Renegade Wendy's kills giant 'T-Rex' burger

Michael Winter | USA TODAY

Canadian carnivores are mourning the extinction of "T-Rex," a gargantuan nine-patty cheeseburger that a renegade Wendy's had sold since the meat monster was hatched as a magazine spoof several years ago.

Cause of death: publicity.

The towering 2-pound, 4-ounce beast was packed with 3,000 calories, 200 grams of fat and 6,000 milligrams of sodium, the Canadian Press reported. It was crowned with pickles, red onion, ketchup, mayonnaise, lettuce and tomato, and cost $21.99 (only $21.50 in U.S. dollars).

Most important, it was sold at only one Wendy's -- in Brandon, the second-largest city in the province of Manitoba.

Customers began asking for T-Rex after a satirical ad appeared in Sports Illustrated nine years ago, but the dinnersaur had been a mostly local secret.

Until Tuesday, that is, when someone posted a photo on Reddit. The resulting "news" comet smashed into the digital world, snuffing out the meal of several lifetimes.

(Oddly, WGN-TV in Chicago reported that Wendy's was introducing the burger ...)

"For obvious reasons, Wendy's of Brandon neither condones nor promotes the idea of anyone consuming a nine-patty hamburger in one sitting," said Barb Barker, an administrative assistant for the franchise.

Reading from a prepared statement Wednesday night, she added that the outlet "strives to deliver a positive dining experience for our customers. Our goal is to provide options to our customers so they can make options that meet their needs."

How popular was T-Rex? Two to three were sold every day.

The only unanswered question: Want fries with that?