Possible Job change, same industry

It's a shame nobody responded to you. It's my first time on the forum in over 5 years, hope it's not too late. Go for it. It's not where you manage it's how you manage and what you learn. I've had a successful career in upscale restaurants/clubs and some of my best experience came from managing a hot dog stand and Dairy/Frozen Food dept. at a grocery store. Wendy's didn't get to be global by having a bad plan...learn from them.

I agree with treelo. There are a lot of different aspects to our industry. My self I'm a food guy no questions asked, but with in the last couple of years I decided to learn the financial part of this biz. I went in to the coperate side ( the dark side ) I found I have a lot more time to spend with my family and friends, I make way more money, and work less hours, no more working 6am to midnight. It doesn't matter other people's opinions. I'ts what ever is going to make you happy. I always say if your learning and getting paid your not wasting your time..

I read this earlier but I didn know what to write becuase he already had his mind made up.

Ive always learned you never knwo where your career path is going to take you.

Maybe we will be calling you Dave Thomas in a few years.

you just never know.

Its all personal opinion. I do not like fast food and thats not the type of product i woudl want to put out on a daily basis. but you have stated your reasons and I say go for it.

If it makes you happy, do it.
This would be a good stepping stone for you.
And if you find you miss the line, you could always pick up a shift or two cooking, manager's duties permitting.
The good part about that is you can just come in and perform, you don't have to get caught up in the day to day drama, you'd just be a hired gun.

Jeffaliscous...do you have any updates for us? How did it go?

I suppose I'll put up my two cents. I actually started in fast food and the environment is still the same, nasty customers, nice ones...etc etc.

bottom line here is:
management experience is a plus and it will definitely change some of your perspectives on business and your role in the work force
I think it is an opportunity you should take
HOWEVER
managing a wendys (or any fast food) is difficult and requires a lot of work (as do a lot of management positions)
when you look in the paper and a lot of places are asking for management there is a reason for it. I believe, to be an effective manager one must first possess the right attitude for it...(I.E. not a pushover, assertive, demanding, semi compassionate..)
A lot of the times it's a conflicting role you must play and it requires being a manipulative person and sometimes a ruthless person.
If you're too demanding people won't like you and you'll piss them off..then they'll all quit and not stick around.
If you're too nice they'll take advantage of you, your food, call out, horse around.
So you have to be good with people, reading them and being able to get what YOU want out of them.
The other problems with MOST fast food, if not all now, is that they are franchised operations..which means..you are super micro manager because you have to please your franchiser. Franchisers can be very pleasant and knowledgeable OR they can be big piles of steaming horse crap and moronic, annoying and ridiculous.
you're most likely going to have the latter.
IMHO, they are actually far worse than just being corporate because it's another person above you that is more than likely going to be around ALL THE TIME that you're probably going to pretend to like and curse behind their back.

You will be promised things you won't get, such as bonuses or other incentives, you will most likely not be helped when you need it the most and although your input may be heard and proclaimed as valuable for things such as LSM (local sales marketing) and staffing, product value and quality ETC...
it will most likely fall on deaf ears.

The reason I'm using words such as most likely, probably won't and the like is because it is possible to work for an awesome franchiser but I'm giving you the norm and the attitude of the majority of them.

Being a manager you will be in charge of a lot of workplace ethics, among them being hiring, firing, and dealing with unhappy customers and stuff like that. You'll be expected to make and break sales records from the previous years EVERY week. So you get a lot of stress and pressure just like cooking but in a different form.
I also want to add here that you will get a lot of older worker bee's angry with you for petty things such as the mere fact you replaced the old manager or the fact that you are so young and managing them...somebody in their 40's. They will take their angst of being older working in fast food out on you because you're so much younger.
It's not right and ridiculous much of the time but it will happen. Fast food environments are barely work environments meaning that although they work hard too there is limitless clowning around and not much structure. I believe part of the reason for this is because the turnover is so much higher than the applicant pool of which you can draw from.

If you plan on having a family don't plan on being a manger and I'm about to share with you the worst part of managing.
You may take home 500-600 (more once you have experience) a week but that's pay for only 40 hours.
Expect to work around 50 or 55 and don't be surprised if your weeks are about 60 or 70 a lot of the times. The key to working less is hiring the most reliable, competent people you can find and then keeping them. This is a huge problem though because the pool of people that apply for fast food places isn't what you would call...stellar. You're gonna get a lot of kids, a lot of part-timers, A LOT of people who can't handle anything else let alone the job you want them to do...
If you overwork them they get upset (rightly so), if you underwork them they get upset
everything is balance as a manager
If you do get a really good employee or too chances are they either want your job or they are going to college soon or don't plan on staying forever, the harder and the more you work them the quicker they'll bolt out the door (and rightly so)

So, like I had previously stated
I believe you should take the position. It will really do you a lot of good. It's shows responsibility...yadda yadda..all that.

I believe somebody already posted it but don't ever go into anything like you plan on keeping it forever. Plan on doing the best job you can and learning as much as you can until you find something else.
Because there is always something better..
I mean, maybe someday you'll franchise :)

good luck!