Yesterday's Frosty? Dry burgers? Secret Wendy's dessert? Follow us on this
journey so we can show you all the mistakes you've been making when ordering Wendy's.
The chili might very well be one of the most popular menu items at Wendy's. However,
if you're concerned about food safety, ordering the chili might not be in your best interest.
The chili meat is allegedly made of unsold burgers from the previous day.
The beef is apparently rinsed and put in a pot to boil. Once it’s softened up,
it’s rinsed again and mixed with canned beans, vegetables, and spices.
Some people say that this is a smart way to reduce food waste and put leftover food to good use.
Others point out that the method doesn't ruin the final flavor,
considering the chili is still delicious. However, if merely thinking about this
cooking method makes you squeamish, you should never order the chili at Wendy's.
Perfectly creamy and cold, the Frosty is one of the best fast-food desserts. But
if you're craving a cup before the lunch rush, you might want to hold that thought. Apparently,
any leftover Frosty mixture at the end of the night is poured into a bucket.
The bucket is then stored in the refrigerator overnight, without a lid.
By the next day, the leftover mixture is poured back into the Frosty machine to be served. This is
all used up by the lunch rush, and a new mixture is placed into the machine. So, whether you're
craving Frosty fries or eating the treat on its own, always be sure to order a Frosty after lunch.
This way, you'll get the fresh stuff that hasn't been exposed to the insides of the refrigerator.
The fries at Wendy's can sit for hours, making them limp and sad. But luckily,
if you're polite, you can get freshly cooked fries by simply asking. If you
specifically request fresh fries, the employees will usually make you a batch.
You can also get new fries if you ask for fries without salt. That's because
the fries in the fryer are already salted, so unsalted fries need to be made fresh.
But what if you do want salt on your fries? Ask for fries without salt anyway,
because you can always grab a few salt packets and add the salt to your liking. Or, if you're
eating the meal at home, add salt from your own shaker. In either case, avoiding this mistake
everyone makes at Wendy's can significantly improve the taste and quality of your meal.
Wendy's is known for cooking their meat fresh rather than frozen. Still,
if that meat stays on the grill for too long, it will eventually dry out. And the
last thing you want is one of those dry meat patties ending up in your sandwich.
You’re more than welcome to approach the employees, explain the situation,
and ask for a fresh one. Apparently, the staff at most Wendy’s stores are happy to
cook you a fresh patty if you ask for one. Think of it this way: All too often,
many of us deal with a subpar meal out of fear of being "that person."
"I apologize for the food the last few times,
and we will certainly do our best to make sure that that doesn't happen again."
"Yeah, that's what the last waitress said."
But when it comes to dried meat at Wendy's, there's no reason you should
settle when it's possible to fix the issue. This applies to both chicken and beef patties,
so don't hesitate to approach the employees if you experience this problem.
If you want to avoid getting dried meat in the first place, you should ask for fresh
meat when you order. There are a few caveats, though. Generally speaking, employees are
happy to make fresh burgers for customers as long as it’s not lunchtime. Otherwise,
your meat burger probably won’t be cooked well thanks to the influx of orders during this time.
You'll also have to wait a bit for your burger to be cooked. Grilled chicken is said to usually take
12 minutes to make, while spicy and regular fried chicken takes about eight minutes.
Wings take six minutes, nuggets take four and a half minutes,
and fries take three minutes. As for beef? The junior size takes 45 seconds,
while the quarter pounder takes a minute and 15 seconds. That said, if you don't mind waiting,
you can use these waiting times as a guide for planning your next Wendy's meal.
If you haven't been ordering Wendy's cheddar sauce on the side, you're making a mistake
everyone makes when ordering Wendy's. That's right, the creamy cheese sauce,
which is served in dishes like Wendy's Chili Cheese Fries and Bacon Cheese Baked Potato,
can be ordered separately. This is ideal if you prefer to dip your fries into melted cheese,
rather than eating fries smothered in it. Likewise, you can dip other foods
like chicken nuggets into the cheese, or pour it onto your favorite sandwich.
Anything goes when it comes to the cheese sauce. It’s a game-changer, to say the least.
If you're adding value-sized items to your meal, be sure to ask for a combo. Otherwise,
you could be missing out on some serious savings. If you ask an employee they’ll
tell you that they can turn pretty much any sandwich or nugget item into a combo.
