Sir This Is a Wendy’s – Meaning, Origin and Usage
In recent times, you may have heard the phrase ‘Sir, this is a Wendy’s’. But since it’s not always used in a Wendy’s, you may have wondered what exactly it might mean. (That is, unless you’re an ardent fan of the hit US TV show ‘The Office’.
Well, worry not. I’m going to unpack it for you so that you understand it perfectly, and in what sort of contexts it can be used. I’ll also throw in some alternative phrases you can use instead, in case the person your speaking with hasn’t heard the phrase yet.
What’s the Meaning of the Phrase ‘Sir, this is a Wendy’s’?
‘Sir, this is a Wendy’s’ means ‘That’s a very inappropriate thing to say here.’
It’s a way of telling someone that they are being irrelevant, rude, or even outrageous. Or telling someone to keep their private life to themselves. It implies that they’re making a scene, and acting strangely. It’s often used as a response to a rant on social media, or to someone going off on a tangent during a conversation.
What’s the Origin of the Phrase ‘Sir, this is a Wendy’s’?
As with so many other new phrases these days, the phrase ‘Sir, this is a Wendy’s’ comes from the hit US TV show ‘The Office’.
It dates back to 2008, specifically to episode 14 of season 4. The character Michael Scott, played by Steven John Carell, rang a Wendy’s establishment thinking it was an escort service. However, Wendy’s is a popular fast food establishment, and when Michael rang the establishment looking for a date, the Wendy’s employee on the other end of the line simply said ‘Dude, this is a Wendy’s’.
Since then, the phrase has been moderated to adapt to other establishments besides Wendy’s, such as Arby’s on Twitter in 2011, simply by replacing the name of the establishment with another, similar establishment.
That said, however, the original phrase is still the most widely used, and it really gained momentum online in late 2019.
How do you use the Phrase ‘Sir, this is a Wendy’s’?
Here are some examples of someone using the phrase:
Person 1: ‘Imagine being in bed with that pair of hotties!’
Person 2: ‘Dude, this is a Wendy’s.’
Person 1: ‘Let’s play “spin the bottle”.’
Person 2: ‘Dude, this is a Wendy’s.’
Person 1: ‘I’d hit that.’
Person 2: ‘Sir, this is a Wendy’s. You don’t say things like that in an office environment.’
Person 1: ‘After one glass she’ll be anybody’s.
Person 2: ’Dude this is a Wendy’s.’
Person 1: ‘Let’s play strip poker.’
Person 2: ‘What? This is a Wendy’s’
Person 1: ‘Is that a man or a woman?’
Person 2: ‘Sir, this is a Wendy’s.’
‘Sir, this is a Wendy’s. I’m going to speak with the manager if you don’t stop what you’re doing right now.’
Excuse me sir, this is a Wendy’s. Keep on like that and you’ll get kicked out.’
‘Sir, this is a Wendy’s. Are you trying to get banned from the VIP section of the club?
‘I wouldn’t air all your dirty laundry here. This is a Wendy’s.’
‘Sir, this is a Wendy’s – you can’t do that here.’
‘Don’t act so shady – this is a Wendy’s.’
‘Mam, this is a Wendy’s. Your clothing, or lack of it, is highly inappropriate.’
‘Sir, this is a Wendy’s. You can take your badly behaved kids elsewhere.’
‘Dude, this a Wendy’s. Less of the bad language, please.’
Some Other Ways of Saying ‘Sir, this is a Wendy’s’
If the person you’re chatting with hasn’t heard the phrase before, here are some alternative phrases and acronyms you can use instead:
- ‘TMI’
- ‘Too much information’
- ‘Not here.’
- ‘Not now’
- ‘I don’t want to hear what goes on behind closed doors.’
- ‘You can’t say that’
- ‘You can’t say that here.’
- ‘Tell me later’
- ‘Don’t say that here’
- ‘You can tell me in private, not here.’
- ‘Sshh!’
- ‘Shut up’.
- ‘Stop!’
- ‘Stop it!’
- ‘Less of that, please.’
- ‘That’s irrelevant’
- ‘That’s got nothing to do with it.’
- ‘I’d rather you don’t say that here.’
- ‘We’ll talk later.’
- ‘Let’s change the subject.’
- ‘That’s enough of that for now, please.’
Final Thoughts
So, to quickly recap, the phrase ‘Sir, this is a Wendy’s’ is used to say to someone that they are behaving inappropriately, and that their behaviour is not acceptable while they are in a particular establishment.
While the phrase may be understood by ardent fans of the US TV hit show ‘The Office’, if you want to use the phrase with a stranger, you may wish to bear in mind that they might not understand what you mean. If this is the case you can use an alternative phrase instead, as per the list you saw earlier.
