A major Wendy's operator is going bankrupt as beef costs squeeze the chain, and the Agriculture Secretary's advice to families is to eat something other than beef.

• Meritage Hospitality, which runs 314 Wendy's across 15 states, filed for bankruptcy protection after Wendy's moved to cancel its franchise deal over unpaid fees.
• High beef prices hit Wendy's hardest because its whole pitch is fresh, never-frozen burgers.
• Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins told people to switch to chicken, pork, salmon or eggs, and said $6.50 a pound for ground beef isn't that bad.
• Years of private equity financial engineering left the chain fragile — future franchise royalties were sold off for cash upfront, and land was sold out from under stores.
• Beef costs are also driven by a shrinking US cattle herd and heavy consolidation in meatpacking, not just one president's policies.

Outlook: More franchisees are likely to fold if beef stays expensive, with the squeeze falling hardest on mid-priced chains caught between cheap fast food and better burger spots.