The Biggest Recalls In Wendy's History

Wendy's experienced a few major problems in 2024, including a reduced net income and extensive store closures. Despite these setbacks, the chain continues to enjoy a good reputation among consumers and earned 10th place in a 2025 ScrapeHero ranking of the largest fast food chains in the U.S. based on number of locations (Subway, Starbucks, and McDonald's occupied the top three spots). In fact, Wendy's has displayed its ability to weather storms in the past, as the fast food restaurant has been mired in a few recall controversies over the years.

Issues with undeclared allergens, foreign object in food, and potential choking hazards have plagued certain Wendy's locations and put the chain's customers on high alert. And while it wasn't a recall in the traditional sense, Wendy's also experienced an E. coli outbreak in 2022 that resulted in the restaurant eliminating romaine lettuce in all affected states (we already included this incident on our list of the worst fast food recalls in history). While these incidents have long since been resolved, they do show that even huge fast food brands can experience unexpected calamities.

As Wendy's explained on X (then Twitter) in 2018, the chain once provided bagged tortilla chips to go with its Taco Salad, though the menu item now comes with chili lime tortilla strips instead. These chips were produced specifically for the restaurant, and a company called Wyandot, Inc. was responsible for manufacturing the crunchy item (it's unclear if Wendy's worked with other chip manufacturers). In 2015, both Wyandot and Wendy's, along with other brands, found themselves in hot water after the round, yellow tortilla chips distributed to the fast food establishment were said to contain an undeclared allergen.

Some consumers discovered that their tortilla chip bags also contained cheese curls, which were made with milk. According to Mayo Clinic, milk allergies are associated with symptoms like vomiting, hives, and tingling of the lips and mouth, as well as breathing issues and anaphylaxis in more serious cases. To prevent a person with a milk allergy from accidentally ingesting the ingredient, the FDA requires manufacturers to declare certain major allergens, a list that also includes eggs, tree nuts, and wheat, among others. Failure to do so can lead to recalls, and in Wyandot's case, the recall was categorized as Class II. That means consuming the recalled item may lead to unwanted health effects but is unlikely to cause significant issues.

A well-known purveyor of poultry products, Tyson Foods has experienced some major recalls during its history, including complaints from customers about finding metal pieces in the company's chicken products. The food manufacturer experienced a similar issue in 1998 when Wendy's customers found pieces of metal in chicken served at the restaurant — chicken supplied to the chain by Tyson Foods. Most of the locations affected were in the Midwest, although some New York customers were also impacted. According to Tyson Foods, the issue resulted from a broken conveyor belt, which was somehow depositing metal particles from wire mesh into the chicken.

This recall involved an estimated 160,000 pounds of chicken, but fortunately, no reports of customer harm followed. It's worth noting that foreign object contamination is an ongoing issue within the commercial food industry, and that contamination can occur at any and every step of the manufacturing and distribution process. This highlights the importance of regulatory agencies like the FDA, which is responsible for investigating food safety issues and swiftly disseminating information to the public to prevent serious illnesses and injuries.

Although you can find kids' meals at practically every fast food restaurant these days, the concept was initially invented by Burger Chef, a lesser-known establishment that closed for good in 1996. Burger Chef was the first to lure young customers with the promise of a fun toy, a practice that fast food chains continue to employ. Many kids' meal toys are inspired by beloved cartoon characters, and while he might not be as well-known today, Felix the Cat was a popular animated figure that predated the debut of Mickey Mouse. In 1997, Wendy's offered a kids' meal starring the cartoon feline, complete with coveted toys designed in his likeness. One item in the collection, however, posed a serious hazard to children and was recalled by the chain as a result.

The toy in question consisted of a plastic ball containing a small Felix the Cat figurine that rotated around a thin metal bar in the center. The ball also contained four small, colorful fish that would rattle around inside when the toy was rolled. Some consumers complained that the adhesive holding the two sections of the plastic ball together could become unglued, which gave children access to the tiny fish inside. In fact, one child did choke on the small toy but was fortunately unharmed. Concerns about subsequent choking incidents led to a recall of 800,000 toys, which Wendy's offered to replace to spare parents the headache of an extremely disgruntled child.