Wendy's CEO Emil Brolick has big plans to flip its ranking

— -- Wendy's new CEO is fed up with the No.3 burger chain being portrayed as the fallen star of the fast-food industry. In his first interview since being named chief executive last month, Emil Brolick speaks candidly with USA TODAY marketing reporter Bruce Horovitz about his plans to once again make Wendy's an industry innovator.

Brolick, 63, faces a daunting task: fixing a company with 6,600 locations worldwide that has been rudderless in an ocean of competition since its iconic founder, Dave Thomas, died nearly a decade ago. Wendy's is hoping its new "Dave's Hot 'N Juicy" burger line will help turn things around.

Q: Wendy's has been stumbling since founder Dave Thomas died in early 2002. What difference can you make?

A: I'm a big believer in the importance of leadership in an organization. My leadership can make a difference in this brand. I would not have returned to Wendy's if I didn't believe that.

Q: Got a formula for success?

A. I have a simple formula: Have a vision, a strategy, define reality, give hope and execute. A leader has to bring a vision to an organization, because an organization works best when you have an end in mind. Vision is great, but if you don't have strategies, people get frustrated quickly. A leader has to define reality and give hope.

Q: Wendy's has been all over the map — like it doesn't know what it wants to be when it grows up. What do you wantWendy's to be?

A: Wendy's has always held a position I'll call "a cut above." That's the natural position for this brand. That's the position we'll return to.

In Wendy's heyday, we beat to a different drummer. When the competition zigged, we zagged. We have to focus more on looking out the windshield than the rearview mirror.

Q: What quality did Dave Thomas have that Wendy's has been missing?

A: Dave Thomas was one of the most grounded people I've ever met. He had a tremendous sense for life and for this business. That has been dearly missed.

While not highly educated in a formal sense, he had some of the best consumer instincts I've ever seen. He knew what was right and what was wrong. He knew what the brand was, and what it wasn't.

Q: Do you have that quality?

A: Most people might tell you that I'm a person of integrity. And I have a tremendous passion for the brand.

Q: What would Dave Thomas say about the current state of Wendy's?

A: Dave would be very unsettled about some things that have taken place. But he'd be encouraged by the past year, or so. Three years ago, we internally graded our stores, and 35% of them earned an "F." Today, we have less than 10 stores, total, in that classification. Dave would say that's still not enough, but he'd be pleased with the progress.

Q: What is Wendy's biggest problem, and how will you solve it?