The Big Problem Some Wendy's Customers Have With Its New Fries

Do you love fast food? We know that from time to time, we definitely heed the craving for a stacked cheeseburger, an icy cold milkshake, or golden batch of crispy, salty fries. If you love french fries like we do, the fast food chains have got you. There's Shake Shack's crinkle-cut fries, Popeyes' Cajun-seasoned fries, McDonald's classic skinny-cut fries, Wendy's peppery fries, and many more (via Insider).

Speaking of Wendy's, in comparison to other fast food fries, Wendy's spuds have tended to fall in the middle of the pack. According to a 2020 Mashed survey, diners preferred McDonald's fries, then Five Guys, and finally Wendy's. Perhaps as a response to lukewarm customer reviews, in late August, the chain announced that it would be revamping its fries recipe, moving from peeled spuds to skin-on and adding a new batter coating that promised better crispiness retention (via The Takeout). And now that the new fries have been around for a while, Wendy's diners are voicing their opinions on them — and some of those customers aren't happy.

When fast food giant Wendy's announced in August that it would be rolling out a new fry recipe, the aim was to improve both the taste and the texture of the classic side dish. Apparently, developing the new recipe wasn't easy: "This is probably the most complex project I've worked on in my entire career," Wendy's Vice President of Culinary Innovation John Li said in a Culinary Spotlight Zoom event attended by Mashed. According to The Takeout, the new fries feature a batter coating to keep them crispier longer. And that batter is exactly what some Wendy's diners don't like about the new fries: They say they taste like Burger King fries, which also feature this type of coating (via EveryThingWhat).

Last month, @itsjonhachey tweeted, "​​I've had enough Burger King fries to know that these Wendy's fries are in fact Burger King fries." And a few days ago, @austin_giordano tweeted, "The new Wendy's fries are horrible." In a review of the new fries posted by The Takeout, author Dennis Lee was disappointed that on both of his visits, he was served cold fries. "Unfortunately, just because a fry is crisp doesn't mean it's good," Lee wrote. "A crisp cold fry is almost as disappointing as a completely cold soggy one, and mine were cold."

So there you have it: The new Wendy's fries might be crispy, but not necessarily tasty. Give 'em a try yourself and see what you think.