'I'm Gonna Cry': Shocking Video Shows Truth Behind How Wendy's Chili Is Made One employee is going viral for showing how he prepares the meat for the beloved menu item.
By Emily Rella Edited by Jessica Thomas
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Sometimes it's best to not know how the sausage gets made when it comes to our favorite fast-food items — or in this case, the chili.
One Wendy's employee is going viral for a video he posted that shows the step-by-step process of how the ground meat in the chain's beloved chili is allegedly made.
The video, which has garnered a whopping 9.4 million views and more than one million likes, shows the user @mr.mawby in the employee kitchen at Wendy's beginning to prepare the chili.
First the employee dumps what he labeled as "old, dry patties" into a container before soaking them in water and placing the container in the microwave.
Related: Woman Fires Off Gunshots at Drive-Thru Because Her Order Was 'Taking Too Long'
He then begins to mash and dice up the meat with a metal spatula before pouring the new meat pieces into a third container then into a plastic bag.
He then walks to the freezer room to place the plastic bag on a shelf where multiple other plastic bags are already sitting.
"It goes in the fridge for a few days after this," the caption of the video reads.
Moral of his story? Wendy's chili is allegedly made using dry, old meat patties that are rehydrated and stored in the backroom.
@mr.mawbyit goes in the fridge for a few days after this
♬ Half On a Sack (Explicit Album Version) - Three 6 Mafia
Naturally, commenters were repulsed.
"I could've went the rest of my life without knowing this," one user said alongside a crying face emoji in a comment that was liked more than 10,000 times.
"No gloves no hair net multiple health violations," another pointed out above one user who simply said "I'm gonna cry."
However, many others claimed that this was just another way to reduce food waste and that perhaps consumers shouldn't be so concerned with preparation, because it is a fast-food chain after all.
In a second video, the TikTok user posted a Wendy's branded presentation that shows employees how to prepare certain food items — in this case, chili.
Related: 17 Wendy's Employees Leave on the Spot by Taping Sign to Drive-Thru: 'We Quit'
The video goes step by step, showing exactly what the employee did in the first video, except for one part — the video claims employees should be using properly labeled and storable food bags instead of the plastic bags the employee was using in the first video.
@mr.mawby Reply to @hippiehobozombiecow ♬ SO MANY FINE PEOPLE ARE USING THIS OMG - iris
"I have worked and managed a Wendy's I have no clue why this isn't being properly stored and labeled because we dont use handle bags and just toss it in the fridge," one person commented. "The video is correct the way that store is doing it isn't."
"the nationwide plastic supply shortage/issues mean you have to use whatever you have," another offered as an explanation. "Just be thankful they use a bag that looks clean/unused."
Wendy's has not yet commented on the videos.
This past summer, the chain announced that it would be reformulating its French fries to ensure freshness with every delivery, as many have turned to at-home and takeout dining amid pandemic restrictions and protocols.
"What we've done is balance the cut of the fry and kept a little bit of the skin of the potato on the fry to be able to drive flavor," Wendy's president Kurt Kane said in an interview at the time to CNN Business. "We used a batter system that allows us to be able to maintain crispiness, both when they're fresh and hot out of the fryer as well as several minutes later."
Wendy's was up 12.62% year over year as of Wednesday afternoon.
Related: Wendy's Savagely Slams McDonald's Over Broken Ice Cream Machines
