On this day, thirty-five years ago, the popular Wendy’s slogan, “Where’s the Beef?” made headline news at NBC 5/KXAS, with reporter Jack Helsel taking the story. This catchphrase was introduced by the fast food chain restaurant Wendy’s, in 1984, to distinguish itself from competitors. The original commercial, a snippet featured in Helsel’s news report, is about three elderly ladies dining at the “Home of the Big Bun,” and exclaiming “Where’s the beef?!”

This simple advertisement started a popular culture movement where promotional  items like bumper stickers, frisbees, and clothing were hot selling items. The slogan grew to be so popular that our own Texas news reporter sat down with a McDonald’s Big Mac, a Burger King Whopper, and a Wendy’s burger to finally answer this age-old question, “Where’s the Beef?” After pulling out a ruler and scale, Helsel declared that the Whopper had the largest patty, the Big Mac had the taller patty, and that both burger patties weighed more than Wendy’s patty. Helsel ended his new report by asking, not “where’s the beef,” but “where’s the taste?”