Where’s The Beef? Nearly 20% of Wendy’s Have Run Out of Beef

Nearly one-fifth of Wendy’s U.S. restaurants have run out of beef, according to a study by a Wall Street analyst.

James Rutherford, an analyst with Stephen Inc, said in a note recently that 1,043 Wendy’s restaurants, around 18 percent of the U.S. total, have listed beef items as out of stock.

Oddly enough, more than 100 of those locations still sell Wendy’s chili, which contains beef, according to Rutherford.

As food supply chains struggle to keep up with demand amid the Covid-19 outbreak, CNBC’s Amelia Lucas reports that nearly a fifth of Wendy’s U.S. restaurants have run out of beef, according to a study by Stephens Inc.

Rutherford’s note was first reported by CNBC.

The New York Post reports:

Hamburgers have disappeared from some of the fast-food chain’s restaurants as the coronavirus crisis roils the country’s meat supply.

Some Wendy’s locations postedsigns warning that their signature “fresh, never frozen” beef was not available, photos show. Other eateries said they were not serving burgers with two or three patties, customers said on Twitter.

Many restaurants in Ohio, Michigan, Tennessee and New York restaurants are currently out of beef, while other states’ menus do not suggest there are any supply chain issues.

“Some of our menu items may be in short supply from time to time at some restaurants in this current environment,” Wendy’s said in a statement to Restaurant Business. “We expect this to be temporary, and we’re working diligently to minimize the impact to our customers and restaurants.”