Transactions with Related Parties (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	12 Months Ended					12 Months Ended														59 Months Ended	12 Months Ended	24 Months Ended	12 Months Ended					12 Months Ended																														12 Months Ended	24 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 30, 2012	Jan. 01, 2012 SSG [Member]	Jan. 02, 2011 SSG [Member]	Apr. 04, 2010 SSG [Member]	Jan. 03, 2010 SSG [Member] sqft	Dec. 30, 2012 Transactions with Purchasing Cooperatives [Member]		Jan. 01, 2012 Transactions with Purchasing Cooperatives [Member]		Jan. 02, 2011 Transactions with Purchasing Cooperatives [Member]		Dec. 30, 2012 QSCC [Member] years		Jan. 01, 2012 QSCC [Member]		Jan. 02, 2011 QSCC [Member]		Jan. 03, 2010 QSCC [Member] sqft	Jan. 01, 2011 QSCC [Member] sqft years	May 31, 2012 The Management Company [Member] floors	Jun. 30, 2012 TASCO [Member]	Jun. 30, 2011 TASCO [Member]	Dec. 30, 2012 280 BT [Member]	Jan. 01, 2012 280 BT [Member]	Jan. 02, 2011 280 BT [Member]	Dec. 30, 2012 280 BT - Former Management of The Wendy's Company [Member]	Dec. 30, 2012 280 BT, Investors [Member]	Dec. 30, 2012 Cost of Sales [Member] QSCC [Member]	Jan. 01, 2012 Cost of Sales [Member] QSCC [Member]	Jan. 02, 2011 Cost of Sales [Member] QSCC [Member]	Dec. 30, 2012 General and Administrative Expense [Member] SSG [Member]		Jan. 01, 2012 General and Administrative Expense [Member] SSG [Member]		Jan. 02, 2011 General and Administrative Expense [Member] SSG [Member]		Dec. 30, 2012 General and Administrative Expense [Member] The Management Company [Member]		Jan. 01, 2012 General and Administrative Expense [Member] The Management Company [Member] installments		Jan. 02, 2011 General and Administrative Expense [Member] The Management Company [Member]		Dec. 30, 2012 General and Administrative Expense [Member] TASCO [Member]		Jan. 01, 2012 General and Administrative Expense [Member] TASCO [Member]		Jan. 02, 2011 General and Administrative Expense [Member] TASCO [Member]		Dec. 30, 2012 Jurlique International Pty Ltd [Member]		Jan. 01, 2012 Jurlique International Pty Ltd [Member]		Jan. 02, 2011 Jurlique International Pty Ltd [Member]		Dec. 30, 2012 Jurlique International Pty Ltd [Member] Management [Member]	Jul. 31, 2011 Arby’s Restaurant Group, Inc [Member]	Feb. 02, 2012 Investments in Majority-owned Subsidiaries [Member] Jurlique International Pty Ltd [Member]	Jan. 02, 2011 Term Loan, 2010 [Member] General and Administrative Expense [Member] The Management Company [Member]	Jun. 30, 2011 Service Agreements [Member] The Management Company [Member]	Jan. 02, 2011 Service Agreements [Member] General and Administrative Expense [Member] The Management Company [Member]	May 24, 2010 Secured Debt [Member] Term Loan, 2010 [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Wendy's Co-Op												$ (2,464)	[1]	$ (2,033)	[1]	$ (1,238)	[1]	$ (15,500)
SSG agreement																															0	[2]	(2,275)	[2]	(5,145)	[2]
Sublease income		23	24			(191)	[3]	(203)	[3]	(137)	[3]	191		180		113																					(683)	[4]	(1,631)	[4]	(1,632)	[4]
Advisory fees																																					0	[5]	500	[5]	3,465	[5]																2,465		1,000
Use of company-owned aircraft																																											(92)	[6]	(138)	[6]	(120)	[6]
Liquidation services agreement																																					0	[7]	220	[7]	441	[7]
Distributions of proceeds to noncontrolling interests (See Note 8)	(2,384)																																																3,667	[8]	0	[8]	0	[8]	2,296
Payments Related to Supply Chain Expenses														305		15,195
Supply Chain Co-op Expenses, Payroll and Related																913
Patronage Refunds																												2,464	2,033	325
Commitment to Pay Expense, Commitment Period				24
Area of Real Estate Property					2,300													9,333	14,333
Revised Annual Base Rental																			176
Number of Renewal Options, Lease												3							5
Debt Instrument, Face Amount																																																													650,000
Payments for Quarterly Fees																																																											250
Sublease, Number of Floors																				2
Monthly Sublease Income, Aircraft																						10
Monthly Aircraft Lease Income, Revised																					13
Liquidation Agreement Services, Amount Paid																																									900
Number of Installments																																							2
Proceeds from Divestiture of Business, Percentage of Buyer Stock Received																																																								18.50%
Distributions from Subsidiary, Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest																							$ 0	$ 0	$ 0
Investment Subsidiary, Ownership Percentage																							80.10%			11.20%	8.70%																														99.70%

