Fast-food chains are among the most dynamic players in the restaurant space.
Constant expansions, new product rollouts, and technological advances at these food and beverage epicenters are a marvel.
But it’s rare to see a large change catapult a chain into an entirely new category.
Photos: Wendy’s. Design: Eat This, Not That!
This happened in March 2020 when longstanding hamburger hub Wendy’s threw its proverbial hat in the breakfast ring.
You may remember the days when fast-food breakfasts were significantly more finite.
As an Ohio native, I may have subconsciously rooted for the Columbus-based company.
Megan Hageman, Eat This, Not That!
Some options were not my cup of tea, but others were pure morning-time magic.
Sausage, Egg & Cheese Biscuit
Ah, the humblesausage, egg, and cheese.
An American slice is the cheese of choice.
Megan Hageman, Eat This, Not That!
The egg is advertised as fresh-cracked and grade A.
One sandwich cost me $3.79.
The look:The sandwich stands tall and proud, with each ingredient visible from the fringes.
Megan Hageman, Eat This, Not That!
The biscuit is soft and gently flaky.
The taste:There was truth behind my visual assessment.
My vexation was brought on by more than the overpowering biscuit.
Megan Hageman, Eat This, Not That!
The entire sandwich is marred by dryness from the sausage patty and the surrounding bread.
It was a double whammy that no amount of melty American cheese could fix.
This may have been a case of over-grilling the meat.
Megan Hageman, Eat This, Not That!
But the bacon isn’t any old slice.
It’s applewood-smoked bacon, which should present a mild sweetness.
Despite the protein swap, this sandwich still rings up at $3.79, as did its sausage relative.
Megan Hageman, Eat This, Not That!
The look:More squished and skewed compared to the sausage biscuit.
The taste:Another mediocre offering.
I had to take several sips of water for moisture to return to my mouth.
Megan Hageman, Eat This, Not That!
The American cheese was scanty, with just a few smears here and there.
To make matters worse, no sauce accompanies the meal to boost its appeal.
Unfortunately, the sausage and egg didn’t hold up their end of the bargain.
Megan Hageman, Eat This, Not That!
The patty was overcooked, dense, and dry yet again.
But don’t be fooled.
The look:Circular, like a cookie, rather than rectangular or bar-shaped.
Megan Hageman, Eat This, Not That!
The taste:Like a cinnamon brick.
Despite this less-than-ideal texture, I didn’t turn my nose up at the flavor.
Frosty Cream Cold Brew
A Frosty in the morning may be somewhat of a polarizing idea.
Megan Hageman, Eat This, Not That!
The burger joint debuted itsFrosty Cream Cold Brewslast summer after sunsetting its previous caffeinated concoction, the Frosty-ccino.
Each is a caramel-like brown shade and seems to have a balanced ratio of brew to cream.
The liquid is not inundated with a strong java essence.
Photo: Megan Hageman, Eat This, Not That!
It was so weak that my coffee-loathing husband could stomach it.
But, at the same time, the distinct Frosty flavor doesn’t come through.
As I sipped, I realized the taste was almost a dead ringer for the Starbucks bottled Frappuccinos.
Megan Hageman, Eat This, Not That!
Otherwise, you may want to save the ice cream for dessert.
But, as a born and raised Midwesterner, it’s a favorite in my family.
Whipping it up fresh at home is the preferred method.
Megan Hageman, Eat This, Not That!
Pepper speckles decorate the top, and just a couple of square cuts of sausage are haphazardly included.
A faint pepper taste and its country-like creaminess soaks into each buttery biscuit.
The biggest problem with the dish is the sausage.
Megan Hageman, Eat This, Not That!
A major design flaw that I’d hope the Midwest-based company would be keen on remedying.
A true honor next to the Breakfast Baconator and French Toast Sticks.
To jog your memory, thisBEC on an English muffinis priced at $3.99the same as the sausage sandwich.
Megan Hageman, Eat This, Not That!
The look:The muffin doesn’t swallow the three bacon slices nearly as much as the biscuit did.
But bread is still the most dominant ingredient.
Beyond this outer shell, nothing here is memorable.
Megan Hageman, Eat This, Not That!
The over-hard egg is standard and mostly a filler.
To my dismay, the melty cheese is in short supply, rendering it powerless.
Once the pastry is glutted with meats and cheeses, true magic can happen.
The look:Four-sided and the flattest sandwich in the lineup.
Two bacon slices barely reach from end to end.
Meanwhile, the fresh-cracked egg dominated, taking over the sandwich and spilling beyond the sides.
The taste:I must have missed the word “Swiss” as I ordered this sandwich.
It’s not nearly as disturbing when you know what you’re eatingthe whole sandwich is quite the opposite.
The sauce mixed with the light butteriness of the croissant introduces much-needed moisture and richness to the sandwich.
The stick form is nostalgic and perfect for on-the-go breakfasts and syrup dipping.
I bought a four-pack for $2.99.
Six-packs are available for those days when you need more of a pick-me-up.
The look:Like steakhouse fries, but a darker brown.
There doesn’t appear to be a coating of sweet granules on the outside, which is disappointing.
My spirits were raised by my order, including an extra stick, bringing my total to five.
The taste:Crunchy on the outside, soft and pancake-like on the inside.
I think this balanced texture alone is a win for fast-food French toast sticks.
A great start, indeed.
But Wendy’s could do more.
As I picked up during my visual inspection, the sticks are not sugar bombs.
Both sandwiches sell for the same price of $3.79.
The look:Meaty.
A glimmer of hope emerged with this realization, alongside the freshness of the chicken.
This isn’t one of those school cafeteria patties; it’s the real deal.
The taste:Texture-wise, this sandwich performs swimmingly.
Juicy, slightly crispy chicken fuses with the soft biscuit, making each bite easy to manage.
The flavor department is where this sandwich disappoints.
I had to dig deep to experience any of the sweetness.
Cinnabon Pull-Apart
This is not a drill.
But I’m willing to turn a blind eye to that minor detail.
It cost $3.69less than expectedand I was beyond excited to dig in.
The look:Nuggets of dough all form together, reminding me of monkey bread.
This conglomeration allows cinnamon sugar to be more evenly distributed and melted frosting to seep into every open crevice.
I desperately wanted the taste to follow suitand it gets pretty closebut it doesn’t quite hit the mark.
With a gooey center, just enough cinnamon flavor, and sufficient icing, it’s a saccharine dream.
As a Cinnabon product, I expected a bit more.
On the bright side, this is a great, accessible back-up for when those sugar cravings hit.
The three-part sammie costs the same as the bacon version at $3.79.
The look:Just as deflated as its bacon counterpart.
There does appear to be a double layer of white and yellow egg at play, however.
Slightly larger than the croissant, the sausage looks like a thinner hamburger patty.
The sausage is a tad charred, but it’s less noticeable against the texture of the croissant.
The creamy Swiss cheese sauce also offsets the meat’s faint spiciness.
Seasoned Potatoes
A breakfast without some form of potatoes is a sad breakfast indeed.
And Wendy’s has not left its customers yearning for a starchy side.
A small order cost me $1.59.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e
The look:When Wendy’s says small, it means it.
My tiny cup came with eight fries.
But each is thick-cut and ranges from light tan to golden brown with uneven seasoning.
The skin was still attached to every piece.
The taste:Wendy’s takes the obligatory breakfast potato to the next level.
A satisfying crunch erupts as you bite into them.
They remain satisfying even as they cool and lose some of that firmness.
Don’t shy away from indulging in those forgotten bits that dribbled to the bottom of your to-go bag.
The new hearty handheld rolled out to more than 4,500 restaurants nationwide in January.
Two Cholula sauce packets come on the side to dribble on at your discretion.
The look:The price tag is justified.
I wouldn’t compare it to one of Chipotle’s behemoth burritos, but it has some weight.
If I had finished off the entire thing, I would have been teetering on stuffed.
The ingredients come in muted colors, but each is accounted for and abundant.
Specifically, I noticed the cheese, which oozes from all sides.
The taste:A cohesive blend of flavors wrapped in a tender flour tortilla.
The smokiness from the bacon defined my first couple of bites.
The flavor gradually balanced out with the buttery creaminess of the cheeses and the neutral tones of the potato.
Depth comes from all directions, but no one ingredient tramples the next.
Each bite also presented a new flavor experience, highlighting a different ingredient each time.
I never reached for my Cholula packet.
The burrito is satisfying enough all on its own.
A premium bun is another “must,” along with a fresh-cooked egg.
Both American cheese and Swiss cheese sauce are slathered on.
It’s priced at $4.49, the same as the sizeable breakfast burrito.
The taste:I wish Wendy’s offered more breakfast options on this premium bun.
With double meat plus protein from the egg, I worried it would all be too overwhelming.
But everything flows together seamlessly.
The egg gets a little lost in the middle, but that’s not a negative.
One sandwich costs $4.39.
Two pieces of well-cooked bacon joined the poultry, and everything glistened under the influence of the honey butter.
The maple butter seeps into the croissant and chicken, making every bite mouthwatering and somehow not soggy.
Though less noticeable, the bacon provides a subtle crunch and saltiness that rounds out all the tastes.
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