HOUSTON – Some Wendy’s customers have been left asking, “Where’s the beef?” That’s because the fast-food chain has pulled its signature hamburgers off the menu in some places.
According to NBC News, the shortages have been reported at locations in California, South Carolina and Kentucky as the coronavirus outbreak begins to slow down the meat supply chain.
A Wendy’s representative said in a statement released to Restaurant Business that they expect the removal of beef products to be temporary:
"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."
According to NBC News, the fact that Wendy’s offers fresh, never-frozen beef at its restaurants has left the chain more vulnerable to interruptions in the meat supply.
Wendy’s operates about 5,800 locations in the U.S., according to NBC News.
The bouncing of beef from the Wendy’s menu is the latest in a string of changes made by food retailers in an effort to mitigate the impact of the virus on the country’s meat supply. Officials at Costco, H-E-B and Kroger have announced limits on meat purchases at their stores.