Where’s the Beef? Wendy’s Commercial Review – Footnotes
We’ve all been in this situation: you’re on the road, just minding your own business when suddenly a car speeds around you. You understandably get frustrated and perhaps even mutter a few expletives to yourself. Turning to catch a glimpse of the aggressive speedster, you realize it’s just an old lady yelling “where’s the beef?”
But Really, Where’s the Beef?
I remember hearing about and seeing this ad when I was younger on some kind of “greatest TV commercials” show. However, I actually forgot this was a Wendy’s commercial, so clearly, young me was not paying much attention. Revisiting it now, though, there are a couple of key moments I didn’t notice as a kiddo.
For one, the woman never actually says “where’s the beef?” She keeps getting cut off via a variety of snazzy sliding windows. Her menacing growls of “where’s” and later “where’s the…” apparently has been such a common occurrence around town that the rival fast food chains know to look out for her.
Secondly, who are these poor passengers in her back seat? Why is no one up front? Is she a taxi driver? Does she take her hapless victims to get burgers during the lunch rush? I guess I’d be okay with that, provided she’s buying.
Finally, a fun little gaffe: when the first window slides shut, a couple of stacks of cups falls down, presumably from the ferocity of the slam. Or maybe they had a bit of help – keep an eye out for part of a hand pushing the cups over. Delightful. Maybe next time they’ll let her get her entire “where’s the beef?” question asked before delicately closing the window.