The only exception appears to be the Jr. Hamburger and Cheeseburger. The Jr. Deluxe,
however, is more than capable of getting the combo treatment.
Basically, if you're ordering any combination of a sandwich or nuggets, a side item, and a Frosty or
beverage, including parfaits and shakes, your meal can be made into a combo, even if one of those
things is value sized. Without a doubt, you’ll save money because anything value-sized will
be upsized to a small, basically free of charge. It’s definitely worth keeping in mind, especially
if you like curating your own meals instead of ordering pre-determined combos off the menu.
We've talked about the downsides of ordering fresh meat during the lunch rush. Does that
mean you should order when it's super slow instead? Not quite. Peak hours remain the
best time to order. All of the stations will be manned by the most experienced and fastest
employees during the all-important lunch rush. Fresh food is continually being made,
and everything is fresh off the grill or right out of the fryer.
What this means is that the food isn't the freshest during slower hours.
"What's that black cracker?"
"A tomato."
Avoid ordering when it's very slow unless you're willing to ask and wait for fresh meat and fries,
as mentioned earlier. But if you don't want to specifically ask for fresh food,
ordering during peak hours is best for getting fresh food by default.
Long gone are the days of just getting pizza or pad thai delivered. In recent years,
fast-food restaurants like Wendy's have joined the delivery scene, which means you can get
your meal delivered even if you can't visit the restaurant. This can be a gamechanger,
whether you're having a particularly busy day or lacking a mode of transportation. What's more,
Wendy's offers delivery via several apps, including UberEats, Postmates, DoorDash,
and GrubHub, making it easy to order your favorite combo from your favorite platform.
However, keep in mind that orders through third-party apps won't earn you reward points.
To make sure your order earns rewards, be sure to order via the Wendy's app or website. Plus,
doing so means you can take advantage of special app-only deals. But in case you
still want to use a third-party delivery app, at least you'll have some options.
If you're all about well-done burgers, you'll want to avoid ordering them at Wendy's. The
beef patties at Dave Thomas’ famous burger chain are always cooked well-done by default.
Asking for a burger well-done will actually make the burger extremely dry.
It goes without saying that this can make for an unappealing sandwich.
Something tells us this could still happen even if you asked for a freshly cooked burger, too.
Again, all of the beef patties are normally cooked well-done, so requesting a well-done version might
result in an overcooked burger. If you're very particular about your burgers and beef in general,
consider ordering a chicken sandwich at Wendy's to avoid the issue altogether. Otherwise, if you've
already left the restaurant, you can try saving the dried burger with your favorite condiments.
Aside from ordering a Frosty after the lunch rush, it's also a good idea to buy a Frosty
with two cookies. That's because the combo can be transformed into a deliciously easy ice cream
sandwich. If you’re careful, you can pour a Frosty between two Chocolate Chunk Cookies, resulting in
an instant sweet treat. And depending on what's available at your local Wendy's restaurant,
you can also try this trick with the Sugar Cookies, or even one of each, because why not?
Admittedly, given the softer texture of the Frosty, you'll have to eat the ice
cream sandwich quickly. This is especially important if you're trying this technique
on a particularly warm day. "So hot... So sticky... Ugh."
Still, if you're craving an inexpensive and quick dessert,
ordering a Frosty with two cookies is one of the smartest things you can do at Wendy's.
"Plain" doesn't mean "no cheese"
You already know that you can order a side of cheese sauce for an extra-cheesy meal. But if
you want to actually skip the cheese, avoid asking for a "plain" sandwich. It's one of
the most common mistakes everyone makes when ordering Wendy's. At Wendy’s, a plain sandwich
still automatically comes with cheese. So, if you don't want cheese due to an allergy, intolerance,
or preference, you will need to specifically say "no cheese" when placing your order.
Besides, the term "plain" can mean different things for different people and restaurants,
so it doesn't hurt to be as specific as possible. The same goes if you want to
omit any other sandwich ingredients, such as mayonnaise, lettuce, or tomato. When in doubt,
explicitly state what you want on the sandwich, especially if something like
an allergy is at stake. This way, you can make sure your meal is safe to eat.
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