Has Wendy's been lying to us this whole time?
Stick around to see if those iconic square burgers are being pulled from the freezer
just like the patties from these other famous franchises.
Burger King makes a big deal over its flame-grilled Whoppers, and the marketing is true.
A former BK employee took to Reddit to reveal the details, explaining that the chain uses
broilers with flame grills inside.
What the company isn't advertising, however, is that those patties are frozen before being
tossed on the grill.
For a fast food establishment as ubiquitous as Burger King, it's no wonder it prefers
to use frozen patties.
The logistics of distributing fresh meat across the country without raising a health risk
or building hundreds of distribution hubs would be challenging, especially considering
its pledge to avoid preservatives and use 100% beef.
While Burger may not be able to rely on freshness as an advertising angle, that doesn't seem
to hurt its sales.
The company identifies itself as the second-largest fast-food burger chain in the world and claims
to have sold 500 million Whoppers in 2022 in the U.S. alone.
With more than 36,000 restaurants in over 100 countries, McDonald's is a behemoth of
the fast food industry.
Even though it's the go-to comfort food for people the world over, the Golden Arches has
faced its fair share of criticism for the greasy, processed items on its menu.
However, there are a number of healthier food options on the McDonald's menu using ingredients
like sustainably sourced fish and freshly cracked eggs.
McDonald's also switched from its frozen to fresh burger patties for its Quarter Pounder
in 2018.
Regardless, the rest of its patties are still frozen.
The restaurant says that its burger meat is flash-frozen to lock in flavor.
It even adds that two to three weeks can elapse between when patties are formed and when they're served.
This level of transparency surrounding frozen patties is unusual and allows consumers to
make informed decisions.
But if you're ordering a Quarter Pounder because you've heard they're now fresh, it's worth
reading the fine print.
McDonald's only claims that the burger comes from fresh patties in most parts of the continental
U.S., and this doesn't extend to Hawaii, Alaska, or U.S. territories.
White Castle has nothing to prove.
Out of all the big-name burger-slinging chains out there, only White Castle can claim to
be the first fast-food hamburger joint.
With its iconic sliders and mechanized production line, it was a novelty that took the nation
by storm in 1921 and kicked off an entire industry.
And while other restaurants hide their use of frozen burger meat, White Castle is pretty
open about it.
In 1931 — nearly two decades before it patented its five-holed burger — it started using
frozen patties.
Don't mistake this for low quality though.
Since it opened over a century ago, White Castle has made up for its modest size with
unwavering attention to detail.
To make that signature mouth-watering flavor, the chain heats the frozen patties on top
of onions and water.
This unique cooking technique means that White Castle sliders are steamed and suffused with
that signature oniony flavor rather than grilled.
The added effort required for this technique is balanced out by the signature five-holed
patty structure.
Invented by an employee during a surge in demand in the late '40s, the design enables
the burgers to cook on both sides without having to be flipped.
Say what you will about frozen patties, but White Castle has its system down to an exact
science, and the flavor speaks for itself.
"Man, that hit the spot."
"That was the best meal of my life."
"Mine too."
Chick-fil-A
Chick-fil-A has achieved an almost impossible feat: Delivering fresh meat to all its branches
throughout the United States.
The company has managed to serve fresh, never frozen chicken at over 2,600 restaurants located
all over the country.
This impressive accomplishment has paid off, making it one of the largest fast-food chains
in the U.S. with customers lining up around the block to get their hands on some freshly
fried goodness.
But not all of its meat is fresh.
Chick-fil-A's menu is more than just waffle fries and chicken sandwiches.
Its freshly baked biscuits, for example, have various fillings, including a sausage patty
that doesn't claim the same level of freshness.
An employee confirmed to Mashed that the patties arrive frozen and are thawed for at least
24 hours before cooking to avoid a raw center.
While this prevents the patties from being advertised in the same way as the chicken,
it does not affect the taste, which is as salty and flavorful as fans of its chicken
sandwiches could hope.
If you're looking for a quick meal to satisfy a picky group of eaters, Jack in the Box is
your best bet.
From sandwiches and salads to 24-hour breakfast and those strangely compelling tacos, the
chain has a plethora of affordable options.
Jack in the Box even offers egg rolls.
"Let's talk about my way."
"Yeah!"
"My way means you can order anything on the menu, any time of day."
While the menu is more varied than what many of its competitors have to offer, Jack in
the Box sells more burgers than any other item.
With mouth-watering options like the Sourdough Jack and the Bacon Ultimate Cheeseburger,
the restaurant keeps customers coming back for more.
But while it only uses 100% beef, the patties are, in fact, frozen.
According to one employee in a Reddit AMA, the burgers are frozen … along with just
about everything else.
When asked which menu items were freshest, the employee wrote,
"Everything is frozen, so there really isn't anything that's 'fresh,' unless you count
the salads but the chicken that goes into it is frozen."
While it may disappoint burger purists to learn that everything in their order is reheated,
Jack in the Box is clearly not alone.
And if its nearly $1.5 billion yearly revenue is anything to go by, it has no reason to change.
Mention the name "Starbucks" and you'll conjure images of a takeaway cup of coffee or a Pumpkin
Spice Latte.
But for those who need a little more substance in the mornings, there are plenty of food
options to choose from.
The chain made a name for itself as the first establishment to serve decent coffee on a
grand scale in a fast-food setting, but its food has a lot less ambition behind it.
For years, employees have been revealing what Starbucks doesn't want you to know about its
food, including the fact that every non-beverage item on the menu is frozen.
