Wendy’s had to take burgers off the menu at several markets after they had run out of meat due to coronavirus shortages.
As the pandemic continues to wreak havoc on America’s meat industry, Costco and Kroger grocery stores have both reported minimal stocks of beef.
When Angry customers discovered that the Wendy’s signature burger was no longer available and there were only chicken items available for take-away and delivery at several places around the state.
A classic ad slogan of the 80’s, “Where is the beef?” came back to haunt them when angry members on social media battered them for non-availability of beef.
Wendy’s founded itself to be the first fast-food restaurant to sell fresh “never frozen” beef, figuring out that their burgers contained more meat than their rivals.
Although they are among the first big food chains to experience this epidemic, other restaurants around the country are predicted to face similar problems when coronavirus disrupts the meat supply chain.
Workers at meatpacking plants were being alarmingly contaminated with the virus, with outbreaks throughout the world causing the shut down of slaughterhouses.
Approximately 40 per cent of the 2,200 employees at Logansport’s Tyson Foods plant have been contaminated over the past week, local health officials reported.
Farms have had to destroy cattle that they can no longer feed, supermarket shelves left bare, and restaurants that endured lockdown are now being forced to alter their menus.
After criticism from local authorities, more than 20 meat packing plants have temporarily shut down — including two of the nation’s largest, one in Iowa and one in South Dakota.
Last week Donald Trump signed an executive order requiring meat processing plants around the country to remain open despite increasing food supply issues.
On Monday, shortages of beef were recorded at Wendy’s stores in California, South Carolina and Kentucky.
The Wendy’s bacon cheeseburger “Baconator” was still available for sale in Chicago.
A Wendy’s spokesperson said: “As you’ve already heard, North American beef suppliers are currently facing production challenges.
“Therefore, some of our menu items could be in limited supply at certain restaurants. We anticipate this to be temporary, and we are working diligently to mitigate the impact on our customers and restaurants.”
However, Costco grocery store announced Monday it would restrict shoppers to three meat packages per shopper.
Kroger supermarkets also wrote a message on their website that there is a limited inventory ‘because of high demand.’