THE
WISH-BONE®
STORY

Today’s salad lovers enjoy a rich variety of delicious Wish-Bone® dressings, marinades and mixes. But the Wish-Bone® story started with just a single Italian recipe some 60 years ago. In 1945, returning World War II veteran Phillip Sollomi opened a family-style chicken restaurant in Kansas City, Missouri. “The Wish-Bone®” was open for business.

The restaurant was an immediate success, but it was in 1948 that the Wish-Bone found its true calling. That year, Phil debuted his mother’s then-little-known salad dressing from a recipe brought from her native Sicily.

Customers fell in love right there. As demand grew, Phil began mixing the dressing in a 50-gallon drum, bottling it up as fast as they could pour it. But not before his mother would slap on its unmistakable label:

“THE KANSAS CITY WISH-BONE® FAMOUS ITALIAN-STYLE DRESSING.”

Word of Wish-Bone® Italian spread throughout the heartland. And in 1957, Phil sold the business to Lipton. But his family’s tradition of authentic ingredients and exceptional flavor remains as alive as ever.

TIMELINE

1945

The Wish-Bone® restaurant opens in Kansas City

1948

The classic Wish-Bone® Italian dressing is added to the menu and is an instant hit

1958

TJ Lipton purchases the Wish-Bone® business from Phil Sollomi

1960

The Wish-Bone® brand expands geographically

1970

Wish-Bone® Salad Dressing becomes the #1 brand of Italian dressing—a position it has maintained ever since

1980s

The Wish-Bone® Lite line is introduced

1995

Wish-Bone® Salad Dressing begins using the “World’s Most Colorful Taste” tagline

1998

The “Marinating 1-2-3” television campaign is launched

1999

The Vinaigrettes line is launched nationally

2002

The Dressing & Marinade line is launched

2006

Light Vinaigrettes are introduced to the world

2011

Wish-Bone® Salad Dressing launches a more eco-friendly bottle that uses up to 20% less plastic than the previous bottle

2011

High fructose corn syrup is removed from the core line of Wish-Bone® dressings

2012

Three bold-tasting Ranches are launched, including Wish-Bone® Buffalo Ranch