Wendy’s is falling faster than an indie wrestler off a rickety ladder, and the latest criticism from a well-known foodie won’t soften the blow.
Pro wrestling legend and noted fast-food lover Jim Cornette
slammed the once-popular burger chain over a recent menu change. During an episode of the Jim Cornette Experience, Cornette erupted after discovering that Wendy’s had replaced whole leaf lettuce with shredded lettuce on its burgers.
“I hate shredded lettuce,” Cornette said. “Shredded lettuce comes off. If you’re eating in a car, it’s all over the place. It’s all over your lap, it’s all over the seats, it’s all over everything. If you’re eating inside, it’s all over the table. It serves no goddamn purpose except to make the burger look thicker so you think you got more for your money.”
Reddit users first noticed the change months ago, sparking a backlash. A Wendy’s spokesperson confirmed the switch to Allrecipes, saying, “We’re always exploring ways to deliver a high-quality experience for our guests, including updates to product builds.”
The menu change comes as the company plans to shut down hundreds of U.S. restaurants due to falling revenues and profits. By Cornette’s account, the chain has been in free fall for some time, beginning with a popular side dish.
“They started when they used to have the good fries — the big ol’, fat, long, crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside french fries. And then they changed to this f**kin’ sea salt and skin-on (version). It’s like eating mulch chips.”
Cornette also criticized changes to Wendy’s pickles, the removal of classic items, and its beef preparation. He slammed the chain’s chili for having less meat and being “watery as cat’s piss,” and he wasn’t impressed with the bacon.
“You can read a newspaper through a strip of their bacon,” he said.
Cornette’s love of fast food spans his 40-plus-year career as a manager, trainer, booker, and promoter. He famously had a meltdown at a Dairy Queen when staff failed to prepare his and his crew’s order. At one point, his website even sold an official “Jim Cornette burger towel,” meant to help patrons eating in their cars contain the mess.
The collapse of an American fast-food institution prompted Cornette to make an unusual comparison to the fall of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the disgraced former Prince Andrew, Duke of York.
“They’ve just disappointed me,” he confessed. “It’s like a child that you raised from an infant and suddenly turns to a life of crime and is just a waste. They’re the Prince Andrew of fast food. Oh, how the mighty have fallen.”
