Wendy’s is making a big change and it’s a direct reflection of how many of its customers are getting their burgers and fries these days. The fast food chain announced that it’s changing its french fry recipe in the coming weeks in an effort to fix a problem common among the considerable surge in fast food delivery in the pandemic era.
According to CNN, the move to a new kind of fry isn’t about the in-restaurant experience but in order to make the fries hold up after deliveries and consumers opting to use the drive-thru window over eating at the establishment.
The fast food chain is giving its top-selling menu item a makeover for the Covid era: a fry that retains more heat and keeps its crispiness longer compared to its predecessor. The upgraded fry, which will be available nationwide by mid-September, was created as more people shift their ordering preferences to drive-thrus and delivery because of the pandemic.
As anyone who has let Five Guys fries sit for longer than three and a half minutes knows, deep fried potato strips have perhaps the worst and smallest sweet spot of any fast food product. So Wendy’s trying to solve that problem with its offerings is welcome news unless the current version is atop your fast food fry power rankings. Because as leadership at Wendy’s notes, you’ll definitely taste the difference.
“They’re going to notice a difference as soon as they taste it,” Wendy’s President Kurt Kane told CNN Business in an exclusive interview. “The proof will be in the tasting.”
“What we’ve done is balance the cut of the fry and kept a little bit of the skin of the potato on the fry to be able to drive flavor,” he said. “We used a batter system that allows us to be able to maintain crispiness, both when they’re fresh and hot out of the fryer as well as several minutes later.”
There’s actually a good amount of food science at play here, so reading the full story is worth the time if you’re interested in how the starches reach your to-go bag. But just don’t be surprised by what’s in your bag the next time you settle on Wendy’s delivery to cure your hangover.
[via CNN]
