How This Simple Wendy's Ingredient Change Backfired On The Fast Food Chain

The iconic Wendy's may be known for its baked potatoes and square burgers, but what it's topping the latter (and some other sandwiches) with has many longtime fans saying goodbye to the chain. For years, the well-known brand used whole leaves of lettuce on many of its menu items, but its switch to shredded iceberg lettuce has been met with a far-from-positive response.

On one Reddit thread, numerous commenters lamented the lettuce change, saying the flavor is inferior and that it disrupts the familiarity of their favorite sandwiches. "You can't just change [25-plus] years of familiarity and not even address it," one commenter wrote, referring to the lettuce swap's effect on the Spicy McChicken. "It's delivered already shredded in bags and it's wet, limp, messy, and foul tasting," noted another. Given that countless varieties of lettuce exist for salads and sandwiches, many found the chain sneaky for making the change without any official announcement.

Wendy's still serves salads with whole Romaine leaves, but the shredded lettuce for sandwiches is seemingly permanent. According to one Redditor's report from management, there's no hope for a return to the original whole leaves.

In another quiet change, Wendy's also updated the chicken it uses for some of its sandwiches. For both the Crispy Chicken Sandwich and the Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit, the chain replaced the whole breast meat it previously used with a ground chicken patty made from a combination of breast and rib meat, along with water, salt, and sodium phosphates.

Another unpopular decision at Wendy's was to replace human workers with AI at the drive-thru in some locations. While the move was likely intended to cut costs and improve efficiency, some customers were frustrated by the technology's inability to understand natural speech and its frequent errors. One Redditor wrote, "I can speak loud and clear and it would still take [three times] to understand what I'm saying. The AI would keep cutting me off mid sentence. It would also cut you off if you paused at all when ordering."

However, not all of Wendy's changes have been bad. If you're a fan of chicken tenders and sauces, the addition of "Tendys" to the menu in 2025 might win you back. Plus, Wendy's continues to innovate its Frosty lineup with new flavors. Keep an eye out for new limited-time options — the chain is known for introducing popular seasonal treats like the fan-favorite Pumpkin Spice Frosties.