Wendy’s woes: District manager denigrates Wareham

Aug 12, 2019

When the district manager for the Wendy’s on Cranberry Highway responded to a complaint with a condemnation of Wareham, DoorDash driver Matt Rose felt the public had a right to know. 

Despite reaching out to Wendy’s customer service with complaints about service and the store being closed on August 3 and 6, Rose didn’t get a response until August 12, when he received the following email from district manager Keith Helger:

“Good morning Matt,

My name is Keith and I’m the DM for the Wendy’s in Wareham. I apologize for your experiences at this location. Not an excuse but the town of Wareham has little to no talent pool to hire from. This is an ongoing issue in that area. We are constantly interviewing and hiring any and all qualified candidates. Unfortunately those candidates are hard to come by, as most are recovering addicts, and we cannot hire them. We will continue to do our best to fix the issues in this location and improve the overall Wendy’s experience. I appreciate your feedback. Have a good day.”

Rose, who managed a KFC for three years, said that the issues he has observed in the store are mostly the result of poor management.

Rose first reached out to Wendy’s customer service through the chain’s online chat feature on August 3 after he had to wait for 30 minutes to place an order at the counter, even though there were only four customers in front of him. While he waited, he observed one employee cleaning tables and trays while another took out the trash — both tasks that could have waited until after customers were served.

Rose noted that a father and son came in behind him and waited in line for about ten minutes. Fed up, they left, crossed Cranberry Highway, got food at McDonald’s, and were on their way back to Water Wizz before he had placed his order. 

When he returned that night at around seven for another order, the store was closed. It is supposed to be open until midnight. Several days later, the store was again closed at seven. 

“Now it’s costing me money as a DoorDash driver,” said Rose, who brings food from local restaurants to customers’ homes. “I can’t do my job if the store is closed.”

Rose said that the service at the store is bad enough that he has stopped accepting jobs that would require him to get food there. 

He also disputed Helger’s claims that there aren’t enough qualified people in town to staff the store.

“We’re not a town of idiots,” Rose said. “The Wendy’s is the only fast food chain in the town of Wareham that is like this. The restaurants are faster.”

Wendy’s media relations department disavowed Helger’s statement, writing “These comments are inconsistent with our Company’s values and do not reflect Wendy’s hiring practices. We work hard to create a welcoming and inclusive environment in our restaurants, and will address this appropriately.”

It is unclear whether the staffing issues referenced by Helger will affect the company’s plans to open another Wendy’s on Tobey Road.