A Wareham resident who complained about service at a Wendy’s restaurant said a district manager bashed the town and its residents in an email.Matthew Rose said he encountered terrible service at the Wendy’s on Cranberry Highway on Aug. 3 and had another bad experience at the same location a few days later.After both trips, Rose complained to Wendy’s corporate office via email about the service he received. On Monday morning, he received an email from district manager Keith Helger that not only shocked him but angered and offended him.“Completely cruel,” Rose said. “(It) didn’t even touch on the problems I told him.”The email reads, in part, “Not an excuse but the town of Wareham has little to no talent pool to hire from. This is an ongoing issue in that area.“We are constantly interviewing and hiring any and all qualified candidates. Unfortunately, those candidates are hard to come by, as most are recovering addicts, and we cannot hire them.”After receiving the email, Rose said he is not looking for anything from Wendy’s other than an apology.“Saying that the town of Wareham is full of junkies and people that have no viable talent to work in a fast food restaurant -- that is more than heartless,” Rose said.Wendy’s issued the following statement to WCVB regarding Helger’s email:“These comments are inconsistent with our company’s values and do not reflect Wendy’s hiring practices. We work hard to create a welcoming and inclusive environment in our restaurants and will address this appropriately.”As of 5 p.m. Monday, Rose said he had not received another message from Wendy’s and hopes the company is taking the situation seriously.

A Wareham resident who complained about service at a Wendy’s restaurant said a district manager bashed the town and its residents in an email.


Matthew Rose said he encountered terrible service at the Wendy’s on Cranberry Highway on Aug. 3 and had another bad experience at the same location a few days later.

After both trips, Rose complained to Wendy’s corporate office via email about the service he received. On Monday morning, he received an email from district manager Keith Helger that not only shocked him but angered and offended him.

“Completely cruel,” Rose said. “(It) didn’t even touch on the problems I told him.”

The email reads, in part, “Not an excuse but the town of Wareham has little to no talent pool to hire from. This is an ongoing issue in that area.

“We are constantly interviewing and hiring any and all qualified candidates. Unfortunately, those candidates are hard to come by, as most are recovering addicts, and we cannot hire them.”

Matthew Rose A screenshot of an email sent by Wendy’s district manager Keith Helger to Wareham resident Matthew Rose on Aug. 12, 2019.

After receiving the email, Rose said he is not looking for anything from Wendy’s other than an apology.

“Saying that the town of Wareham is full of junkies and people that have no viable talent to work in a fast food restaurant -- that is more than heartless,” Rose said.

Wendy’s issued the following statement to WCVB regarding Helger’s email:

“These comments are inconsistent with our company’s values and do not reflect Wendy’s hiring practices. We work hard to create a welcoming and inclusive environment in our restaurants and will address this appropriately.”

As of 5 p.m. Monday, Rose said he had not received another message from Wendy’s and hopes the company is taking the situation seriously.

