Whatever Happened To Wendy's Fresh Stuffed Pitas?
Most people nowadays go to Wendy's craving their signature square burgers or their infamous Baconators, but there was a time that customers went to the fast food chain specifically to order their Fresh Stuffed Pitas. Back in 1997, Wendy's introduced three variations of Fresh Stuffed Pitas (via No Pun Intended). These included the Chicken Caesar seasoned with shredded parmesan, the Classic Greek with feta cheese, and the Garden Veggie with tender chicken (as seen in this commercial on YouTube).
Wendy's marketed the new offering as an alternative to a burger or salad, and they were priced at a reasonable range of $1.99 to $2.99. Though pitas of any sort had been uncharted territory for the burger joint, No Pun Intended reports that they remained on the menu for a good three years before being permanently discontinued. Unfortunately, there's nothing on the Wendy's menu today that even remotely compares with the Fresh Stuffed Pitas, except for perhaps the Caesar Chicken Salad.
Why did Wendy's discontinue their Fresh Stuffed Pitas?
A common reason fast food menu items are discontinued is that they don't taste good, but that wasn't the case for the Fresh Stuffed Pitas at Wendy's. Based on the comments section of the original 1997 commercial on YouTube as well as on a Wendy's subreddit, customers really loved the pitas. "It was the single item as a kid that made me enjoy veggies," one commenter wrote. Another reminisced, "That bread was like a warm cloud around the crisp romaine, processed chicken, and salty Caesar dressing."
So if Wendy's pitas were so beloved, why were they discontinued? The truth is, it may have had something to do with the simplicity of the ingredients. The Fresh Stuffed Pitas are easy to replicate, and many people did. "Basically what you're getting is a small salad wrapped in a warm pita bread," Top Secret Recipes explained in one of the many copycat recipes shared on the web. In the end, Wendy's decided to focus on creating more novel menu items.