Wendy’s (Oshtemo Township)
5455 W. Main StreetKalamazoo is hemorrhaging Wendy’s. Whether that’s a good thing or bad thing depends on where you fall on the fast food burger spectrum, but for me, that’s a bad thing. I’ve always preferred Wendy’s over McDonalds and Burger King.
In the last couple of months, both the 9th Street location and the Gull Road location have closed. That leaves just
That leaves just three four left in the Kalamazoo Metro. The one on Sprinkle is still open as is the one on Westnedge and on Centre. The fourth location is the one I grabbed lunch from last Friday while I was running errands out on West Main Street in Oshtemo Township. (UPDATED 2/4/26 – I originally forgot about the Centre Avenue location when I wrote this blog)
The Oshtemo Township Wendy’s is on West Main Street east of Maple Hill Drive. It’s a location that has been around for quite a while but the building was completely tore down in 2016 and replaced with the newer, ultra modern design. These stores look nothing like the solarium designs that Wendy’s was well known for. It actually tends to be more generic as this seems to be where fast food designs are going. The things that make them unique are the things that make then outdated. You could swap out the Wendy’s logo and change the paint scheme to any other brand and they’d feel right at home in this design. The Long John Silvers next door went through the same thing around the same time.
I walked in to the restaurant around lunch time and it was pretty empty. Most people do drive thru nowadays. Such a change from my childhood when sitting down in a fast food restaurant was such a treat.
The design of the store fits the ultra modern design. The carpeted floors are gone, the duct work in the ceiling is exposed. The cheap furniture that has been synonymous with fast food restaurants has been replaced with more modern furniture that really isn’t designed to keep you in the store very long. There are some booths and tables plus there is a large community type table with barstool type seating in the middle of the dining room.
To give the space even more of a modern feel, there are a couple of couches set up in front of a fire place in the corner of the room. Not sure I’d want to eat a cheeseburger sitting there but I guess if you just had a frosty this would be a good spot to sit an relax.
When I walked in, I saw a kiosk for ordering. I headed straight towards but it appeared to be turned off. Guess I’ll have to talk to someone today.
The order counter is in the back of the restaurant and still looks like a typical fast food order counter. There was a person standing there waiting for me when I got there. I pretty much knew what I wanted. I went with my typical order of a Baconator combo with large fry and a large drink. The cost was right around $15.
The thing that surprised me a little bit was I was given a cup for my drink. I feel like the other Wendy’s I’ve been at lately, they’ve filled it up and handed it to me. The pop machines had been removed. At this Wendy’s, they have a Coke Freestyle machine.
It didn’t take too long for my order to be bagged up. I could have just sat down and ate but I decided to take it with me as I had a few more things I needed to do on my lunch break.
Wendy’s fries have been a favorite of mine for a while. I know that’s kind of a hot take but they are so much better than McDonalds. The fries are frozen but they’re skin on. I feel like I got a little cheated with the amount in the box but that seems to be par for the course anymore. They’re still tasty and easy to eat while on my way back to work.
The Baconator has been one of my favorite fast food burgers since it was introduced close to 20 years. It’s pretty simple with two 1/4lb beef patties, two slices of American cheese and six slices of bacon plus ketchup and mayo. I leave the ketchup and mayo off. Again, I question the “six slices of bacon.” Like everything else, it seems to be getting less and less. It’s still a really tasty sandwich though. The fact that they put both cheese and bacon between the burger layers make this sandwich better than it should be.
I feel like this Wendy’s might be safe from the ongoing cuts. It has the newer design and is a much newer building. The Sprinkle Road one is the one I’d be worried about. That’s the only left with the old filled in solarium design. I’d hate to see all the Wendy’s go away. I don’t eat fast food that much but when I do, Wendy’s is typically a go-to.
SW Michigan Dining 