Wendy's Has Officially Entered the Metaverse. Here's How You Can Visit 'Wendyverse.' The new virtual land will be available starting April 2.
By Emily Rella
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It's undeniable that the future of fast food is digital, with many chains doubling down on digital-only kiosks and creating menu item-based NFTs and meme coins.
But how will this industry deal with the metaverse? Web3 has found many industries scrambling to find a way to thrive in an environment that is both unfamiliar and untapped — and the fast-food industry is no different.
Wendy's seems to be ahead of the curve as the chain has announced that they will officially be entering the metaverse by launching a new 3-D world called Wendyverse in partnership with Meta (formerly Facebook.)
Starting April 2, hungry Wendy's lovers and customers can tap into the new world by using their Quest 2 VR headset and walk through a virtual town that is entirely Wendy's themed.
Related: McDonald's Is Making Its Famous McRib Sandwich Into an NFT
"We're excited to take this to the next level by launching the Wendyverse in Meta's Horizon Worlds and bringing a totally new dimension of access to our fans," said chief marketing officer for The Wendy's Company, Carl Loredo, in a statement. "Truly a first of its kind, the Wendyverse bridges the best of today with tomorrow to show up for our fans across every world - with a Frosty and fries in hand."
Visitors will be treated to a park fountain that sprays out Fanta soda and a basketball court (dubbed the Buck BiscuitDome) to entice basketball fans during the final rounds of March Madness — all Wendyverse visitors will be entitled to sausage or bacon, egg and cheese biscuit for $1.
And, of course, what would the fantasy world be without a giant golden statue of Wendy herself?
Though this marks the first big push for a fast-food chain to make a splash in what's rumored to be the future of the internet, it opens the door to unlimited and untapped possibilities for how food brands can play into the VR world, with concepts of ordering food via the metaverse and having it delivered in to the real world not seeming like too far off of a possibility.
It seems Wendy's is on board with this potential growth, as Ad Week reported that the company is describing Wendyverse as the company's "first phase" of metaverse activation.
Wendy's was up over 5.74% as of Friday morning.
Related: 3 Ways to Build Sustainable Wealth in the Metaverse
