Wendy’s Twitter account has proven it will flambé you if you happen to forget momentarily that refrigerators exist or if your fast food company freezes its beef. But the mastermind behind its social media presence also has a heart.
So, when desperate Twitter user Carter Wilkerson asked Wendy’s on Wednesday how many retweets it would take for him to receive a year’s worth of free chicken nuggets, the response was immediate and decisive.
18 Million
— Wendy’s (@Wendys) April 6, 2017
So, Wilkerson immediately got to work.
HELP ME PLEASE. A MAN NEEDS HIS NUGGS pic.twitter.com/4SrfHmEMo3
— Carter Wilkerson (@carterjwm) April 6, 2017
As of this writing, Wilkerson has more than a million retweets, an impressive accomplishment by any stretch but one which only puts him about 6 percent of the way to his goal. Making matters even tougher for Wilkerson is the fact the world record for most retweets is just shy of 3.3 million, thanks to the Oscar selfie tweeted around the world. That means Wilkerson’s tweet would have to garner more than five times the number Ellen DeGeneres managed in 2014.
Still, Wendy’s is impressed by his drive and by the response of people who have been inspired by him.
1 Million?!?! Officially SHOOK https://t.co/XZ1AafXo2p
— Wendy’s (@Wendys) April 7, 2017
Honestly has gotten way more RTs than we expected.
— Wendy’s (@Wendys) April 6, 2017
The tweet keeps climbing. People gotta learn to believe in something.
— Wendy’s (@Wendys) April 6, 2017
It sort of started as a joke, but he’s really going for it.
— Wendy’s (@Wendys) April 6, 2017
Why settle? He’s gonna beat that and more.
— Wendy’s (@Wendys) April 7, 2017
Why doubt the hustle? He’s going the full 18. You gotta believe!
— Wendy’s (@Wendys) April 7, 2017
Oh, and though Wilkerson’s goal still seems like a reach, Wendy’s has no plans to renege on its offer.
For that guy? Yep. If it happens, we’ll be very impressed.
— Wendy’s (@Wendys) April 6, 2017
Don’t worry, we stand by the tweet.
— Wendy’s (@Wendys) April 7, 2017
The chances of this happening and Wilkerson getting his nuggets still seem rather remote. Wilkerson, though, remains confident.
Next time I eat these they better be free @Wendys pic.twitter.com/ZvxwpiLAeD
— Carter Wilkerson (@carterjwm) April 7, 2017
Update 2:22pm CT, April 9: Against seemingly all odds, Wilkerson’s original tweet has surpassed the 2 million retweet mark as of Sunday afternoon, four days after he made his nugget-fueled plea.
On Saturday night, it appeared Wendy’s still wasn’t all that concerned with the growing number of retweets.
Wow! 1.8, almost didn’t see that decimal point. Still on a roll.
— Wendy’s (@Wendys) April 9, 2017
Wilkerson is still unlikely to make 18 million, but he also has received a mighty nice offer from T-Mobile CEO John Legere.
Hey @carterjwm, sorry you have @ATT. Switch to @TMobile & I’ll give you a year of free @Wendys chicken nuggets myself + more! Seriously. https://t.co/RmVygHPPob
— John Legere (@JohnLegere) April 8, 2017
Hey @verizon anything you want to say? @ATT @TMobile https://t.co/YUfK4sse2P
— Carter Wilkerson (@carterjwm) April 9, 2017
H/T the Comeback