Why Wendy's Fish Sandwich Isn't Available Year-Round

If you walk into a Wendy's between the months of February and April, you may see a fish sandwich on the menu. If you wait until May or later, however, the chain will likely be back to its usual chicken and burgers with no pescetarian options on offer. This has nothing to do with seafood seasonality. Instead, it has to do with a different season: the Lenten season, as observed by the Roman Catholic church. On all Fridays during Lent, as well as on Ash Wednesday, Catholics aged 14 and older are forbidden from consuming meat, but fish is permitted. (As is muskrat, if you live in the Archdiocese of Detroit.) The increased demand for fish sandwiches that arises as a result of Lent is why Wendy's offers a fish sandwich during this time.

Whether or not any given Wendy's has a significant customer base of observant Catholics, which is something that likely varies by region, the practice of offering fish sandwiches during Lent seems to be a successful one. While McDonald's Filet-O-Fish sandwich stays on the menu all year, approximately 25% of its sales take place during Lent. As Wendy's fish sandwich is only offered during this time, 100% of its sales take place during that same period, and these sales must be considerable for the chain to bring this menu item back year after year.

A few fast food chains apart from McDonald's also offer fish sandwiches year-round, including Burger King, Culver's, and, of course, the seafood-centric Long John Silver's. That being said, there are several other establishments that adopt Wendy's approach of bringing in fish sandwiches for Lent and then rotating them off the menu once Easter is over.

Arby's, which has the meats, also offers a fish sandwich for a limited time each year. (Often, the chain serves more than one variety of fish sandwich during Lent.) Hardee's Lent menu is also likely to feature a fish sandwich. Popeyes is also known to offer a fish sandwich during Lent, although the chain also serves popcorn shrimp throughout the year.

One place you won't be seeing fish sandwiches anytime soon is Chick-fil-A. While Chick-fil-A did serve a fish sandwich until 2021, it hasn't featured one since that time, reportedly due to fryer capacity constraints. Currently, the chain urges Catholics and others avoiding meat to order one of its vegetarian options, such as a salad or side dish, instead.