Reconciliation of Wendy's U.S. Segment Operating Profit (Loss) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 29, 2026	Mar. 30, 2025
Segment Reporting [Line Items]
Revenues	$ 540,637	$ 523,472
Cost of sales	201,049	188,169
Franchise support and other costs	21,991	16,596
Advertising funds expense	108,615	101,528
General and Administrative Expense	72,843	68,204
Segment profit	64,921	83,126
Operating Segments
Segment Reporting [Line Items]
Segment profit	148,494	155,097
Wendy's U.S. | Operating Segments
Segment Reporting [Line Items]
Revenues	444,159	429,614
Cost of sales	194,296	181,237
Franchise support and other costs	18,256	13,178
Advertising funds expense	99,273	91,760
General and Administrative Expense	22,458	22,424
Other segment items	13	38
Segment profit	$ 109,863	$ 120,977