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The average fast-food diner wants two things from a meal: value and beef.
The series of cheapest vs. most expensive burger comparisons continues with Wendy's, the chain that claims to have the beef. Wendy's main selling point is that its burgers feature beef that is fresh and never frozen but costs the same as any other fast-food burger.
So if the beef is the same, then what's the point of an upgrade?
As McDonald's removed its higher-end "Signature Craft" burgers from its menu earlier this year, Wendy's added three new "Made to Crave" burgers to its permanent menu. A triple version of the Bacon Jalapeño Cheeseburger is the most expensive burger on the menu at my local Wendy's. The cheapest is the Junior Hamburger.
I compared the two to see if the taste difference was worth the price difference, and the answer was, "absolutely".
At my local Wendy's in Manhattan in New York City, the cheapest item on the menu, the junior hamburger, costs $1.49. The most expensive item, the triple bacon jalapeño cheeseburger, costs $8.59.
Although the larger burger only looks to be about twice the smaller burger's size, it contains more than five times the calories. According to Wendy's website, the junior hamburger contains 240 calories while the triple bacon contains 1280 calories.
It's the same beef, but the junior hamburger's patty is much smaller. The main difference seemed to be in the dressing: the triple bacon was piled high with crispy onions, jalapeños, and melted cheese.
The Wendy's website describes the junior hamburger as, "Fresh, never frozen beef topped with pickles, onion, ketchup, and mustard on a toasted bun."
For "fresh" beef, the patty looked pretty dry and grey. I appreciated the whole ring of onion, but I was certain that my bun had not been toasted. And maybe it's a local issue, but there never seems to be any mustard on my burgers.
I was amused and slightly disturbed at the way the beef seemed to sort of ooze out of my bun. At least the bun was tall and fluffy, unlike its often flatter counterparts at other restaurants.
The beef tasted far from fresh. It was dry and tasted old, and the burger as a whole didn't have all that much flavor.
The beef just wasn't tasty enough to carry the bland bun, and the rest of the condiments were weak as well. In the end, the ketchup did most of the flavor work.
Despite its claims of fresh beef and focus on quality, Wendy's fails to provide a satisfying option at the bottom of its price range. The junior hamburger is to be avoided at all costs.
According to Wendy's website, the triple bacon jalapeño cheeseburger contains approximately, "Three-quarters of a pound of fresh, never-frozen beef topped with pickled jalapeños, applewood smoked bacon, American cheese, crispy fried onions, a savory cheese sauce, and a smoky jalapeño sauce."
Inside, it's a beautiful, colorful, mostly orange mess. The crispy fried onions and jalapeño slices are the main factors that set this burger apart from its smaller counterpart. The beef patties are also thicker, and there are obviously more of them.
The bun was slightly glossier. There were three layers of melted cheese and a bunch of spicy flavor and texture additions. But the beef was still the same.
I'd expected the beef to be juicier by virtue of the thicker patties, but it was just as tough, dry, and off-tasting as the beef in the junior hamburger. However, the accoutrements did truly make a difference.
This burger may have had uninspiring beef, but it was also crispy. cheesy, and spicy. The bacon was barely noticeable, but the jalapeños brought a real kick and the fried onions added a satisfying crunch.
And as with all fast-food chains, there's some amount of variation in quality depending on where you go and when.
Even if the beef is the same, the most expensive option still offers much more interesting flavors and textures than the cheapest option, which is worth splurging for in the end.
So if you're bored of the standard pickles, ketchup, and sad onion, then there's a great reason to get something a little more expensive at Wendy's.
A triple feels like just too much meat, though. You could get the same flavor upgrade with a double or single version of any of the Made to Crave burgers for a lower cost. The beef is all the same, anyway.
