Remember Wendy’s “Where’s The Beef?” slogan(口号) from the 1980s? Well, for the next few months burger-loving Americans will be asking “Where’s the tomato?”
“The nasty(令人厌恶的) winter in Florida and Mexico has had a severe impact on our ability to get quality tomatoes,” said Wendy’s spokeswoman Kitty Munger. Because of the shortage, the world’s third-largest hamburger chain will add the tomatoes to chicken sandwiches or burgers “by request(要求) only,” Munger says.
And it may not be a problem only for Wendy’s. The unusually bitter winter has restaurant suppliers across the nation seeking other sources for tomatoes.
According to Munger, all 6,500 Wendy’s outlets(经销店) will have signs posted alerting(提醒) customers. How long will this last? “We are hoping we can get back to normal by mid-April,” Munger said. “But it really depends on Mother Nature.”
The shortage does not include salad menu items because the chain uses smaller grape tomatoes. Oh, and don’t worry french fry fans. Ketchup supplies won’t be affected.