[1] During the fourth quarter of 2009, Wendy’s entered into a purchasing co-op relationship agreement (the “Wendy’s Co-op”) with its franchisees to establish QSCC. QSCC manages, for the Wendy’s system in the U.S. and Canada, contracts for the purchase and distribution of food, proprietary paper, operating supplies and equipment under national contracts with pricing based upon total system volume. QSCC’s supply chain management facilitates continuity of supply and provides consolidated purchasing efficiencies while monitoring and seeking to minimize possible obsolete inventory throughout the Wendy’s supply chain in the U.S. and Canada. Prior to 2010, the system’s purchasing function was performed and paid for by Wendy’s. In order to facilitate the orderly transition of the 2010 purchasing function for operations in the U.S. and Canada, Wendy’s transferred certain contracts, assets and certain Wendy’s purchasing employees to QSCC in 2010. Pursuant to the terms of the Wendy’s Co-op, Wendy’s expensed $15,500 in 2009 for payments to QSCC required over an 18 month period through May 2011 in order to provide funding for start-up costs, operating expenses and cash reserves. Wendy’s made such payments of $305 and $15,195 in 2011 and 2010, respectively. In connection with the ongoing operations of QSCC during 2010, QSCC reimbursed Wendy’s $913 for amounts Wendy’s had paid primarily for payroll-related expenses for certain Canadian QSCC purchasing employees.Since the third quarter of 2010, all QSCC members (including Wendy’s) pay sourcing fees to third party vendors on products which are sourced through QSCC. Such sourcing fees are remitted by these vendors to QSCC and are the primary means of funding QSCC’s operations. Should QSCC’s sourcing fees exceed its expected needs, QSCC’s board of directors may return some or all of the excess to its members in the form of a patronage dividend. Wendy’s recorded its share of patronage dividends of $2,464, $2,033 and $325 in 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively, which are included as a reduction of “Cost of sales.”

[2] On April 5, 2010, QSCC and the Arby’s independent purchasing cooperative (“ARCOP”) in consultation with Wendy’s Restaurants, established Strategic Sourcing Group Co-op, LLC (“SSG”). SSG was formed to manage and operate purchasing programs for certain non-perishable goods, equipment and services. Wendy’s Restaurants had committed to pay approximately $5,145 of SSG expenses, which were expensed in 2010 and included in “General and administrative,” and were to be paid over a 24 month period through March 2012. However, in anticipation of the sale of Arby’s, effective April 2011, SSG was dissolved and its activities were transferred to QSCC and ARCOP and the remaining accrued commitment of $2,275 was reversed and credited to “General and administrative.”

[3] Effective January 4, 2010, QSCC leased 9,333 square feet of office space from Wendy’s. Effective January 1, 2011, Wendy’s and QSCC entered into a lease amendment which increased the office space leased to QSCC to 14,333 square feet for a one year period for a revised annual base rental of $176 with five one-year renewal options, three of which are currently remaining. During the period from April 2010 to April 2011, SSG leased 2,300 square feet of office space from a subsidiary of Wendy’s Restaurants. The Wendy’s Company received $191, $180 and $113 of lease income from QSCC during 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively, and $23 and $24 of lease income from SSG during 2011 and 2010, respectively, both of which have been recorded as reductions of “General and administrative.”

[4] In July 2008 and July 2007, The Wendy’s Company entered into agreements under which the Management Company subleased (the “Subleases”) office space on two of the floors of the Company’s former New York headquarters. During the second quarter of 2010, The Wendy’s Company and the Management Company entered into an amendment to the sublease, effective April 1, 2010, pursuant to which the Management Company’s early termination right was canceled in exchange for a reduction in rent. Under the terms of the amended sublease, which expired in May 2012, the Management Company paid rent to the Company in an amount that covered substantially all of the Company’s rent obligations under the prime lease for the subleased space. The Company recognized income of $683, $1,631, and $1,632 from the Management Company under such subleases in 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively, which has been recorded as a reduction of “General and administrative.”

