A hamburger floating in space 1:31
(CNN Business) --
No matter where you go: Fast-food restaurant burgers look pretty much the same, the same round, flat burgers.
Except for Wendy's, which has square burgers.
The reason for the unusual four-sided shape dates back to Wendy's founder Dave Thomas.
In 1969 he opened the first Wendy's in Columbus, Ohio because he wasn't satisfied with other options.
To make it distinctive compared to Wendy's competitors, he used fresh meat in a square shape.
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The corners of Wendy's burgers hang over the buns.
That way, Thomas believed, customers would see the quality of the burger, according to the company's history.
The company has long used square burgers in its marketing campaigns.
For example, the restaurant chain often says that "cutting corners isn't in Wendy's DNA."
There is also a practical reason for the square shape.
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"We can fit more square burgers on a single grill than round ones," John Li, Wendy's Company vice president of culinary innovation, told CNN Business.
The chain's use of fresh rather than frozen meat has also helped its sales.
“We have built long-standing, trusted relationships with our partners to ensure we can deliver the iconic, never-frozen, fresh beef square burgers that our fans have come to expect and love,” said Li.
Competitors have taken notice, including McDonald's in 2018, when it swapped frozen meat for fresh meat in most of its quarter-pounder burgers in the United States.
In Japan, the chain is testing square buns (the burgers are still round) for a special promotion.
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White Castle also uses square loaves, an invention that actually predates Wendy's.
According to its history, the chain began in 1921 selling easy-to-eat, square burgers called "Sliders."
In 1954, White Castle added five holes to the patty so they could cook faster.
Wendy's evaluated the switch to round burgers about a decade ago, because the perfectly square shapes looked processed for focus groups.
However, a round hamburger would have been the antithesis of Thomas's vision.
Instead, Wendy's slightly modified the shape to a "natural square" with jagged edges.
Changing your burgers too much could damage your reputation.
"The square burger is part of the Wendy's brand experience and has been used as a differentiator in the fast food category," according to Marisa Mulvihill, partner and director of branding and activation at global consultancy Prophet.
"Switching to round burgers requires leaving behind its inspiring story and distinctive experience that would likely diminish some of Wendy's brand relevance."
