Wendy's: Tests build-your-own burger

Wendy's is joining the build-your-own parade.

The burger chain is testing, in two Columbus-area locations, a "build your sandwich" program that allows customer to choose the kind of meat, bun, cheese, sauce and toppings they want on their sandwiches.

"This is a very limited operational test," wrote spokesman Bob Bertini in an e-mail. He declined to discuss the test "for competitive reasons."

While Wendy's has always let customers choose what they want on their burgers, this would be a major expansion of that -- with considerably more options in every area of the sandwich.

The Wendy's test, first reported by industry trade publication QSR Magazine, lets folks pick from a pretzel bun, conventional bun or no bun. The meat offerings include one, two or three burger patties; or chicken patties that are spicy, home-style or grilled. Among the cheese options: asiago, cheddar, American, blue cheese crumbles or cheddar cheese sauce.

Last month, in an interview with USA TODAY, Wendy's CEO Emil Brolick hinted at the test, when Wendy's was re-rolling out its pretzel buns for both burgers and chicken sandwiches. "Millennials are used to having things their way," he said.

In that same interview, Wendy's chief marketing officer, Craig Bahner, noted that Wendy's customers widely request the pretzel bun for other products. Sure, it costs the customers 30 cents more, he said, but "we totally accommodate. We want them to have the product they want."

McDonald's has been testing a build-your-own program at a few Southern California locations. Earlier this week, in a call with analysts, CEO Don Thompson said the burger chain is pursing more "customization and personalization."

Behind all this: a target consumer who refuses to settle for anything less. Millennials, a generation that has been raised making choices digitally, are demanding these same choices at the fast-food joint. Some call it the "Chipotle Effect" -- named after the wildly successful Mexican chain that lets customers pretty much choose anything and everything they want.

Other burger chains, from Five Guys to Smashburger, offer a similar array of choices. Build--your-own has entered the pizza world, too, with Blaze Pizza encouraging consumers to not only choose the toppings, but also the types of sauces, dough and even cheeses. And, yes, Chipotle is eyeing build-your-own pizza, with two Pizza Locale locations it owns in Colorado.

The frozen yogurt chains have been doing this for years, of course. And personalization is basically the reason that Starbucks exists.

What we're all waiting for: the build-you-own hot cookie bar.