More than 500 applications were received from people keen to work for American fast food chain Wendy’s which is poised to open its fast drive-thru and restaurant in Peterborough on Saturday.
And 50 of the applicants were lucky enough to be chosen to begin their career in hospitality at the just completed drive-thru that sits at the entrance of the new £30 million Bourges View business park in Maskew Avenue.
They will be a vital part of a growing family as famous hamburger chain looks to expand its presence across the UK with its focus on locally sourced ingredients, burgers made with fresh British beef plus salads prepared fresh daily and sandwiches served hot off the grill.
Wendy’s fans can find at the Peterborough drive-thru the much-loved signature items such as the Baconator, Dave’s Double, the Spicy Chicken Sandwich, and the classic Frosty dessert.
Illuminated menus displays mouth-watering images of 18 meal options including two meat-free meals, complete with price and the calorie count.
While the drive-thru will open its doors at 7am, staff are confident the queues will start much earlier.
And Carl Morris, managing director of Blank Table, the franchise operator for Wendy’s in East Anglia , said there were free T-shirts available for the first 50 customers through the doors.
He said: “We open at 7am on Saturday serving breakfasts. There will be some Wendy’s fans here no doubt at 5am queuing, because we’ve had this at our other stores.
"We are actually giving away 50 free T-shirts to our first customers, which is cool.
He added: “Saturday is going to be busy – but don’t stay away but please be patient with us because while we will be fast there will probably be a longer wait than normal.
“We will have a big team in over the weekend and half term week.”
Explaining why he had joined Wendy’s, Mr Morris said: “We saw an opportunity to provide a premium product at affordable prices but at Wendy’s we don’t cut corners, which is why our beef is square, and the consistency and the recipe always has quality.
“Our aspirations are to put up as many Wendy’s as we can across East Anglia.
"We have opened two locally and the staff have loved working for us.”
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Some of the 50-strojg team at drive-thru Wendy's in Peterborough Photo: Paul Grinnell
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The management team at Wendy's in Peterborough, from left, Ellie Weston, operations manager, Carl Morris, managing director of Wendy's franchise operator Blank Table, Azhar Muhammad, district manager, and Zahra Kachra, operations co-ordinator. Photo: Paul Grinnell
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Guest in the seating area of the Wendy's drive-thru in Peterborough Photo: Paul Grinnell