Indeed, Where's the Beef
This past Monday was the local Christmas parade, but I skipped going. My wife, being involved in getting the Christmas parade underway, can't hang around with me and watch it, and Number One Son was not marching due to a hurt back, so I decided not to weather the cold to watch four zillion "Little Mister and Miss Red-Headed, Left Handed, First Zion Holiness Free-Will Baptist Church Pre-School" cars with half-asleep toddlers go by. But after the parade, my wife dropped by the local Wendy's to pick up some Jr. Cheeseburgers to go with some fries I was cooking at home.
The first picture below is the Wendy's Hamburger as shown on their website, the second is what we received. Spend a few seconds with a "compare and contrast" party betwixt these two photos.
Wendy's had a famous commercial some twenty years ago in which an elder lady, Clara Peller, looked at her hamburger with tiny patty and exclaimed "Where's the Beef?" I was reminded of the commercial while looking at the pitiful excuse for a hamburger we had served to us by Wendy's. Hence the title of this post.
I did go back and ask the night manager about this burger, and her reply was that they were out of the Jr. Hamburger patties and she was instructed by the manager to cut the single hamburger patties in half and use them. I can remember the time when, if a manager screwed up (i.e., running out of something), the knee-jerk reaction was to upgrade the customer. Not anymore, at least at this Wendy's. This manager's solution is to screw the customer over. The night manager (who was cutting them at the store manager's direction) did offer my money back, but I told her I'd hang on to the burgers – I'd have more fun with the burgers than with the money.
Granted, a 2 oz. hamburger patty is half the size of quarter pound patty, but you would think it might cross the mind of the manager that in putting half a patty on a bun, you eat half a hamburger without tasting meat. Second, granted there's some loss in the cooking, but that "patty" weighed in at a whopping 0.8 ounces (yes, I weighed it – I'm that anal), so didn't start with two ounces – there just ain't no way. The photo below is of the "patty" with just the bun, and a U.S. quarter thrown in for reference.
Clara, I hate to tell you, but Wendy's has now joined those fast food franchises you found so questionable. I figure poor Clara's spinning in her grave. Oh, and by the way, the McDonald double cheeseburgers for a buck we ended up eating that night were actually pretty good – and had way more beef.
The first picture below is the Wendy's Hamburger as shown on their website, the second is what we received. Spend a few seconds with a "compare and contrast" party betwixt these two photos.
Wendy's had a famous commercial some twenty years ago in which an elder lady, Clara Peller, looked at her hamburger with tiny patty and exclaimed "Where's the Beef?" I was reminded of the commercial while looking at the pitiful excuse for a hamburger we had served to us by Wendy's. Hence the title of this post.
I did go back and ask the night manager about this burger, and her reply was that they were out of the Jr. Hamburger patties and she was instructed by the manager to cut the single hamburger patties in half and use them. I can remember the time when, if a manager screwed up (i.e., running out of something), the knee-jerk reaction was to upgrade the customer. Not anymore, at least at this Wendy's. This manager's solution is to screw the customer over. The night manager (who was cutting them at the store manager's direction) did offer my money back, but I told her I'd hang on to the burgers – I'd have more fun with the burgers than with the money.
Granted, a 2 oz. hamburger patty is half the size of quarter pound patty, but you would think it might cross the mind of the manager that in putting half a patty on a bun, you eat half a hamburger without tasting meat. Second, granted there's some loss in the cooking, but that "patty" weighed in at a whopping 0.8 ounces (yes, I weighed it – I'm that anal), so didn't start with two ounces – there just ain't no way. The photo below is of the "patty" with just the bun, and a U.S. quarter thrown in for reference.
Clara, I hate to tell you, but Wendy's has now joined those fast food franchises you found so questionable. I figure poor Clara's spinning in her grave. Oh, and by the way, the McDonald double cheeseburgers for a buck we ended up eating that night were actually pretty good – and had way more beef.
posted by Rick at 3:08 PM
2 Comments:
Not only that but they forgot the cheese! ;-) So my question is, did you e-mail Wendy's corporate headquarters, and if not, why not?
I plan to write them an actual paper letter, and send it through the old-fashioned mail system. Letters are much better than e-mails. I'1l post a comment if and when I receive a reply.
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