Wendy’s President Enters the Burger Bite Battle

A few years ago, Wendy’s used to get more buzz for their virtual beef than their real beef. The squared-off burger brand’s social media presence has calmed down in recent years, but this week’s battle of the burger bites has brought out the demon behind the pigtails. On LinkedIn of all places, Wendy’s posted a video of their president, Pete Suerken, cooking, assembling, and digging into a Baconator with some spicy commentary.

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While Burger King president Tom Curtis’ taste test of the chain’s updated Whopper recipe was actually filmed before McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski lit the internet on fire with his “product” review of the new Big Arch burger, Wendy’s’ response is definitely in response–and buried inside that commentary is a crazy callout towards the Golden Arches.

How did Wendy’s CEO fire the biggest shots so far in the Burger Bite Battle?

Since the Wendy’s CEO taste-test was actually recorded in response to McDonald’s (and Burger King, to a less direct extent), the commentary was targeted. As the Wendy’s CEO digs into his Baconator, he comments on the brand’s new bun, fresh-never-frozen beef, and the pièce de résistance—a chocolate Frosty. “Of course, you got to have a Frosty with a burger. Is this set up today? Oh, wait, our machines are always working,” Suerken says before dipping his fries in the Frosty.

Yes, the Wendy’s CEO just called out McDonald’s’ unreliable ice cream machines while casually enjoying the underrated Frosty-fry combo. This is sweet, salty, and spicy stuff.

Are any other chains getting involved?

A&W Canada has stumbled into the arena with a clip that’s more awkward than aggressive. Rather than involving their CEO, the Canadian burger chain had their longtime advertising character, played by Allen Lulu, imitate the video by taking an oversized bite of the chain’s Teen Burger. While I’d love to never write or even think the phrase “Teen Burger” again, I must inform you that the difference between a Teen Burger and A&W Canada’s other offerings is the addition of Teen Sauce. Ew. Maybe y’all should have stayed out of this one, A&W Canada. (I know Taco Bell CEO Sean Tresvant was busy at their Live Más Live event earlier this week, but I would love to see the test kitchen make him a long-discontinued Bell Beefer just to participate in this C-suite burger bite trend.)