7 Fast-Food Chains That Use Frozen Beef

Fast food, as the name suggests, is all about speed and consistency, and for many chains, that means frozen beef. While some fast-food chains use fresh beef as a selling point, frozen patties don’t necessarily mean lower quality. Freezing helps keep costs down and burgers tasting the same no matter where you order. 

Some chains are upfront about their freezing habits, others stay vague, but either way, frozen patties are still the standard at plenty of fast food spots — especially at these seven.

Jack in the Box is an open book — mostly. They’ll tell you about their 80+ rotating menu items, their dozen different burgers, and their 2,000+ locations across the U.S. But when it comes to one simple question — how often they rely on the freezer? — the details suddenly get a little hazy. The chain’s website keeps mum on whether their Jumbo or Smashed Jacks are fresh or frozen.

That kind of silence usually speaks for itself. While it’s mostly speculated, former employees and taste tests suggest frozen, pre-seasoned patties are the standard. One insider reveals, “Everything is frozen, so there really isn't anything that's "fresh", unless you count the salads but the chicken that goes into it is frozen.”

Unlike Jack, Ronald is a little more upfront about his relationship with the deep freeze. Love it or hate it, McDonald’s doesn’t pretend to be something it’s not — it’s a global fast food machine built on efficiency, consistency, and yes, frozen beef. According to the chain, their 100% beef is ground, shaped into patties, and then flash frozen, a method they claim locks in freshness and flavor. Well, mostly.

In 2018, McDonald’s made a big dealabout switching its Quarter Pounder patties to fresh beef in the U.S., cooking them to order for the first time in decades. But that’s where the fresh beef experiment begins and ends. The Big Mac, McDouble, and every other standard burger are all still frozen.

There’s a very good reason why the Whopper tastes exactly the same every time you order it — it’s an exact science. Because it has to be. Burger King is the second-largest burger chain in the world, with over 18,000 locations, and the only way to keep that level of consistency is by sticking to a system.

The chain's beef pattiesare sourced from suppliers who grind and form the meat before flash-freezing it to lock in flavor and freshness. Once the frozen patties arrive at each restaurant, they're flame-grilled to get that signature Burger King taste.

Long before most fast-food giants even existed, White Castle had already cracked the code on mass-producing burgers.

Often credited as the world’s oldest hamburger chain, White Castle has relied on frozen, square-shaped patties since the beginning. Instead of grilling like most burger joints, their sliders are pre-cooked and then steamed over a bed of onions.

Dairy Queen is, first and foremost, an ice cream spot. Blizzards, dipped cones, and sundaes are probably the real reason you stop by. But at some point, they decided to toss burgers on the grill too.

And it’s not just the frozen treats coming out of the deep freeze. Dairy Queen’s burgers start frozen, too. While the chain proudly states that their patties are 100% beef, there’s no mention of whether they’re fresh. Employees, however, have been pretty clear — they’re not.

According to reported employees online say, Dairy Queen’s patties arrive frozen which are placed on a conveyor-style grill that passes them over a flame before dropping them into a warmer, where they sit until it’s time to assemble your order at any given Grill & Chill locations.

Sonic Drive-In is more known for its slushes, milkshakes, and drive-in service, its burgers remain a major part of the menu and the chain uses frozen beef for all of its burgers. In all fairness Sonic has never marketed itself as a fresh beef brand and continues to use frozen patties across all locations.

Carl’s Jr. advertises its burgers as being made with 100% Angus beef, but whether that beef is fresh is another story. The company doesn’t claim its patties are never frozen, and according to a former manager, that’s because they aren’t—they arrive frozen and go straight into the charbroiler.