• April 7, 2008

He will become chief of North America operations April 14 and be responsible for improving restaurant operations at company and franchise restaurants in all three U.S. regions and Canada, while growing sales and driving profit margins. Farrar will report directly to COO Dave Near.

Farrar, 57, was SVP of Wendy's western region from 1992 to 2006, when he accepted the company's early retirement package.

Farrar led Wendy's system in measuring and driving operational performance, created a human resources planning and development system and developed numerous planning and control systems to reduce costs.

He was instrumental in establishing Wendy's Service Excellence program, which led to Wendy's ranking as the fastest drive-through in the industry by QSR Magazine. He also helped pioneer Wendy's Super Value Menu, the late-night program and three-tiered combos.

--Nina M. Lentini