‘It’s a scam’: Wendy’s $14 Krabby Patty meal is a massive disappointment for ‘SpongeBob’ enthusiasts

Recently, Wendy’s announced a Krabby Patty collaboration to celebrate SpongeBob Squarepants‘ 25th anniversary. Unfortunately, the resulting $14 Krabby Patty meal has left customers outraged.

On October 2, the fast food chain announced its “Krabby Patty Kollab” with Paramount. The collaboration introduced two new limited-time menu items: the Krabby Patty Kollab Burger and Pineapple Under the Sea Frosty. The Frosty was advertised as Wendy’s Vanilla Frosty but with pineapple puree, while the Krabby Patty Burger was described as a quarter-pounder with a “top-secret Krabby Kollab sauce.”

The Krabby Patty is one of the most recognizable and popular fictional foods. In SpongeBob SquarePants, they are a staple of the Krusty Krab restaurant, and the show’s villains covet the top-secret recipe. Most viewers have likely pondered what a Krabby Patty would taste like. Hence, it was exciting when Wendy’s announced it would bring SpongeBob food to life. From the onset, though, the burger sparked controversy, especially since creator Stephen Hillenburg had conceived the burgers as vegetarian while Wendy’s contains meat. Even so, most fans were willing to give it a try, only to be further disappointed.

Is Wendy’s Krabby Patty a scam?

Wendy’s Krabby Patty meal debuted on October 9, and the reviews were swift and brutal. The meal is priced at $10.68, although some customers reported paying as much as $14, likely due to tax or selecting different sizes for the fries and Frosty. Meanwhile, multiple customers called the meal a scam. The item that drew the most ire was the Krabby Patty Burger. It was supposed to come with two cheese slices, the secret sauce, a “premium bun,” and a quarter-pound meat patty like the one used in Dave’s Single.

However, users reported that it wasn’t very different from every other burger. Some described it as just a Dave’s Single with a basic Thousand Island dressing sauce. The premium bun was just a regular bun. One Redditor even claimed the patty was smaller than Dave’s Single and similar to the one used in Wendy’s Jr. burgers. SpongeBob fans were also disappointed that the meal came with no special packaging or wrapping to commemorate the anniversary. As for the Frosty, one X user claimed there was food coloring in it. Needless to say, many customers questioned why they paid $10 – $14 for a basic Wendy’s burger.

The meal was so disappointing that users began comparing it to other fast-food movie and TV collaborations. One user shared a collab with a restaurant in Texas, which offered a much better-looking burger and adorable SpongeBob packaging.

On the one hand, most consumers should know not to expect too much from a fast-food collaboration. Collaborations like the ones Wendy’s did tend to be pretty easy cash grabs for restaurants. These chains just look for a way to intrigue customers without really offering them something new or something that comes at a great cost to the restaurant. Still, with Paramount onboard and SpongeBob‘s 25th anniversary, Wendy’s could’ve put a little effort into its Krabby Patty Meal. As some reviewers said, even just doing a sesame seed bun to differentiate the Krabby Patty Burger from Dave’s Single would’ve been appreciated.