferred income taxes	502,598	478,472
Other liabilities	96,806	157,595
Invested equity:
Member interest, $0.01 par value, 1,000 shares authorized, one share issued and outstanding	0	0
Other capital	2,436,432	2,423,459
(Accumulated deficit) retained earnings	(487,186)	(499,500)
Advances to The Wendy’s Company	(155,000)	(155,000)
Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income	(4,733)	7,671
Total stockholders’ equity	1,789,513	1,776,630
Total liabilities and invested equity	4,101,379	4,416,697
Parent [Member]
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	142,319	79,355	128,494	237,607
Accounts and notes receivable	4,841	320
Inventories	0	0
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	4,809	3,900
Deferred income tax benefit	37,781	17,634
Advertising funds restricted assets	0	0
Total current assets	189,750	101,209
Noncurrent assets
Properties	11,395	13,748
Goodwill	0	0
Other intangible assets	18,480	21,453
Investments	19,000	0
Deferred costs and other assets	27,871	32,610
Net investment in subsidiaries	2,479,879	2,559,526
Deferred income tax benefit	54,877	86,423
Due from affiliate	67,705	59,618
Total assets	2,868,957	2,874,587
Current liabilities:
Current portion of long-term debt	5,465	5,228
Accounts payable	12,262	4,624
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities	40,279	38,871
Advertising fund restricted liabilities	0	0
Total current liabilities	58,006	48,723
Noncurrent liabilities
Long-term debt	1,016,888	1,043,623
Due to affiliates	0	0
Deferred income	0	0
Deferred income taxes	0	0
Other liabilities	4,550	5,611
Invested equity:
Member interest, $0.01 par value, 1,000 shares authorized, one share issued and outstanding	0	0
Other capital	2,436,432	2,423,459
(Accumulated deficit) retained earnings	(487,186)	(499,500)
Advances to The Wendy’s Company	(155,000)	(155,000)
Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income	(4,733)	7,671
Total stockholders’ equity	1,789,513	1,776,630
Total liabilities and invested equity	2,868,957	2,874,587
Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	160,985	53,810	38,519	255,230
Accounts and notes receivable	62,437	61,508
Inventories	11,525	12,522
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	17,339	12,434
Deferred income tax benefit	20,927	20,926
Advertising funds restricted assets	0	0
Total current assets	273,213	161,200
Noncurrent assets
Properties	1,087,765	1,084,546
Goodwill	826,962	823,539
Other intangible assets	1,266,698	1,285,615
Investments	0	0
Deferred costs and other assets	39,760	32,384
Net investment in subsidiaries	242,444	381,828
Deferred income tax benefit	0	0
Due from affiliate	0	0
Total assets	3,736,842	3,769,112
Current liabilities:
Current portion of long-term debt	915	687
Accounts payable	50,552	52,242
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities	144,004	128,089
Advertising fund restricted liabilities	0	0
Total current liabilities	195,471	181,018
Noncurrent liabilities
Long-term debt	318,136	310,339
Due to affiliates	83,489	60,653
Deferred income	12,765	6,291
Deferred income taxes	541,504	541,800
Other liabilities	84,123	86,993
Invested equity:
Member interest, $0.01 par value, 1,000 shares authorized, one share issued and outstanding	0	0
Other capital	2,417,177	3,244,488
(Accumulated deficit) retained earnings	243,910	(515,141)
Advances to The Wendy’s Company	(155,000)	(155,000)
Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income	(4,733)	7,671
Total stockholders’ equity	2,501,354	2,582,018
Total liabilities and invested equity	3,736,842	3,769,112
Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	42,213	65,521	29,579	46,027
Accounts and notes receivable	3,530	21,524
Inventories	983	10,172
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	1,237	7,698
Deferred income tax benefit	1,050	6,507
Advertising funds restricted assets	72,116	76,553
Total current assets	121,129	187,975
Noncurrent assets
Properties	53,457	443,559
Goodwill	46,016	65,382
Other intangible assets	24,026	51,506
Investments	95,609	102,406
Deferred costs and other assets	248	9,565
Net investment in subsidiaries	0	0
Deferred income tax benefit	0	0
Due from affiliate	0	0
Total assets	340,485	860,393
Current liabilities:
Current portion of long-term debt	271	11,132
Accounts payable	6,343	24,282
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities	9,227	77,340
Advertising fund restricted liabilities	72,116	76,553
Total current liabilities	87,957	189,307
Noncurrent liabilities
Long-term debt	3,466	188,722
Due to affiliates	3,617	29,773
Deferred income	372	5,169
Deferred income taxes	15,971	23,095
Other liabilities	8,133	64,991
Invested equity:
Member interest, $0.01 par value, 1,000 shares authorized, one share issued and outstanding	0	0
Other capital	197,630	1,077,762
(Accumulated deficit) retained earnings	28,072	(726,097)
Advances to The Wendy’s Company	0	0
Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income	(4,733)	7,671
Total stockholders’ equity	220,969	359,336
Total liabilities and invested equity	340,485	860,393
Consolidation, Eliminations [Member]
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	0	0	0	0
Accounts and notes receivable	0	0
Inventories	0	0
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	0	0
Deferred income tax benefit	0	0
Advertising funds restricted assets	0	0
Total current assets	0	0
Noncurrent assets
Properties	0	0
Goodwill	0	0
Other intangible assets	0	0
Investments	0	0
Deferred costs and other assets	0	0
Net investment in subsidiaries	(2,722,323)	(2,941,354)
Deferred income tax benefit	(54,877)	(86,423)
Due from affiliate	(67,705)	(59,618)
Total assets	(2,844,905)	(3,087,395)
Current liabilities:
Current portion of long-term debt	0	0
Accounts payable	0	0
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities	0	0
Advertising fund restricted liabilities	0	0
Total current liabilities	0	0
Noncurrent liabilities
Long-term debt	0	0
Due to affiliates	(67,705)	(59,618)
Deferred income	0	0
Deferred income taxes	(54,877)	(86,423)
Other liabilities	0	0
Invested equity:
Member interest, $0.01 par value, 1,000 shares authorized, one share issued and outstanding	0	0
Other capital	(2,614,807)	(4,322,250)
(Accumulated deficit) retained earnings	(271,982)	1,241,238
Advances to The Wendy’s Company	155,000	155,000
Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income	9,466	(15,342)
Total stockholders’ equity	(2,722,323)	(2,941,354)
Total liabilities and invested equity	$ (2,844,905)	$ (3,087,395)