The American populace seems powerless to resist the allure of a so-called secret menu — the wild concoctions and unspoken offerings that fast food restaurants will prepare for anyone who knows to ask for them. In-N-Out’s Animal Style upgrade, for example, is a (not so) secret menu item, and McDonald’s Land, Air and Sea Burger was such a popular secret menu item that McDonald’s advertised it outright in 2022. In 2025, the internet’s collective interest has once again turned to a longtime secret menu item at Wendy’s — one so over-the-top that it should probably stay secret: The T-Rex Burger, a cheeseburger with no fewer than nine patties.
What is the Wendy’s T-Rex Burger?
It’s important to understand, however, that this isn’t just a cheeseburger with nine beef patties instead of one or two. Each of those patties, of course, is topped with an accompanying slice of cheese, and the towering sandwich is topped with the requisite lettuce, tomato, pickles, red onion, ketchup, and mayo.
According to a 2013 USA Today article, the monstrosity clocks in at 2 pounds and 4 ounces — containing 3,000 calories, 6,000 milligrams of sodium, and 200 grams of fat. Exactly the sort of excess that the internet goes wild for.
Where did the T-Rex Burger come from?
Over the past month, a TikTok video from August 2024 has been circulating and sparking interest in the T-Rex Burger. In it, user JoeOhEats unwraps, marvels at, and devours the Wendy’s wonder, describing it as “pure cow.” In the initial video, Oh explains that to acquire the item, he ordered a Dave’s Triple “with six more patties.” But once upon a time, there was a way to order the T-Rex Burger without menu-hacking.
Back in 2013, USA Today explained that the menu item originated at a single franchise location in Brandon, Manitoba, Canada, sometime in the mid-2000s. An issue of Sports Illustrated from around 2004 showed a picture of the burger as a gag, leading some readers to believe it was real and to try ordering it at their local Wendy’s. Thus, the Brandon location decided to actually give the people what they wanted.
For years, the Brandon Wendy’s would sell two or three T-Rex Burgers every single day — an impressive feat, given not only the size of the burger but its $21.99 price tag. It might have continued in that vein, had a Reddit user not posted about the burger in 2013, causing the T-Rex to go viral. Once everyone was talking about it, Wendy’s put a stop to the promotion, perhaps in the belief that not all publicity is good publicity.
“For obvious reasons, Wendy’s of Brandon neither condones nor promotes the idea of anyone consuming a nine-patty hamburger in one sitting,” said an employee of the franchise at the time. However, a prepared statement from Wendy’s also said that the brand “strives to deliver a positive dining experience for our customers. Our goal is to provide options to our customers so they can make options that meet their needs.”
They might not have kept the T-Rex Burger on the menu, but that statement could certainly be read as a soft invitation to hack together the burger of one’s dreams. Which many have.
The Wendy’s T-Rex Burger in 2025
Ironically, scuttling the burger was one of the best things Wendy’s could have done for the burger’s reputation, as the sandwich has since assumed a rogue underground appeal among fast food fans hungry for new discoveries. For anyone looking to taste what NPR’s Ian Chillag once described as “a burger that requires protective eyewear,” They can do as JoeOhEats did: Order a Dave’s Triple and customize it with six extra patties.
Notably, among those who actually order (or construct) the T-Rex Burger and post about the experience online, the comments are largely positive. While it’s certainly described as too much burger, the actual flavor of the nine-patty build is rarely disparaged. Regardless, it’s not a sandwich for the faint of heart.
“It was a pretty comical experience,” wrote one Reddit user after allegedly defeating the T-Rex last year. “Very novel. Getting through all that beef is a struggle and the cheese just coats your entire mouth. I was laughing between bites, though the last couple of bites were rough. I don’t recommend this to anybody.”
