A square hamburger? Popular fast food chain Wendy's thought it was a good idea. When Dave Thomas first opened Wendy's in 1969 he wanted the focus to be on the meat to create the juiciest burger possible. After all "Fresh Never Frozen" is one of Wendy's slogans. But the decision to cook the meat in a square was also to ensure that it would stick out of the bun.
| Channel | Publish Date | Thumbnail & View Count | Actions |
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 Fast Food Insights | 2023-09-21 02:35:21 |  5,922 Views |
How Wendy's Makes Its SQUARE Burgers
"Dave was always very confident in the quality of our meat. He wanted to make sure the burger was sticking out of the bun so everyone could see the juiciness. And the square burger does that" Frank Vamos director of brand communications for Wendy's told Thrillist in 2016. So this was more of a marketing ploy than anything to do with flavor — but there's something efficient about the square shape in terms of food preparation: "We can fit more square burgers on a single grill than we can round burgers" John Li vice president of culinary innovation at Wendy's Company told CNN Business.
Wendy's square burgers have become an iconic part of the brand's image but they almost lost customers because of their shape. While Wendy's wanted to showcase their quality meats customers were skeptical of a burger that was square. People had grown accustomed to round burgers from other fast food chains like McDonald's and Burger King and felt that Wendy's burgers looked unnatural and strange. Some said that the square shape did the opposite of what was intended: it made the burgers look processed and of inferior quality.
Wendy's merged with parent company Triarc in 2008. The merger caused the company to rethink its menu. Wendy's listened to customer complaints about the square shape of the burger and decided to make a small change. In 2011 Wendy's rounded the edges of its burgers slightly to give them a less square look but still leave the meat visible. They also added a buttered bun and a thicker patty. It looks like the Wendy's square burger is here to stay.
