A three-worded question changed a fast food chain forever:

“Where’s the beef?”

When Wendy’s released their (now) signature :30 TV commercial in 1984, the company forever altered customers’ expectations for ordering and eating tasty, affordable burgers. The square-pressed burgers that extend beyond the bun was, and is, a big deal. More than thirty years later, any viewer of a cooking show can attest that countless chefs, cooks and restaurants have adopted the Dave Thomas approach for a myriad of dishes of ignoring food borders in favor of maximizing deliciousness. To think that 3 elderly women (and a marketing team) changed the food game forever in half a minute.

Respect.

And thank you.

Those women changed the game so much that a certain ’80s-inspired comedy that involved a time-traveling hot tub made sure to include a popular question from the decade in its prominent flashback scene.

Where’s the beef (reference)?

Put simply, the legacy of Dave Thomas and Wendy’s far exceeds the doors of its restaurants around the world.

And nobody has a beef with that.

Happy Throwback Thursday!