Discover QSCC: the not-for-profit cooperative delivering quality, consistency, and value within the Wendy’s supply chain 

Quality Supply Chain Co-op, Inc. (QSCCSM) is the independent purchasing cooperative for the Wendy’s® system and the second-largest purchasing cooperative in the quick-service restaurant industry with nearly $4 billion in buying power. Based in Dublin, Ohio, and founded in 2010, the company is also part of the Wendy’s extended family and is dedicated to supporting its members and the Wendy’s system.  

Wendy’s was founded in 1969 by Dave Thomas in Columbus, Ohio. Dave built his business on the premise, ‘Quality is our Recipe’, which remains the guidepost of the Wendy’s system today. Best known for its made-to-order square hamburgers, using fresh, never frozen beef, freshly prepared salads, and other signature items like chili, baked potatoes and the Frosty® dessert, Wendy’s is committed to doing the right thing and making a positive difference in the lives of others.   

Quality continues to be the foundation for success at Wendy’s and delivering quality is what QSCC focuses on every day; never cutting corners in its efforts to be a best-in-class supply chain co-op.  

The quality, performance and innovation of the company’s suppliers have a direct impact on Wendy’s success. To maintain strong supplier relationships, Wendy’s and its franchisees are members of QSCC. This independent cooperative works with leading suppliers to provide Wendy’s restaurants with products and services that offer quality, consistency and value. QSCC oversees the Wendy’s supply chain and manages a wide range of supporting programs to ensure that all Wendy’s restaurants in the US and Canada have everything they need delivered right to their door.   

“Our national scale allows us to negotiate highly competitive agreements with our suppliers and distribution partners, which delivers greater value and cost efficiency to our members,” begins Josh Cobb, EVP Food & Packaging Procurement. “That is one of the things we keep front and center: what do our members need to run and operate their restaurants.    

“Our position as the second-largest co-op in the food service industry, with nearly $4 billion in buying power, enables us to provide more favorable pricing and improved distribution service levels to our members. We are dedicated to protecting the interests of Wendy’s operators, providing for their needs, and supporting their businesses.”  

Robust supplier relationships 

As a 15-year veteran of the operations and supply chain industry, Josh Cobb is a strong contributor to the diverse experience of QSCC’s procurement leadership team. “As a cooperative owned and controlled by our members, we have the autonomy and independence to address members’ needs for the benefit of all Wendy’s operators,” he continues. “It is this co-op structure, combined with a clear sense of our mission and purpose, that has enabled QSCC to consistently meet the goals of adding measurable value to our members.”  

QSCC is governed by a board of directors, elected by its members, which include eight franchisees and two Wendy’s representatives. Each member has one vote regardless of the number of restaurants they own, unlike companies run by stockholders, who can increase the weight of their vote relative to the number of shares they own.    

“We are a not-for-profit company. As a result, when the co-op’s earnings exceed our operating expenses, the surplus can be returned to our members in the form of lower costs, fewer fees, more services, and patronage dividends. We deliver industry-leading innovation and measurable value to our members by staying ahead of market trends and continuously evolving our solutions.   

“We purchase the extensive variety of food and packaging that are used to create the great-tasting meals displayed on every Wendy’s restaurant menu board and are responsible for procurement, collaboration and supplier relationships, and commodity risk management. We also partner in the development, planning and implementation of new products and limited-time offers. We aggressively pursue strategies to reduce the impact of commodity price fluctuations and increase pricing stability related to food and fuel.   

“Alongside food and packaging, we ensure that Wendy’s restaurants consistently receive everything they need, when they need it. We manage distribution and logistics to create an uninterrupted supply of food, packaging and other materials to Wendy’s restaurants throughout the US and Canada. QSCC also oversees distribution contracts, and coordinates program planning, forecasting, communications, inventory planning, program execution, and product disengagement with Wendy’s restaurants, suppliers and distributors. 

