Wendy's CEO: from AI-powered drive-thrus to thick bacon

Much has been said about Chipotle (CMG) and Starbucks (SBUX) in restaurant circles over the past year. Chipotle finds itself with a new CEO in Scott Boatwright, who is looking to ramp store growth to a new level. And as he said on Yahoo Finance’s Opening Bid podcast, possibly bring more robots into its kitchens! As for Boatwright’s former boss Brian Niccol, he finds himself with the biggest challenge in an illustrious restaurant career — as a CEO at Starbucks trying to rejuvenate the coffee serving icon. One story that has gone under the radar is the reinvigoration of Wendy’s (WEN) under CEO Kirk Tanner. Tanner just passed his one-year mark at Wendy’s and fresh off an investor day, it’s clear he has big goals for an iconic American fast food chain founded by Dave Thomas. Yahoo Finance executive editor Brian Sozzi sits down on the Opening Bid podcast with Tanner to discuss his plans for the chain, including an aggressive pace of new store openings, AI powered drive-thrus and doubling down on breakfast. Yahoo Finance's Opening Bid, brings you a high-octane take on the freshest analyst calls, wildest stock moves and shrewdest commentary in the business world. Executive Editor Brian Sozzi puts Wall Street's finest through their paces in this essential conversation for every investor - before the stock market opens. Find this episode's transcripts and more episodes of Opening Bid at http://finance.yahoo.com/videos/series/opening-bid/. Thoughts? Questions? Fan mail? Email us at yfpodcasts@yahooinc.com. Yahoo Finance's Opening Bid is hosted by Brian Sozzi, and produced by Langston Sessoms Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices