Peller became one of the biggest names in fast food after she began starring in Wendy's commercials, shouting out the slogan, "Where's the beef?" The first advertisement, which came out in 1984, claimed that Wendy's hamburgers had bigger patties than the chain's competitors did.
The campaign was so popular that it led to a 31% boost in Wendy's annual revenue, according to the chain. However, things took a turn in 1985 after Peller appeared in a Prego commercial that implied she had "finally found" the beef she was looking for.
"I'm sorry that the company that I worked so hard for does not want to use me in commercials anymore," Peller said in a statement through her attorney, according to UPI in 2006.
"The commercial infers that Clara found the beef at somewhere other than Wendy's restaurants," William M. Welter, executive vice president of Wendy's International Inc., said in a statement. "Unfortunately, Clara's appearance in the ads makes it extremely difficult for her to serve as a credible spokesperson for our products."
Peller died at age 86 in 1987, just two years after the dispute.