Finding good tomatoes at a fast-food restaurant is difficult under ideal circumstances. But going without tomatoes is highly unusual. Now, tomatoes are available only by request at Wendy's restaurants, a short-term policy that began in late December because of crop damage from hurricanes in Florida.
The state of Florida supplies more than half of the nation's fresh vegetables between November and February.
"We use larger size tomatoes in sandwiches and haven't been able to secure them with the quality and quantity that we would like," Bob Bertini, spokesperson for Wendy's International, told the press. Signs posted in the restaurants advise customers of the shortage.
McDonald's and Burger King said they don't have similar shortages. In fairness to Wendy's, it is more likely to care about the quality of its tomatoes.
Whenever I go to a certain sandwich-based FFR (the one where the guy lost the weight), I usually bring my own tomato slices since its commitment to tomatoes is as sad as their excuse for tomato slices. Often, they will offer anemic pieces, hulls, or tomatoes that have never seen the color red.
I realize quality tomatoes (and lettuce) would increase the costs of sandwiches, especially in the FFR world. But having good lettuce and tomatoes makes a sandwich so much better, and so much more worth eating.
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