Wendy’s Just Quietly Changed Its Sandwiches—and Customers Aren’t Happy

Fast food chains are constantly duking it out to remain at the top of customers’ lists. Restaurants are always adding new menu items or bringing back favorites that have fans talking. However, sometimes a simple change to an existing menu item can drum up even more of a reaction than a brand-new one. 

Wendy’s has certainly seen that happen before—in both good and bad ways. While it has faced backlash due to rumors about dynamic pricing and mixed reviews of its AI drive-thrus, the brand has also been praised for upgrading its Taco Salad for the first time since 2016.

However, Wendy’s latest change has some fans claiming it “ruins the sandwiches.” Wendy’s quietly changed from flat-leaf lettuce to shredded lettuce on its sandwiches and burgers.

Wendy’s Switches To Shredded Lettuce at Restaurants

A few months ago, a rumor on a now-deleted Reddit thread began swirling that Wendy’s was doing away with flat-leaf lettuce in favor of shredded lettuce. As of October, fans have noticed the change at their local drive-thrus. 

“The shredded lettuce era at Wendy’s has begun,” a Reddit user posted with photos of shredded lettuce on a chicken sandwich. 

“We’re always exploring ways to deliver a high-quality experience for our guests, including updates to product builds,” a Wendy’s spokesperson told Allrecipes.

The chain has updated its menu photos on its site to show shredded lettuce on all chicken sandwiches, wraps, and burgers that contain lettuce. 

“The leaf lettuce tastes fresh, has great texture, etc. The shredded lettuce tastes…bad. Like it actually makes it taste like a McDonald’s burger,” a Reddit user wrote.

McDonald’s has historically used shredded iceberg lettuce on its burgers and chicken sandwiches, while Wendy’s has always opted for flat-leaf romaine lettuce. Other chains, like Burger King, also use iceberg lettuce, but they use the whole leaf, rather than shredding it to keep the texture. Not surprisingly, texture is what many fans have been complaining about since Wendy’s switched to shredded lettuce.

“It gets soggy and slimy. I miss the crunch of their whole leaf lettuce,” one customer wrote on Reddit.

“It’s absurd how much worse it makes it,” another commented. “Tastes like a cafeteria burger.”

Fans have speculated that Wendy’s made the switch because shredded iceberg lettuce is cheaper than romaine.

“It’s just an industrial way to use more of the head of lettuce. You can throw all sorts of ribs and stalk pieces into the shredder,” a Reddit user wrote.

While fan response has been poor so far, it seems Wendy’s doesn’t have plans to change the lettuce back. 

“When I asked the manager about it, they informed me this was a permanent corporate decision,” a Wendy’s customer shared.

However, if the reception continues to be negative, perhaps Wendy’s will reconsider its decision—especially after interim CEO and CFO Ken Cook shared that Wendy’s was “not happy with [its] sales performance” in the second quarter of 2025.