Wendy’s Forced to Remove Beef Products From Menu After Meat Shortages

Are We Beefin? Or is Wendy's out of beef? If you heard Wendy's Spotify song, "We Beefin?" which took aim at fast-food competitors, then you would probably say "Rest in Grease" because the fast-food giant was forced to remove beef from the menu at several locations in states including in California, Ohio, Michigan, and Illinois. “As you’ve likely heard, beef suppliers across North America are currently facing production challenges. Because of this, some of our menu items may be in short supply from time to time," said Wendy's.

Many years ago, Wendy's committed to "fresh-never-frozen" beef to differentiate themselves from competitors McDonald's and Burger King. While that proved to be a big win, Wendy's now faces disadvantages as frozen meat would be an easy solution during meat shortages caused by the pandemic.

These shortages may be good news for vegans as we hope to see a change in products and more plant-based options on the menu.

The internet is flooded with signs posted on the windows and doors at some of Wendy's locations communicating the issues they're facing to customers. Pictures are posted on social media with an ongoing punchline, "Where's the Beef?", after the popular 1980s slogan which positioned the fast-food chain as the leaders of "beefier" patties which promised a better bang for their buck to consumers.

Wendy's will still continue to sell chicken offerings in some locations. But, these animal products sooner or later will also face shortages due to their supply chain's corruption because of complications caused by the pandemic. Now, we're serving up a question to Wendy's: In light of the shortage, will they be adding vegan items to the menu?