Remember back in the ’80s when Wendy’s spokeswoman, Clara Peller, became part of the pop culture mosaic? This was thanks to her incessant question, “Where’s the beef?”, when it came to the small portions of hamburger meat served up by Wendy’s stingy competitors.

Ms. Peller is long gone, but if she was still shilling for Wendy’s today, her query would likely be, “Why halal?” when it comes to the chicken dishes now being served up at Wendy’s restaurants in the Greater Toronto Area.

Indeed, the chicken is now 100% halal. Why? Great question, for which there are no answers being provided. At Wendy’s, transparency is certainly not on the menu these days.

We reached out to Wendy’s media relations line for answers. Radio silence.

We reached out to Wendy’s customer service line. Yet more radio silence — on the days the customer service line actually functioned, that is.

We paid a house call to the headquarters for Wendy’s Restaurants of Canada in Burlington, Ont. It was devoid of life.

And when we visited individual restaurant locations, the most-oft repeated answer regarding the 100% halal chicken policy was: “I just work here.”

There’s also very little disclosure at Wendy’s restaurants in terms of signage regarding the halal switcheroo.

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We did not see the halal logo on any restaurant menu boards nor drive-thru menu boards. At one location, we did notice a tiny halal sticker on a dirty, tinted window that was barely readable. And again, the question arises: why is Wendy’s not being honest with its customers regarding what’s on the menu?

Granted, Wendy’s is entitled to source whatever food they please. But is it too much to ask for full disclosure? The answer would appear to be: yes, it is too much to ask.

And the sourcing of halal products is indeed an issue to those people who are not of the Muslim religion, including Catholics and Hindus who are forbidden to eat food that is blessed by someone of another faith.

Given that the Muslim population is less than 5% of the Ontario population (and that not all Muslims adhere to a halal diet), what is the business case for going halal? But again, Wendy’s is shamefully embracing the silent treatment.

And so it is that our questions remain unanswered.

Shocking.

What’s more, it would appear to be part of a disturbing trend. Two years ago, KFC restaurants in Ontario secretly went all-halal. This included the complete removal of bacon from the menu!

When we sought answers by visiting KFC’s head office in Vaughan, the staffers threatened to call the police! (Maybe they thought we are already under sharia law as opposed to Canadian law?) And here we thought that the “K” in KFC stood for Kentucky, not Kabul.

In any event, if eating halal is a concern to you, our advice is to verify the source of the product prior to ordering. And hope the people on the other side of the counter will offer full and honest disclosure.

In the meantime, we wonder how long Wendy’s signature burger, The Baconator, will remain on the menu? Stay tuned…