Special Report: QSR battle plansSpecial Report: QSR battle plans

By Mark Brandau


Emil Brolick, chief executive of The Wendy’s Co., knows that the middle is a dangerous place to be.


Brolick said as much during an investor call in January, noting that his 6,500-unit quick-service brand was working steadily to fend off the growing squeeze from higher-priced fast-casual chains and lower-priced convenience stores.


“The last thing you want to do is to find yourself in a position where you’re caught in the middle,” Brolick said during the call. “You want to be Costco or Walmart, or you want to be Nordstrom or Saks and Tiffany. … Why is McDonald’s making the changes it’s making? So it doesn’t get caught in the middle.”


While many quick-service players benefited from the trading down that occurred during the r...