The world’s largest franchise operator Flynn Restaurant Group has partnered with Wendy’s to roll out 200 restaurants across our wide, brown land by 2034.

What are Wendy’s burgers really like, and will that little redhead freckled girl with pigtails really rival Macca’s Ronald and Hungry Jack’s King here? Is there a burger war sizzling on the horizon? 

I’m taking bets that the Baconator will have Aussie carnivores drooling. But a health warning should be mandatory. There are irresponsible amounts of Applewood smoked bacon nestled on top of 225 grams of beef, American cheese, ketchup, and mayo. 

If you’d like fries with that, Wendy’s are skin-on and can be loaded. Those who like it spicy can have their fries tossed in Ghost Pepper sauce, while, Pub Fries come with cheese and, you guessed it, more bacon.

Growing up under the golden arches, Australians will likely find some vast differences when Wendy’s launches. Besides their world-famous square hamburgers, the current US menu is bursting with croissants, freshly-prepared salads, and other signature items like chilli, baked potatoes, and the much-loved Frosty dessert. 

Related story: Rejoice! US fast food chain Wendy’s to open 200 stores in Australia 

Here are five menu items that set Wendy’s apart from the burger chains we’ve grown to know and love here.

Unlike our burger joints, baked potatoes are on the menu, with a choice of five carb-laden taties from plain to Sour Cream and Chive to a meal-in-itself Chili and Cheese.

While there are five salads, there’s only one wrap. A Summer Strawberry Salad blends Cos lettuce, strawberries, Parmesan, Asiago and Romano cheeses, Applewood smoked bacon, candied almonds and champagne vinaigrette. Fancy! That’s also 1715 kilojoules.

Drinks are decidedly different at Wendy’s. Right now, besides brand-name soft drinks, you can have an all-natural lemonade or make it strawberry, pineapple mango or even a blueberry pomegranate. 

Move over McFlurry and Storm – the Frosty is coming to town. The signature Frosty is much-loved in the US. (It could be the 47g of sugar). Around since the beginning and created by Wendy’s founder Dave Thomas himself, the Frosty is somewhere between a milkshake and soft serve ice cream; spoons are not optional – this is a dessert, not a drink. It’s a delicious mix of milk, sugar, corn syrup, cream, thickeners, and preservatives. While Chocolate and Vanilla are the regular flavours, Wendy’s sometimes changes it up with the seasons.

When it comes to seasonal or limited-time-only menu additions, Wendy’s rules. Rumour has it there’s a Pumpkin Spice Frosty coming American’s way in autumn as well as a Loaded Nacho Cheeseburger, Loaded Nacho Chicken Sandwich and Queso Fries. Still, when these Nacho contenders arrive, the Bacon Pretzel Cheeseburger may be shown the exit.

As the burger battle gets juicy, what will happen to our homegrown players like Grill’d and Betty’s Burgers, who have established themselves? Is there room for Wendy’s in Australia? If In-N-Out pop-ups and grand Cinnabon openings are anything to go by, things don’t look too Frosty.

Related story: The sausage and egg muffin beats bacon and egg every time, here’s why