I used to think McDonald's had the best fast-food breakfast in the US. No other big chain could compete. But lately, fast-food chains such as Wendy's and Taco Bell have demonstrated that they want to steal breakfast customers from McDonald's.
These chains are challenging a dominating force. McDonald's started dabbling in breakfast in the early 1970s. The chain launched the Egg McMuffin nationwide in 1975 and a full breakfast menu in '77. Wendy's introduced its revamped breakfast in 2020, while Taco Bell has been toiling with a morning-grub menu since 2007.
McDonald's generates roughly 25% of its sales from breakfast, which is higher than the industry average.
Taco Bell's outgoing CEO, Mark King, said the chain could do better. In December, during an investor conference, he said "we have to commit" to breakfast to beat rivals including McDonald's. King is retiring at the end of this year.
Part of Taco Bell's commitment to breakfast came in mid-October, when it debuted its toasted breakfast tacos nationwide.
So I decided to put the breakfast menus of McDonald's and Taco Bell to the test. Now, remember, I'm not Keith from The Try Guys, who eats everything on the menu and shares his indigestion in front of millions of viewers.
McDonald's and Taco Bell have more than a dozen breakfast items on their menus. And a majority of the items are vastly different. Taco Bell leans into burritos and breakfast wraps, while the McDonald's menu is heavy on breakfast sandwiches.
I did find some common ground. Both sell a sausage burrito and a hash brown.
I tried those and each of the chain's signature breakfast wraps and sandwiches to see which served the most addictive morning grub.