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I ordered the same breakfast from 5 fast-food chains and ranked them all from worst to best

I ordered the same breakfast from 5 fast-food chains and ranked them all from worst to best
  • I ordered the same breakfast from Burger King, McDonald's, Wendy's, Carl's Jr., and Chick-fil-A.

  • I got a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich, hash browns or breakfast potatoes, and an iced coffee.

  • Burger King was my least favorite meal, and I deemed Chick-fil-A the winner.

Burger King's breakfast cost me $7.24.

Burger King breakfast spread laid out on a wooden table
The bag was covered with grease stains.Savanna Swain-Wilson for Insider

This meal instantly put me off because of the grease stains on the bag.

 

The chain's breakfast sandwich was greasy.

Burger King breakfast sandwich laid on out original wrapping
The cheese was too messy.Savanna Swain-Wilson for Insider

The grease mainly came from the sandwich. Plus the American cheese had exploded all over the wrapping, adding to the mess.

The top of the biscuit had an oily sheen to it, and the egg came as a thin, floppy rectangle to seemingly match the cheese, which didn't make sense since both ingredients hung out of the round bread.

I only ate two small bites. Unfortunately, the biscuit tasted like movie-theater butter.

Score: 0/5

Burger King's hash browns tasted processed.

Burger King hash browns in original bag on a wooden table
Burger King's hash browns were at least better than the sandwich.Savanna Swain-Wilson for Insider

Burger King's hash browns fared slightly better than the sandwich, but they still had a processed taste that was more noticeable than with the other potato sides.

When I dipped them into ketchup, they tasted OK.

Score: 2/5

The iced coffee was the best part of the meal.

a hand holding a burger king iced coffee in front of a beige wall
The iced coffee had nice notes of cocoa.Savanna Swain-Wilson for Insider

The coffee was the best item I ordered from Burger King.

Despite it being overly milky, I could detect both subtle notes of cocoa and a smooth coffee flavor.

Score: 2/5

FIFTH PLACE: Burger King's breakfast was my least favorite.

The writer holding a bag of Burger King breakfast
I think I paid too much for this meal.Savanna Swain-Wilson for Insider

I am still genuinely surprised that this meal cost me more than $5. It was my least favorite breakfast by far.

Total score: 4/15

This Carl's Jr. breakfast added up to $7.96.

Carl's Jr breakfast spread on a wooden table
I tried breakfast from Carl's Jr.Savanna Swain-Wilson for Insider

Carl's Jr. is also called Hardee's in other parts of the country. Both share the iconic star logo.

The chain's breakfast sandwich was a strong contender.

hand holding Carl's Jr breakfast sandwich
The sandwich was possibly the best part of the meal.Savanna Swain-Wilson for Insider

Between the plump folded egg, flavorful bacon, melty American cheese, and thick biscuit, this sandwich was hefty and filled me up after a few bites.

This was one of the better breakfast sandwiches I tried since I could taste every individual component. The bacon was super salty, but the egg and cheese still didn't get lost.

The biscuit was quite flavorful, with a yummy, buttery texture that wasn't too oily or dry.

Score: 4/5

The hash browns were also pretty impressive.

Carl's Jr hash brown in original bag on a wooden table
These hash browns were quite tasty.Savanna Swain-Wilson for Insider

Like Chick-fil-A and Burger King, Carl's Jr. sells hash browns as bite-sized discs.

Even though they were really tasty and pretty comparable to the chicken chain, I docked some points for packaging since these came in a shallow paper bag the discs spilled out of.

Score: 4/5

The iced coffee from Carl's Jr. was the worst one I tried.

a hand holding Carl's Jr iced coffee in front of a beige wall
The Carl's Jr. coffee was not my favorite.Savanna Swain-Wilson for Insider

Carl's Jr. offers vanilla cold brew as the main coffee option, but I didn't finish my cup.

I wondered if the cup I received was just poorly mixed because it tasted like pure vanilla syrup.

Given how many people I know who love this coffee, I was genuinely disappointed.

Score: 0/5

FOURTH PLACE: The Carl's Jr. iced coffee ruined the value of the meal.

The writer holding the bag of Carl's Jr breakfast
I liked that this breakfast was slightly more affordable than some of the others.Savanna Swain-Wilson for Insider

Carl's Jr. offered a pretty substantial breakfast for less than $8.

Unfortunately, the fact that I couldn't finish the coffee decreased its value.

Total score: 8/15

Wendy's breakfast cost me $7.75.

Wendy's breakfast spread on wooden table
I'm so glad I found out Wendy's serves breakfast.Savanna Swain-Wilson for Insider

As a proud Wendy's Twitter follower, I don't know how I missed the memo that the chain started serving breakfast, but I'm glad to be here now.

This was a middle-of-the-road breakfast sandwich.

Wendy's breakfast sandwich on original wrapping
The ratio of egg to cheese was perfect.Savanna Swain-Wilson for Insider

Compared to the other sandwiches I tried, this one ranked in the middle.

Wendy's absolutely delivered on the bacon, but I expected nothing less from a chain that coined the Baconator. The two thick-cut slices boasted an extra-crispy, salty kick with a bold, smoky flavor.

