The Only State Where Wendy's 'Fresh, Never Frozen' Beef Is Not Guaranteed

Every burger place has its own angle to convince you to buy one of its burgers. For some, that might mean the size of the burger, like McDonald's Quarter Pounder. Others focus on how it's prepared, like the flame-broiled Whopper from Burger King. Wendy's has leaned into offering fresh, never-frozen beef. The official Wendy's website addresses this by asking, "Are Wendy's burgers really fresh and never frozen?" The answer is clear until it isn't. It reads, "Yes, Wendy's uses fresh, never frozen beef on every hamburger, every day.**" You'll notice those two asterisks there. Those are there for Hawaii, the only state where you can't get one of those famous square burgers fresh instead of frozen.

Head to the bottom of that Wendy's page and you'll see this disclaimer next to the two asterisks. "Fresh beef available in the contiguous U.S. and Alaska, as well as Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, the U.K., and other select international markets." Hawaii is notably absent. Wendy's is not confirming that Hawaii doesn't get fresh beef. It's just omitting the state.

Wendy's has used the slogan of "fresh, never frozen" for years now. Back in 2007, the Honolulu Advertiser reported that Wendy's did not use fresh beef at any locations on the islands. The reason given was that "supplying fresh beef here would make it difficult to sell the made-to-order old-fashioned hamburgers at reasonable, quick-service prices."

Hawaii imports the vast majority of its food from the mainland, and that includes meat. That's why it's one of the two states that spend the most on groceries. The state can't grow or even store large quantities of food, and, as a result, the islands only have about a seven-day supply on hand at any given time. Because frozen beef has a much longer shelf life than fresh beef, it's not just easier for restaurants to use frozen rather than fresh. It's the most practical option.

Fresh meat would need to be specially packaged and maintained at a certain temperature from the mainland to a facility in Hawaii. It would have to meet specific safety standards, and it would need to be handled properly the whole time. That same Wendy's website discusses the suppliers the company uses. It explains how Wendy's is different from other restaurants because it uses beef sourced close to its restaurant locations so that it never needs to be frozen. This simply can't apply in the same way to Hawaii if the beef has to come from the mainland, especially with the chain's commitment to responsibly sourced, antibiotic-free beef. It would not be able to live up to its own standards, which is why Hawaii is not included.

Ironically, Hawaii actually has a beef industry. However, due to costs, it's more economical for farmers to raise cattle in Hawaii and then sell the beef to the mainland rather than keep it to be used locally. The infrastructure is potentially there for Wendy's to use fresh beef, but the costs are still higher than shipping in frozen beef.