I ate Wendy's breakfast as the chain pumps $25 million into promoting it, and saw how it's just as good as McDonald's

Mary MeisenzahlNov 21, 2021, 19:06 IST

Breakfast promotionMary Meisenzahl/Insider

Wendy's has been heavily promoting its breakfast menu this year.
I tested out a few sandwiches and sides to see how they compare to other fast food breakfasts.

Wendy's introduced a new breakfast menu in March 2020.

Ad for breakfast.Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

By the end of 2021, the chain will have spent $25 million promoting breakfast over the year, an increase of $10 million over its original budget.

Breakfast promotion.Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Breakfast has been slowly growing for Wendy's making up 7.5% of sales in the third quarter, with an expected 20 to 30% growth in 2021.

Breakfast bag.Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

I visited the Wendy's drive-thru to check out the chain's breakfast for myself and see how it stacks up to the rest of the industry.

Wendy's entrance.Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

The parking lot was pretty empty, but that doesn't seem unusual for 9:30 am on a Sunday.

Picking up breakfast.Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

I ordered a range of things from the menu to get a good sense of what Wendy's sells.

Wendy's drive-thru.Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

While they don't sell hash browns, Wendy's sells seasoned breakfast potatoes, a kind of crispy potato wedge.

Potatoes.Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

I'm a huge hash brown fan and not sure if these could measure up, but I was pleasantly surprised.

Potatoes.Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

They were warm, with the right amount of crispy outside to soft, warm, insides. I'd even consider getting them again in place of hash browns.

Testing out the potatoes.Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Wendy's also sells an oatmeal bar. It was somewhere between a cookie and a granola bar — not my favorite, but I could see it being an easy to eat, quick breakfast on the go.

Oatmeal bar.Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Wendy's also sells an oatmeal bar. It was somewhere between a cookie and a granola bar — not my favorite, but I could see it being an easy to eat, quick breakfast on the go.

The sides were not bad, but getting to the breakfast sandwiches was what I was really looking forward to.

Sandwich wrapped in paper.Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

I ordered three sandwiches, and enlisted the help of my fiance to rank them.

Unwrapping the sandwich.Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

First off, we tried a bacon egg and cheese sandwich on a croissant, a classic in the world of fast food breakfast.

Croissant sandwich.Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

It was solidly fine. The croissant wasn't great, and I wouldn't go out of my way to get it again, but definitely not bad either.

Croissant sandwich.Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Next, we tried the sausage egg and cheese on a biscuit

Sausage biscuit.Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

This sandwich was great, definitely a match for the classic McDonald's breakfast.

Sausage biscuit sandwich.Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

The final sandwich, the honey butter biscuit, was easily the best of the three.

Chicken biscuit sandwich.Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

The sandwich is simple: a biscuit, honey butter, and a generous piece of crispy chicken.

It had the same great biscuit as the other sandwich, along with juicy chicken and a slight sweetness from the honey. It was one of the best fast food sandwiches I've ever had, and I'd order it again whenever I had the chance.

Chicken sandwich.Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

It had the same great biscuit as the other sandwich, along with juicy chicken and a slight sweetness from the honey. It was one of the best fast food sandwiches I've ever had, and I'd order it again whenever I had the chance.

The biscuit was fluffy and not too dry, while the sausage was flavorful.

Taking a bite.Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

We both agreed we'd order it again.

Sausage biscuit.Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Of course, we also had to get coffee.

Coffee.Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

The coffee was exactly what you'd expect: not any better than what I'd make at home, but good enough alongside a good breakfast sandwich.

Medium coffee.Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

After testing out the menu, I was really impressed with Wendy's breakfast menu.

Waiting for food.Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Its breakfast offerings aren't as well known as McDonald's, but I think as Wendy's continues promoting it there's room to grow.

Morning drive-thru.Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

I think anyone who tries the chicken biscuit sandwich will be a Wendy's convert.

Unwrapping the sandwich.Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

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I ate Wendy's breakfast as the chain pumps $25 million into promoting it, and saw how it's just as good as McDonald's

Wendy's introduced a new breakfast menu in March 2020.

By the end of 2021, the chain will have spent $25 million promoting breakfast over the year, an increase of $10 million over its original budget.

Breakfast has been slowly growing for Wendy's making up 7.5% of sales in the third quarter, with an expected 20 to 30% growth in 2021.

I visited the Wendy's drive-thru to check out the chain's breakfast for myself and see how it stacks up to the rest of the industry.

The parking lot was pretty empty, but that doesn't seem unusual for 9:30 am on a Sunday.

I ordered a range of things from the menu to get a good sense of what Wendy's sells.

While they don't sell hash browns, Wendy's sells seasoned breakfast potatoes, a kind of crispy potato wedge.

I'm a huge hash brown fan and not sure if these could measure up, but I was pleasantly surprised.

They were warm, with the right amount of crispy outside to soft, warm, insides. I'd even consider getting them again in place of hash browns.

Wendy's also sells an oatmeal bar. It was somewhere between a cookie and a granola bar — not my favorite, but I could see it being an easy to eat, quick breakfast on the go.

The sides were not bad, but getting to the breakfast sandwiches was what I was really looking forward to.

I ordered three sandwiches, and enlisted the help of my fiance to rank them.

First off, we tried a bacon egg and cheese sandwich on a croissant, a classic in the world of fast food breakfast.

It was solidly fine. The croissant wasn't great, and I wouldn't go out of my way to get it again, but definitely not bad either.

Next, we tried the sausage egg and cheese on a biscuit

This sandwich was great, definitely a match for the classic McDonald's breakfast.

The final sandwich, the honey butter biscuit, was easily the best of the three.

The sandwich is simple: a biscuit, honey butter, and a generous piece of crispy chicken.

It had the same great biscuit as the other sandwich, along with juicy chicken and a slight sweetness from the honey. It was one of the best fast food sandwiches I've ever had, and I'd order it again whenever I had the chance.

The biscuit was fluffy and not too dry, while the sausage was flavorful.

We both agreed we'd order it again.

Of course, we also had to get coffee.

The coffee was exactly what you'd expect: not any better than what I'd make at home, but good enough alongside a good breakfast sandwich.

After testing out the menu, I was really impressed with Wendy's breakfast menu.

Its breakfast offerings aren't as well known as McDonald's, but I think as Wendy's continues promoting it there's room to grow.

I think anyone who tries the chicken biscuit sandwich will be a Wendy's convert.