Transactions with Related Parties Related Party Transaction Summary (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	12 Months Ended						59 Months Ended	12 Months Ended	30 Months Ended	36 Months Ended	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 30, 2012		Dec. 28, 2014		Dec. 29, 2013		May 31, 2012 floors	Jun. 30, 2012	Jan. 05, 2014	Mar. 30, 2014	Mar. 30, 2014	Feb. 02, 2012	Jan. 01, 2011 sqft
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Distributions of proceeds to noncontrolling interests	$ 2,384
Jurl Holdings, LLC [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Investment Subsidiary, Ownership Percentage												99.70%
Jurlique International Pty Ltd [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Distributions of proceeds to noncontrolling interests	3,667	[1]	0	[1]	0	[1]
QSCC [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Area of Real Estate Property													14,333
Annual Base Rental													176
Number of Renewal Options, Lease			1
QSCC [Member] | Patronage Dividends [Domain] | Cost of Sales [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Related Party Transaction, Other Revenues from Transactions with Related Party	2,464	[2]	1,516	[2]	3,291	[2]
QSCC [Member] | Lease Income [Domain] | General and Administrative Expense [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Related Party Transaction, Other Revenues from Transactions with Related Party	191	[3]	185	[3]	188	[3]
The Management Company [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Sublease, Number of Floors							2
The Management Company [Member] | Use of company-owned aircraft [Domain]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Related Party Transaction, Other Revenues from Transactions with Related Party	1,309	[4]	375	[4]	1,420	[4]
The Management Company [Member] | Sublease income [Domain] | General and Administrative Expense [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Related Party Transaction, Other Revenues from Transactions with Related Party	683	[5]	0	[5]	0	[5]
TASCO [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Lessor Leasing Arrangements, Operating Leases, Renewal Term								1 year
Monthly Aircraft Lease Income, Revised									13
TASCO [Member] | General and Administrative Expense [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Aircraft Lease Income	92
Citation Air [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Lessor Leasing Arrangements, Operating Leases, Term of Contract										3 years
Former Executives [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Credit for Aircraft Fees Paid by Related Party	1,217				1,420						375
Former Management [Member] | Jurlique International Pty Ltd [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Distributions of proceeds to noncontrolling interests	2,296
TimWen [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
TimWen lease expense and management fees	6,605	[6]	6,064	[6]	6,587	[6]
TimWen [Member] | Cost of Sales [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
TimWen lease expense and management fees	6,880		6,313		6,854
TimWen [Member] | General and Administrative Expense [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Related Party Transaction, Other Revenues from Transactions with Related Party	$ 275		$ 249		$ 267

[1] 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 gain on sale of Jurlique, we distributed, based on the related agreement, approximately $3,667 in 2012 to Jurl’s minority shareholders, including approximately $2,296 to the Former Executives. See Note 6 for further discussion of the sale of Jurlique.

[2] Wendy’s has a purchasing co-op relationship agreement (the “Wendy’s Co-op”) with its franchisees which establishes Quality Supply Chain Co-op, Inc. (“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 agreements 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.Wendy’s and its franchisees pay sourcing fees to third-party vendors on certain products sourced by 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 $1,516, $3,291 and $2,464 in 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively, which are included as a reduction of “Cost of sales.”

[3] Effective January 1, 2011, Wendy’s leased 14,333 square feet of office space to QSCC for an annual base rental of $176. There is currently one one-year renewal option remaining under this lease. The Wendy’s Company received $185, $188 and $191 of lease income from QSCC during 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively, which has been recorded as a reduction of “General and administrative.”

[4] In June 2009, The Wendy’s Company and TASCO, LLC (an affiliate of a management company formed by the Former Executives and a director, who was our former Vice Chairman (the “Management Company”)) (“TASCO”) entered into an aircraft lease agreement (the “Aircraft Lease Agreement”) to lease a company-owned aircraft. 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 expired on January 5, 2014. Under the 2012 Lease, all expenses related to the ownership, maintenance and operation of the aircraft were paid by TASCO, subject to certain limitations and termination rights. The 2012 Lease expired without any limitation or termination provisions being invoked. The Wendy’s Company did not extend or renew the 2012 Lease. Under the previous Aircraft Lease Agreement, the Company recorded lease income of $92 during 2012 as a reduction of “General and administrative.”The Wendy’s Company, through a wholly-owned subsidiary, was party to a three-year aircraft management and lease agreement, which expired in March 2014, with CitationAir, a subsidiary of Cessna Aircraft Company, pursuant to which the Company leased a corporate aircraft to CitationAir to use as part of its Jet Card program fleet. The Company entered into the lease agreement as a means of offsetting the cost of owning and operating the corporate aircraft by receiving revenue from third parties’ use of such aircraft. Under the terms of the lease agreement, the Company paid annual management and flight crew fees to CitationAir and reimbursed CitationAir for maintenance costs and fuel usage related to the corporate aircraft. In return, CitationAir paid a negotiated fee to the Company based on the number of hours that the corporate aircraft was used by Jet Card members. This fee was reduced based on the number of hours that (1) the Company used other aircraft in the Jet Card program fleet and (2) Jet Card members who are affiliated with the Company used the corporate aircraft or other aircraft in the Jet Card program fleet. The Company’s participation in the aircraft management and lease agreement reduced the aggregate costs that the Company would otherwise have incurred in connection with owning and operating the corporate aircraft. Under the terms of the lease agreement, the Company’s directors had the opportunity to become Jet Card members and to use aircraft in the Jet Card program fleet at the same negotiated fee paid by the Company as provided for under the lease agreement. During the first quarter of 2014 and the years ended December 29, 2013 and December 30, 2012, the Former Executives and a director, who was our former Vice Chairman, and members of their immediate families, used their Jet Card agreements for business and personal travel on aircraft in the Jet Card program fleet. The Management Company paid CitationAir directly, and the Company received credit from CitationAir for charges related to such travel of approximately $375, $1,420 and $1,217 during the first quarter of 2014 and the years ended December 29, 2013 and December 30, 2012, respectively.

[5] 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 from the Management Company under such subleases in 2012, which has been recorded as a reduction of “General and administrative.”

[6] A wholly-owned subsidiary of Wendy’s leases restaurant facilities from TimWen for the operation of Wendy’s/Tim Hortons combo units in Canada. Wendy’s paid TimWen $6,313, $6,854 and $6,880 under such leases during 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively, which have been included in “Costs of sales.” Wendy’s subleases some of the restaurant facilities to franchisees and they pay TimWen directly. In addition, TimWen paid Wendy’s a management fee under the TimWen joint venture agreement, of $249, $267 and $275 during 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively, which has been included as a reduction to “General and administrative.”