America has no HISTORY, man. OK, you wouldn’t think this would create the slightest twinge–plus, how uncool is it to grieve for the passing of fast food–but somehow I feel a little sad: Wendy’s has closed its flagship first restaurant in Columbus, Ohio. It had been open since 1969, and anybody who ever lived in Cols remembers its bizarro brick + blue-n-white striped front with the original, slightly Old West Wendy’s signage. I ate at that Wendy’s a lot the summer I worked nearby and spent way too much time waiting for buses that intersected right near it, and there was always something of an air of solid, dependable respite about it. A clean, well-lighted place–with Frostys. Wendy’s is closing the restaurant because of low sales. The location had little parking, no drive-thru, and was situated in the downtown of a small city that, like many, can’t decide if it’s vital or dying. If you’re wondering where all the paraphernalia is going (including the original Wendy’s dress!), apparently it will be at corp HQ.