Can’t choose between a burger and a grilled cheese for lunch? Now you don’t have to. As of May 19, Wendy’s is serving a limited-time menu item designed for the ultimate cheese lover: the Grilled Cheese Cheeseburger. This isn’t just a regular burger with extra cheese — it’s a full-on mashup. Wendy’s layers a fresh, never frozen burger patty with caramelized onions, mayo, and melty cheese and then sandwiches the whole thing between two grilled cheese sandwiches. That’s right … the buns are grilled cheeses.
As exciting as the Grilled Cheese Cheeseburger sounds, there’s a catch: It’s only available in Canada. That means U.S. fans will have to wait — or road trip up north — to try this over-the-top sandwich. The release is actually a part of Wendy’s 50th anniversary celebration in Canada, hence the exclusive Canadian access. And to sweeten the deal even more, Wendy’s Canada is also offering $1.99 small drinks, so you can wash down your extra-cheesy burger with a Frosty Fizz or Frosty-ccino.
The controversy around Wendy’s Grilled Cheese Cheeseburger
Wendy’s has built a reputation for buzzworthy menu items. Just last month, the burger chain dropped a new Cajun Crunch Spicy Chicken Sandwich — loaded with pepper jack cheese, crispy onions, and spicy mustard — as well as a refreshing Tangerine Twist Lemonade. When word first came out about this indulgent new cheeseburger, opinions varied. While several fans were immediately on board, flooding Wendy’s Canada’s Instagram with comments like “I need this NOWW” and “Wait that looks fireeee,” not everyone was impressed.
For some, the sandwich was simply too much. “They should just call it the bread burger,” one Instagram user joked, pointing to the fact that there is more bun than filling. But the biggest point of frustration wasn’t even the burger — it was the exclusivity. Since Wendy’s is so beloved in the U.S. (not to mention founded in Ohio), many American fans were disappointed to learn that the Grilled Cheese Cheeseburger is only available in Canada. “Why does Canada get all the cool stuff?” one commenter wrote on Instagram, echoing a wave of similar sentiments across social media.
Many American-based fast food chains have menu items you can only get in Canada, and this isn’t Wendy’s first time keeping menu items north of the border, either. In 2023, Wendy’s launched Homestyle French Toast Sticks exclusively in Canada, and Canadian poutine has long been a mainstay at Wendy’s Canada locations but remains absent from the U.S. menu. For some American customers, the Grilled Cheese Cheeseburger feels like just the latest in a string of Canada-only perks.