[5] The Wendy’s Company entered into a services agreement (the “Services Agreement”) with a management company formed by the Former Executives and a director, who was our former Vice Chairman (the “Management Company”), which commenced on July 1, 2009 and expired on June 30, 2011. Under the Services Agreement, the Management Company assisted us with strategic merger and acquisition consultation, corporate finance and investment banking services and related legal matters. The Wendy’s Company paid approximately $2,465 in 2010 in fees for corporate finance advisory services under the Services Agreement in connection with the negotiation and execution of the $650,000 credit agreement in 2010 and the issuance of the Senior Notes in 2009.In addition, The Wendy’s Company paid the Management Company a service fee of $250 per quarter, in connection with the Services Agreement until it expired on June 30, 2011. The Wendy’s Company incurred service fees of $500 and $1,000 in 2011 and 2010, respectively, which are included in “General and administrative.”

[6] In June 2009, The Wendy’s Company and TASCO, LLC (an affiliate of the Management Company) (“TASCO”) entered into an aircraft lease agreement (the “Aircraft Lease Agreement”) to lease a company-owned aircraft. The Aircraft Lease Agreement originally provided that The Wendy’s Company would lease such company-owned aircraft to TASCO from July 1, 2009 until June 30, 2010. On June 24, 2010, The Wendy’s Company and TASCO renewed the Aircraft Lease Agreement for an additional one year period (expiring on June 30, 2011). Under the Aircraft Lease Agreement, TASCO paid $10 per month for such aircraft plus substantially all operating costs of the aircraft including all costs of fuel, inspection, servicing and certain storage, as well as operational and flight crew costs relating to the operation of the aircraft, and all transit maintenance costs and other maintenance costs required as a result of TASCO’s usage of the aircraft. The Wendy’s Company continued to be responsible for calendar-based maintenance and any extraordinary and unscheduled repairs and/or maintenance for the aircraft, as well as insurance and other costs. On June 29, 2011, The Wendy’s Company and TASCO entered into an agreement to extend the Aircraft Lease Agreement for an additional one year period (expiring on June 30, 2012) and an increased monthly rent of $13. On June 30, 2012, The Wendy’s Company and TASCO entered into an extension of that lease agreement that extended the lease term to July 31, 2012 and effective as of August 1, 2012, entered into an amended and restated aircraft lease agreement (the “2012 Lease”) that will expire on January 5, 2014. Under the 2012 Lease, all expenses related to the ownership, maintenance and operation of the aircraft will be paid by TASCO, subject to the limitation that if the amount of annual ongoing maintenance, hangar, insurance and other expenses, or the estimated amount of other scheduled maintenance expenses, exceeds the amounts stated in the 2012 Lease, then TASCO can either pay such amounts or terminate the 2012 Lease. In addition, if extraordinary and/or unscheduled repairs and/or maintenance for the aircraft become necessary and the estimated cost thereof exceeds the amount stated in the 2012 Lease, then TASCO can either pay such amounts or terminate the 2012 Lease. In the event of termination, TASCO will not be obligated to perform or pay for such repairs and/or maintenance following the date of termination. Under the previous Aircraft Lease Agreement, the Company recorded lease income of $92, $138 and $120 during 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively, as a reduction of “General and administrative.”

[7] On June 10, 2009, The Wendy’s Company and the Management Company entered into a liquidation services agreement (the “Liquidation Services Agreement”) pursuant to which the Management Company assisted us in the sale, liquidation or other disposition of our cost investments and DFR Notes. The Liquidation Services Agreement required The Wendy’s Company to pay the Management Company a fee of $900 in two installments in June 2009 and 2010, which was deferred and amortized through its June 30, 2011 expiration date. Related amortization of $220 and $441 was recorded in “General and administrative” in 2011 and 2010, respectively.

[8] Jurl, a 99.7% owned subsidiary, completed the sale of our investment in Jurlique in February 2012. Prior to 2009, when our predecessor entity was a diversified company active in investments, we had provided our Former Executives, and certain other former employees, equity and profit interests in Jurl. In connection with the sale of Jurlique, we distributed, based on the related agreement, approximately $3,667 to Jurl’s minority shareholders, including approximately $2,296 to the Former Executives during 2012.