McDonald’s has a lot of classic menu items. 

The list starts with the Big Mac in 1967, when the chain finally released its answer to Burger King’s Whopper about a decade after its rival established its premium burger.

Since then, however, McDonald’s has been a lot better than its rivals at creating iconic brands. Burger King  (QSR)  has never been able to add a product that equals the Whopper, although it has done a very good job of leveraging that brand into new products.

Related: Coca-Cola adds a salty (really) new Coke flavor

Wendy’s (WEN) actually went for decades without a signature product aside from its square hamburgers. You can argue that the Baconator has now become its flagship product, but that sandwich was not introduced until 2007.

McDonald’s, however, has a wealth of billion-dollar brands beyond the Big Mac. Those included Chicken McNuggets, the McCrispy chicken sandwich, Egg McMuffin, the McFlurry and, of course, the Filet O’ Fish.

The fast-food giant introduced its signature fish sandwich in 1965 as an option for people who do not eat meat on Fridays during the Lent season. 

Filet O’ Fish was actually the first permanent addition to the chain’s burger-based menu as it proved more popular than a pineapple sandwich that customers mostly rejected.

Wendy’s does not offer a year-round fish sandwich, but it does have a seasonal limited-time-offer sandwich that it has just brought back.

Wendy’s brings back its fish sandwich

Wendy’s does not offer a fish sandwich year-round but its seasonal offering sort of puts the Filet O’ Fish to shame. 

The McDonald’s sandwich offers a processed square fish patty that may be beloved, but it’s not overly impressive. Its rival offers a sandwich that’s similar to the McDonald’s classic but with a better piece of fish.

“The Crispy Panko Fish Sandwich features a Wild Caught Alaskan Pollock fillet coated in crispy panko breading topped with lettuce, a slice of American cheese, pickles and creamy dill tartar sauce, all served on a premium bun,” Chewboom reported. 

“According to Wendy’s, their Wild Caught Alaskan Pollock fillet has a buttery flakiness that is complimented by savory notes of garlic and onion.”

Wendy’s Crispy Panko Fish Sandwich comes with a suggested price of $6.16 but prices may vary. It’s being offered nationwide for a limited time.

Wendy’s grows its business

Wendy’s saw same-store sales grow 2.2% in its most recent quarter and 8.5% year-over-year. The chain did see fewer customers enter its restaurants, but the ones who visited spent more money.

Chief Executive Todd Penegor expects the growth to continue, driven by promotions and product innovations. He spoke about the chain’s plans during its third-quarter-earnings call.

“We once again leaned into our ownable platforms, new products, and partnerships during the third quarter,” he said. 

“The launch of our loaded nacho cheeseburger and fries, continued innovation on the Frosty line with strawberry and pumpkin spice flavor, our BOGO for $1 promotion, and our ongoing partnership with college football all supported our progress.” 

The CEO expects that to continue in 2024.

“Looking ahead to the rest of the year, you can expect more craveable innovation alongside value that supports the restaurant economic model as we run our high-low strategy. At the breakfast day part, we continue to execute against our playbook of driving sales through innovation and promotions,” he added.

Penegor also shared that consumers have been sharply price-conscious.

“We know that value remains very important to the breakfast consumer and we plan to more consistently offer compelling value promotions to drive trial and repeat at this highly profitable day part through year-end and beyond,” he said.

Related: Veteran fund manager picks favorite stocks for 2024