The Biggest Differences Between McDonald's And Wendy's Burger Patties

Although it may seem like fast food restaurants all look and feel the same, there are some notable differences, especially when it comes to their burgers. For argument's sake, let's take the patties from McDonald's and Wendy's. Aside from their shape, the biggest difference is that most of McDonald's patties arrive at franchises frozen, while Wendy's are always fresh.

McDonald's was founded by the McDonald brothers Richard and Maurice in 1940, over a quarter of a century earlier than Wendy's, which was opened in 1969 by owner Dave Thomas. Each of the fast food giant founders began their journey with a different vision in mind. The McDonald brothers wanted to sell burgers as quickly and inexpensively as possible, whereas Thomas sought to offer people fresh food with quality ingredients served by friendly people. It's reasonable to assume that their individual intentions are what shaped the burgers we know and love today.

A notable and obvious difference between McDonald's and Wendy's burger patties is the shape. Like most fast food burgers and even the perfectly shaped patties you make at home, the ones at McDonald's are round. Typically, when we make our own burgers, we make balls with the seasoned ground beef, which naturally flatten out into a circular shape. While some say burgers have round patties to ensure uniform cooking and others talk about its historical link to classic German cuisine, McDonald's patties are round mainly due to mass production machines made to create perfectly round burgers each and every time.

Breaking with burger-making tradition, Wendy's patties are square, and that was intentional. In an effort to create what he believed to be a better burger, Wendy's founder Dave Thomas wanted people to easily see the quality of beef being used. Placed on a round bun, the corners of the square patty hang over the edges and are easy to see. The signature square patty even serves as a marketing angle with campaigns claiming "cutting corners isn't in Wendy's DNA." The chain also claimed the shape is good for practical reasons, saying you can fit more square burgers (than round) on the grill. Wendy's square burgers are now so iconic, changing the shape would mean a huge shakeup for the fast food giant's reputation.

With the exception of the quarter pounder, all of McDonald's burgers are made from frozen beef. The beloved Big Mac, hamburger, and cheeseburger are all made from patties that are flash frozen and shipped out to franchises, where they wait anywhere from two to three weeks before being cooked. McDonald's uses the flash freezing technique to seal in flavor and ensure safe and efficient packaging as well as shipping out to its many locations.

In keeping with Thomas' core values, Wendy's burgers are always made with fresh ground beef cooked hot and juicy to order. Wendy's beef is regularly transported to all of its locations in refrigerated trucks. The fast food chain partners with technologically-advanced shipping businesses that closely monitor the temperature of the beef (and its trucks) to ensure both the quality and safety of the product remain intact.

The ubiquitously round patties at McDonald's are made from 100% real beef with no preservatives, fillers, or additives. Although an operation as big as McDonald's requires a lot of beef, the Golden Arches has two primary sources. The first is Lopez Dorada based in Oklahoma City. It's the nation's largest Hispanic-owned protein processing company and has been supplying McDonald's with USDA-inspected beef for over 30 years. The second supplier is Keystone Foods, a Philadelphia-based company that delivers more than 150 million pounds of beef to the fast food giant every year, exceeding McDonald's own requirements regarding sustainability, animal welfare, and quality.

Since Wendy's burgers are always made from fresh, high-grade ground beef, its supply process is a bit more complicated. Because of its commitment to quality, Wendy's sources and audits harvest facilities (i.e. slaughterhouses) located all over the country. Additionally, in the U.S., its patties are made from American beef, and in Canada, they're made from Canadian beef. Wendy's also partners with Progressive Beef, a program focusing on food safety, sustainability, and animal welfare. Plus, the chain gets all of its beef from Beef Quality Assurance-certified sources, a program that educates producers on issues in food safety and quality.