“Just as we do with our food and packaging, QSCC ensures Wendy’s restaurants receive the best quality at the lowest negotiated price for equipment, smallwares and building materials including exterior cladding, furnishings, kitchen equipment, and signage. We also provide contract and facility services including cleaning services, CO₂ suppliers, waste management, office supplies, and fire safety equipment. Additionally, our energy management service covers electricity and natural gas providers, water services, and exterior lighting.”  

The quality, performance and innovation of QSCC’s suppliers and distributors have a direct impact on its own success and that of its members. They play a key role in supporting QSCC to consistently deliver high-quality food and packaging to its members’ restaurants. As such, QSCC values suppliers and distributors as business partners and seeks to develop and maintain long-term, mutually beneficial relationships. 

“Events over the past few years have only reinforced the importance of relationships. We’ve always valued our relationships, and we were able to leverage those in an unprecedented environment. One of the core tenets within our team is ensuring we foster strong relationships with our suppliers, and we want our suppliers to share the same values as us, which align with those championed by Wendy’s Founder, Dave Thomas. From quality, integrity, and respect to hard work and giving back, those values permeate all operations. QSCC also promotes its members’ efforts to give back to the communities in which they do business as well as the charitable foundations to which the Wendy’s system is already committed.   

“Our supplier relationships are enduring as we typically negotiate multi-year agreements. We schedule supplier visits and share key metrics to enable suppliers to respond proactively to Wendy’s initiatives. We also analyze supplier performance from a timely delivery and quality product perspective. Once QSCC has contracted with a supplier, we expect weekly reporting of identified metrics, continuing compliance with Wendy’s quality standards, maintenance or improvement in service level standards, ongoing cost savings initiatives, and proactive collaboration in building our members’ profitability to maintain and further develop our relationship,” Josh explains.  

Indeed, among those standards and targets, sustainability is an increasingly important focus. “From animal welfare to packaging and emissions, we work with Wendy’s to achieve their goals by making those considerations intrinsic to the supplier selection process as well as fundamental to ongoing contract and service delivery improvements. QSCC is committed to honesty, integrity, transparency and process as well as making a positive difference by increasing awareness about the impact that government policies have on individual businesses and encouraging environmental sustainability in prudent and cost-effective ways.  

“Innovation is key to Wendy’s success and while certain aspects are driven by Wendy’s, we constantly challenge our suppliers to bring innovation to the table. We actively collaborate with our suppliers on different initiatives, and especially marketing. Equally, we will always be driven by evolving customer preferences and the Wendy’s menu will pivot to reflect changing consumer tastes.”  

Dedication to innovation 

Over the past couple of years, QSCC has partnered with Palantir Technologies Inc., a leading provider of AI systems, to accelerate digital transformation, AI adoption and operational decision making across the co-op. This partnership brings QSCC towards a fully integrated supply chain network with opportunities for AI-driven, automated workflows as well as a future Wendy’s connected ecosystem of suppliers, distributors and restaurants. The cost savings and efficiencies from transforming QSCC into a digital forward company will benefit all Wendy’s operators.  

“QSCC provides its members with products and services that offer the optimal balance of quality, consistency and price through its devotion to innovation, execution and continuous process improvement,” Josh elaborates. “While we’re currently experiencing considerable geopolitical unrest, which does, of course, impact the supply chain, it also creates a competitive landscape for all parties. As such, we strive to ensure we’re our suppliers’ customer of choice. Everyone is equally important in the Wendy’s system. QSCC pursues win-win results in negotiations with suppliers and distributors, and we work together as true business partners dedicated to mutual success.  

“Likewise, we believe meeting the needs of our members will enable them to succeed and we share our success with our members and team. QSCC believes all supply chain partners should receive equitable benefits from their efforts to support the Wendy’s system. I’m incredibly proud of the team at QSCC,” Josh concludes, “and their everyday efforts to ensure an efficient supply chain.”   

www.wqscc.com