Where's The Beef?

"Where's the beef?" is a catch phrase, which has, since its first usage, become a somewhat universal, all-purpose phrase questioning the substance of an idea, event or product.

It came to public attention in a 1980s television commercial for the Wendy's chain of hamburger restaurants, featuring the elderly actress Clara Peller. After receiving a competitor's burger with a massive bun, the small patty prompts the gruff Peller to angrily exclaim "Where's the beef?" The first commercial was aired on January 10, 1984. The humorous ad and Peller's memorable character soon gave the catch-phrase a life of its own, and was repeated in countless TV shows, films, magazines, and other media outlets.

"Where's the beef?" was not the commercial's official title. The commercial was actually called "Fluffy Bun", and featured three elderly ladies examining an exaggeratedly huge hamburger bun topped with a minuscule hamburger patty: the other two ladies poked it, exchanging bemused comments: "It certainly is a big bun." "It's a big fluffy bun", before being interrupted by Peller's outraged, irascible demand.