Who can forget where they were when they first heard about the Wendy’s Baconator? It may be one of the most famous fast food burgers of all time, and it helped Wendy’s get back on top of the high-burger sales charts after a long time of struggling to compete with McDonald’s. The Ohio-based fast food chain opened its first restaurant in 1969 in Columbus. The Baconator was added to their menu in June 2007. By March of 2008, it had sold over 68 million of the bacon cheeseburgers. This just in: thats a LOT of burgers.
Dave Thomas, the founder and advertising star of Wendy’s, died in 2002, but the company has always been committed to his original goal of never using frozen meat, even for bacon. A fresh heaping portion of bacon and beef was advertised by The Baconator. This is what has kept people coming back. What makes the Baconator so popular, and why is the name “Baconator” so easy to remember? Let’s find out the truth behind the Wendy’s bacon cheeseburger myth.
Bacon is one of the most beloved meat products in America. The salty, smoky, fatty goodness of crisp bacon enhances everything from breakfast sandwiches to burgers and salads. Wendy’s fast food restaurants are well known for their delicious bacon, which tops their signature Baconator burger and can be added to other sandwiches and salads. But where does Wendy’s bacon come from? Is Wendy’s bacon made from pork? Let’s explore the origins and responsible sourcing of bacon at Wendy’s.
An Overview of Wendy’s Bacon Menu Items
Wendy’s offers crumbled bacon as a topping option for their burgers, chicken sandwiches, and salads Some of their most popular bacon menu items include
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The Baconator – Wendy’s signature burger featuring applewood smoked bacon American cheese ketchup, and mayo.
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Bacon Cheeseburger – A quarter pound of fresh beef topped with bacon and cheese.
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Bacon Ranch Chicken Club – Grilled or crispy chicken breast with bacon, Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, and ranch dressing.
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Bacon Ranch Crispy Chicken Salad – Crispy chicken strips, bacon bits, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and ranch dressing.
It’s clear that bacon plays a major role in many of Wendy’s most iconic and best-selling menu creations. But where does all that delicious bacon come from?
Wendy’s Bacon is 100% Made from Pork
The answer is simple – yes, Wendy’s bacon is made 100% from pork. Specifically, Wendy’s bacon is produced from fresh pork bellies. Wendy’s only uses pork bellies from pork suppliers who are certified under the Pork Quality Assurance Plus program (more details on this later).
The pork bellies are shipped fresh (never frozen) to the Sugardale processing facility in Ohio. Sugardale is a Wendy’s approved supplier that cuts and prepares the pork belly trimmings into bacon strips specifically for Wendy’s restaurants. The bacon strips are then shipped out frozen to Wendy’s locations, where they are cooked fresh in each restaurant every day.
- Source: Pork bellies from Pork Quality Assurance Plus certified pork suppliers
- Processing: Fresh pork bellies trimmed, sliced, cured, and smoked into bacon strips by Wendy’s approved supplier Sugardale.
- Cooking: Bacon strips are frozen and shipped to Wendy’s restaurants, where they are cooked fresh daily in each location.
This process ensures that Wendy’s bacon consists only of high-quality pork that is turned into bacon and cooked for maximum freshness and flavor.
Wendy’s Commitment to Responsible Sourcing
Wendy’s takes pride in responsibly sourcing their ingredients, including pork products like bacon. On their corporate website, Wendy’s details their commitment to sourcing only Pork Quality Assurance Plus certified pork.
The Pork Quality Assurance Plus program sets comprehensive standards for:
- Animal welfare
- On-farm documentation and auditing
- Proper antibiotic usage
- Ethical treatment of pigs
- Processing plant quality controls
By partnering with farmers certified under this program, Wendy’s can ensure humane treatment of animals throughout the pork supply chain. Wendy’s also audits processing plants to guarantee food safety and quality standards are met.
In 2012, Wendy’s pledged to eliminate gestation crates for pigs over a 10 year timeline. By the end of 2022, Wendy’s successfully transitioned their entire pork supply chain to group housing systems for pregnant pigs. This shows the dedication Wendy’s has to animal welfare and responsible farming practices.
The Bottom Line – Wendy’s Bacon is Fresh and Responsibly Sourced
So next time you savor the smoky bacon flavors in a Baconator or chicken sandwich at Wendy’s, you can rest assured that the bacon is made with integrity. Wendy’s commitment to serve only fresh, never frozen North American beef also extends to their strict standards for pork suppliers. This results in great tasting bacon produced in a humane and sustainable manner. Knowing the origins and responsible sourcing practices behind Wendy’s bacon makes it taste even better.
Wendy’s sold 25 million Baconators in two months
To say the Baconator took the fast food world by storm when it first arrived would be a bit of an understatement. The bacon cheeseburger arrived in a full-on blaze of glory. Within two months of initially promoting the now-iconic Wendys bacon cheeseburger, the company sold 25 million sandwiches to hungry meat-eaters. In the summer of 2007, a few months after the Baconator mania took hold, then CEO Kerrii Anderson told Business Wire, “This is one of the most successful new product introductions weve had in some time.”
Commercials from the fall of 2007 really hit home on just how popular the Baconator was. The biggest selling points were, well, the bacon, and the longstanding Wendys promise of fresh, never frozen, beef. It spread this message with well-known ads like the most-watched TV ad of June 2007, “Kicking Trees.” It also promoted the Baconator by saying again that anything from Wendy’s that had beef in it would be fresh and tasty. The huge success of the Baconator when it first came out helped Wendy’s get back on track with sales and ads.
The Baconator had its first child in 2012
In 2012, Wendys tried to quell the concerns of folks who really wanted a Baconator but couldnt bring themselves to justify consuming a half a pound of beef plus six slices of bacon in one sitting. So for those who wanted a little less pork and beef, Wendys launched a baby Baconator, dubbed the “Son of Baconator.” Isnt that cute?
The smaller Baconator made you feel a little less bad about yourself than the bigger one because it served two smaller burger patties. 25-ounce beef slabs versus two quarter-pounders) and four instead of six slices of bacon. There is still a Son of Baconator on the Wendy’s menu today, but it only has four ounces of beef instead of four. 5 ounces total. It also only has 670 calories while its Dad, the original Baconator, has 960. Hey, a 290 calorie difference can be a deal-breaker for calorie-counting folks!.
CAR COOKING: Sleepover at Wendy’s (Max vs Baconator) #shorts
FAQ
Does Wendy’s use pork?
Is Wendys breakfast sausage pork?
How do Wendy’s cook their bacon?
What kind of meat is Wendy’s?
Does Wendy’s serve Bacon?
Wendy’s serves Bacon and introduced the Baconator burger to its menu in August 2007. The company later introduced the Son of Baconator with smaller patties and 300 fewer calories than the original Baconator.
Is Wendy’s Baconator a sandwich for carnivores?
Wendy’s Baconator sandwich is a sandwich for carnivores, stacking two of Wendy’s signature square quarter-pound beef patties and six pieces of Applewood smoked bacon, all covered in melted American cheese.
What does a Wendy’s Baconator taste like?
The Wendy’s Baconator’s flavors are compressed into a crispy, bite-sized morsel in the form of a limited-time Pringles chip. The chip stacks up in the Pringles can and includes flavors from the beef patties, bacon strips, American cheese, and even the bun and ketchup.
Does Wendy’s sell a Baconator sandwich?
Wendy’s is known for its friendly red-headed mascot Wendy, its sassy social media persona, and its bacon-fueled menu. The Baconator sandwich is a fan-favorite and a highly marketable offering from Wendy’s, showcasing the brand’s commitment to bacon.