© 2024 Blaze Media LLC. All rights reserved.
Wendy’s begins to cut hamburgers from menu amid meat shortages
Photo by Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Wendy’s begins to cut hamburgers from menu amid meat shortages: ‘Where’s the beef?’

Not a good shortage to have when your biz is burgers

Some Wendy's franchises are cutting meat from menus as fresh beef is becoming harder to acquire during the coronavirus-related food shortages across the U.S.

What are the details?

According to a Time report on Tuesday, Wendy's consumers have aired their frustrations over being unable to order hamburgers or cheeseburgers from the popular chain restaurant.

The outlet reported that the restaurant's online ordering app showed only chicken and side items available for purchase from some of its California stores.

COVID-19-related meat processing plant closures began to impact United States' fresh meat supply chain over the last several weeks.

According to a Daily Mail report, California isn't the only state to see locations removing burgers from their menus. Restaurants in South Carolina and Kentucky have also reportedly cut burgers from their offerings.

In a statement to the Daily Mail, Wendy's said, "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 at some restaurants in this current environment. We expect this to be temporary, and we're working diligently to minimize the impact to our customers and restaurants."

What else?

Just last week, the CEO of Tyson Foods — which suspended operations in April — warned that "millions of pounds of meat will disappear from the supply chain" because of COVID-19.

According to the Associated Press, the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union said that at least 20 food-processing and meatpacking union workers across the United States have died because of COVID-19. An additional 6,500 workers have been sickened or exposed to the deadly virus sweeping the country.

In response to the unfolding shortages, President Donald Trump invoked the Defense Production Act to classify meat processing as critical infrastructure.

"The vast majority of processing plants could have shut down, reducing processing capacity in the country by as much as 80%," a White House official said at the time. "We see it as an urgent need and there should not be a panic on food supply at the moment when our country is embarking on the path of recovery from the fallout of COVID."

Want to leave a tip?

We answer to you. Help keep our content free of advertisers and big tech censorship by leaving a tip today.
Want to join the conversation?
Already a subscriber?