Was there ever a brand reputation??

Wendy’s Doubles Chili Finger Reward to $100,000

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Wendy’s International Inc. on Friday doubled to $100,000 the reward it is offering for information on the origin of a human finger found last month in a bowl of chili at one of its restaurants.

In a statement, Wendy’s President and Chief Operating Officer Tom Mueller said the company’s franchisees and employees have “done nothing wrong, yet they are paying a severe price with sales down significantly” in the San Jose, California, area where the incident occurred.

Some of the franchisees have laid off workers or reduced workers’ hours, the company said.

“Our brand reputation has been affected nationally,” Mueller added. “We are determined to find out what really happened in this incident.”

Wendy’s has said repeatedly that its own investigation into the matter found no evidence of any finger or hand accidents among any of its workers or suppliers. The workers also passed lie detector tests, the company said on Friday.