From croissants to coffee cake, everything is delivered to restaurants on ice and reheated
before serving — including the sausage patties in its English muffin breakfast sandwiches.
One of the reasons many Starbucks customers assume the chain uses fresh food is savvy
marketing and interior design.
The chain has cultivated an upscale image since it opened in 1971, and it uses psychology
to get customers to spend more.
This includes putting food in a literal spotlight to draw your attention to it and making its
menu visually engaging.
Employees have joked on Reddit about customers who think there's a sous-chef working in the
kitchen, but with the company's aggressive marketing and design tactics, cultivating
assumptions like this is part of the business model.
Sonic has won over American diners with its rollerblading servers and classic drive-in
theme, and its menu is just as iconic.
Aside from slushes and Cherry Limeade, diners can treat themselves to beloved food fixtures
like tater tots, corn dogs, and mozzarella sticks.
Its burgers may undergo more frequent tweaks and improvements, but one thing about them
is just as consistent: they're all stored frozen before they make it into your hands.
An employee at Sonic confirmed as much to Mashed, saying that the patties are thawed
and heated on the grill after being removed from the freezer.
But the burgers aren't the only hot food at Sonic that starts in the freezer.
According to a Reddit AMA thread from a former employee, nearly all the food is stored frozen.
"That's no good!"
If you're holding out hope that it might someday make the switch to fresh meat, it may only
be a matter of time.
In 2021, Scott Uehlein, the vice president of product innovation and development for
the restaurant chain, told Mashed that the company is making,
"Incremental yet meaningful ingredient improvements that guests may not immediately notice, but
together result in an overall better burger experience."
Now that it's upgraded to lighter buns and thicker patties, fresh beef might be on the horizon.
Most people go to Dairy Queen craving frozen comfort food.
But a frozen burger doesn't have quite the same allure as a Chocolate Dipped Cone or
a Butterfinger Blizzard.
In fact, at least one employee has advised that customers skip the chain's savory food altogether.
When asked on Quora what Dairy Queen items to avoid, the employee cautioned against the
ready-made options, explaining that the sandwiches are all frozen until a customer orders one.
The employee added,
"Almost all of our ice cream products are generally clean, safe, and very delicious.
That's what DQ is known for.
NOT food."
While the food menu has its detractors, Dairy Queen has made a concerted effort in recent
years to up its burger game, launching five variations of its Stackburger in 2022.
But for those hoping DQ might continue its upward trajectory by switching to fresh patties,
you'll likely have to wait a while longer.
The restaurant chain has struggled with closures since the late 2010s, and its lack of profitability
may be due to the cost of shipping its frozen patties and sweet treats to rural locations.
Refrigerated fresh meat would significantly reduce the window of time for patties to be
delivered, making it unlikely for Dairy Queen to do so any time soon.
Despite the rebrand, Dunkin' is still primarily known for its donuts, but it also carries
plenty of savory options, like hash browns and stuffed bagel minis.
Additionally, you can order various breakfast sandwiches containing sausage and turkey patties.
But if you're looking for fresh meat, you'll need to look elsewhere; according to several
Dunkin' employees on Reddit, all the food comes frozen.
And yes, that includes the donuts.
While it's much easier to cook raw meat than it is to make donuts from scratch, the distribution
of fresh patties to the more than 8,500 Dunkin' locations in the U.S. would pose a challenge.
This is especially true considering that, unlike Five Guys or In-N-Out Burger — both
of which use fresh patties — meat is not the focus of the menu.
Carl's Jr. is so proud of the way it cooks its patties that it puts "charbroiled burgers"
on many of its signs.
The West Coast chain has been slinging its Famous Star since 1941 and has expanded to
over 28 countries since.
The company promises huge, juicy burgers hot off the grill that might require an entire
box of napkins before you're through.
But while the burgers are broiled over an open flame like founder Carl Karcher intended,
the patties aren't fresh.
Two Carl's Jr. employees took to Quora to answer a question about whether customers
could order a rare burger from the chain.
A former manager reported,
"They use frozen beef for the hamburgers.
It goes through the char broiler (like a pizza oven) and comes out perfectly done medium well.
They don't cook them rare, and it wouldn't be 'extra delicious' if they did.
The burgers would still be partially frozen/raw."
Another former employee chimed in, explaining that the patties are cooked using a pre-programmed
temperature and duration.
According to that employee, even if you could circumvent the settings, the patty would likely
stick to the broiler, potentially jamming the whole system.
Luckily, Carl's Jr. patties are so thick that they retain plenty of their juiciness without undercooking.
"If hamburgers were meant to be frozen, wouldn't cows come from Antarctica?"
It may come as a shock to burger enthusiasts to learn that Wendy's famous claim of "fresh,
never frozen" patties comes with a caveat.
The restaurant has gone out of its way to align itself with fresh meat since it opened
in 1969 — long before food transparency was a popular marketing ploy.
And yet, not every person who buys a burger from Wendy's will be eating a never-frozen patty.
It turns out that the fresh patties are only available in the mainland U.S., along with
Alaska and Canada.
That leaves out about 29 other countries and U.S. territories in which there is no guarantee
of freshly made burgers.
Wendy's claims that each week it makes between 12,000 and 14,000 deliveries of fresh patties
in refrigerated trucks to its restaurants within the continental U.S. It's not surprising,
then, that expanding this operation to the rest of its 6,500 restaurants would be an
impractical undertaking.