Wendy's (NYSE:WEN) is always on the lookout for ways to enhance the enjoyment of the fast-food experience for its daily legion of patrons. The square-burger joint is trying out an interesting plan that gives the consumer a little more control when it comes to ordering up the greasy grub.

Wendy's will no longer compel its combo-meal customers to have fries and nothing but fries as a culinary accessory. Now, there's freedom of choice. Don't want fries? Not a problem... have a baked potato. Not into spuds? Perhaps a salad may be more your thing. Rabbit food doesn't strike you as filling? Then see whether a container of chili will satisfy your inner cravings. Plus, you won't see an increase in cost for the privilege.

This may seem like a simple issue, and on the surface, it certainly is; I mean, telling customers that they can now get a baked potato instead of fried potatoes with their combo selection isn't exactly the most tantalizing bit of news to hit the culture. Nevertheless, there could be some significant positive effect here in terms of differentiating the Wendy's brand and the overall level of satisfaction that a consumer gets out of a visit.

The danger here is that the initiative receives a ho-hum reception. Depending on how Wendy's promotes the scheme, this could capture sales from tough competitors Burger King and McDonald's (NYSE:MCD). As long as the marketing is clever and energetic, the company should be able to hammer home the empowerment angle, that people have a say in what goes into those paper bags that get handed to them at the drive-through window. This would be in contrast to the negative feeling we all get sometimes, that we are just another stat, rolling through a slick, impersonal assembly line. It's a play on psychology, of course, but then again, that's what marketing is all about.

It will be fascinating to see how people react to this change. Maybe Wendy's should ask Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) whether it can borrow the concept of the famous 1984-themed commercial; maybe some fast-food junkie can run past a bleak mass gathering of other junkies and throw a hammer at a television image displaying a character reminiscent of a competitor's clown mascot, one that is proselytizing that you can only have fries with that meal. Then again, it could just license Devo's "Freedom of Choice" tune, if it's available.

Who knows? If the masses embrace the idea, it just might make the stock of the house that Dave Thomas built a value meal. We shall wait and see (and have a salad with that meal instead of fries while we're waiting, if that's our pleasure).

For more Takes on the fast-food industry, click on:

  • Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) is a hit in China.
  • Sonic (NASDAQ:SONC) finds itself supersized.
  • Check out this report on the hamburger business, featuring concerns such as Jack in the Box (NYSE:JBX) and CKE Restaurants (NYSE:CKR).

Fool contributor Steven Mallas owns none of the companies mentioned.