Wendy's eggs appeared fried rather than scrambled, and the American cheese perfectly melted onto every corner, providing a consistent ratio in each bite.

But the bread was dry and bland, so I had to dip it into ketchup to moisten it. I don't understand why some chains opt for buns when biscuits are an option.

Score: 3/5

I loved Wendy's take on breakfast potatoes.

Wendy's breakfast potatoes in original packaging on wooden table
These breakfast potatoes were well-seasoned.Savanna Swain-Wilson for Insider

Although I enjoy hash browns, I applaud Wendy's for normalizing other potatoes for breakfast.

The chain sells potato wedges in lieu of the standard discs, which were a serious upgrade. They were so well-seasoned and perfectly crispy that I didn't even have to add ketchup.

When paired with the bacon sandwich, the combination was a bit of a salt bomb, but not a particularly greasy one.

Score: 4/5

I couldn't drink much of Wendy's iced coffee.

Wendy's iced coffee on wooden table
I wouldn't order this cold brew again.Savanna Swain-Wilson for Insider

Wendy's only offers flavored cold brew. I opted for vanilla, but the chain also sells caramel and mocha. I figured it couldn't be bad, but I was wrong.

My brew didn't seem like it used any coffee beans and was more like a liquefied version of a blended frappé.

Even though it didn't taste that bad paired with the super-salty sandwich, the vanilla flavor was too overpowering on its own. I didn't even make it through a third of the cup before dumping it out.

Although I can't see myself ordering this option again, it may be great for someone who wants a caffeine fix without the taste of coffee since the flavor was still smooth and consistent.

Score: 2/5

THIRD PLACE: Wendy's breakfast was a great value.

The writer holding a bag of Wendy's breakfast
This Wendy's breakfast cost under $8.Savanna Swain-Wilson for Insider

Even though I wasn't jumping for joy over this meal, Wendy's provided one of the best values for the $7.75 price tag.

Between the ample crispy bacon on the sandwich and scrumptious potato wedges, the chain's breakfast was a worthy contender.

Total score: 9/15

I spent $8.49 at McDonald's.

McDonald's breakfast spread on wooden table
I've always enjoyed McDonald's breakfast.Savanna Swain-Wilson for Insider

I'm no stranger to McDonald's breakfast, so I knew what to expect, but I needed to try it again to make sure I wasn't imagining it through rose-colored glasses.

McDonald's breakfast sandwich was decent.

Mcdonald's breakfast sandwich on original wrapping
I liked that this sandwich was served on a biscuit.Savanna Swain-Wilson for Insider

McDonald's sandwich included an ultra-thick, folded scrambled-egg patty that had a pillowy, omelet-like mouthfeel.

And although the biscuit had a nice, crumbly texture, this sandwich was otherwise pretty dull. The bacon wasn't especially crispy or flavorful and got buried under the biscuit, egg, and cheese.

Ketchup helped amp up the flavor, but I wasn't sure why I was still eating it at this point.

Score: 3/5

I've always loved McDonald's hash browns.

Mcdonald's hash brown in original wrapping
McDonald's hash browns are an iconic breakfast staple.Savanna Swain-Wilson for Insider

A menu staple for upwards of 40 years, McDonald's iconic oval-shaped hash-brown patties are known for their savory flavor and satisfying crunch.

Just as I remembered, these hash browns were scrumptious. The patty was perfectly toasted on the outside, with a soft, salty interior that wasn't mushy or wet.

Plus the handheld design is ideal for eating in the car, at the table, or down a busy street.

Score: 5/5

The chain's coffee was both smooth and light.

Mcdonald's iced coffee on a wooden table
McDonald's coffee almost reminded me of a latte.Savanna Swain-Wilson for Insider

McDonald's has been in the iced-coffee game for a hot minute and it shows. This drink had an ultra-smooth consistency that didn't taste super heavy, even if it was too sweet for my liking to finish.

Vanilla was clearly the dominant flavor, but it was well-mixed and didn't overpower the actual coffee.

Even though there's no espresso in this drink, I'd compare it to a milky beverage, like a latte.

Score: 3/5

SECOND PLACE: McDonald's serves a decent breakfast.

Mcdonald's packaged breakfast sandwich and hash browns on wooden table
I expected more for the price.Savanna Swain-Wilson for Insider

Even though the food tasted decent, it was pretty pricey for what I actually got. I was able to bundle my breakfast as a meal but was charged $0.89 to upgrade the beverage to iced coffee.

For nearly $9, I should be excited about every component, but that was not the case.

Total score: 12/15

Chick-fil-A's breakfast totaled up to $8.65.

Chick-fil-a breakfast spread on wooden table
Chick-fil-A serves its breakfast sandwich on a biscuit.Savanna Swain-Wilson for Insider

Although the chain is well known for its chicken sandwiches, Chick-fil-A has offered breakfast since the 1980s.

The chain's biscuit was the best of the bunch.

hand holding Chick-fil-a breakfast sandwich
This was a solid sandwich.Savanna Swain-Wilson for Insider

There was a lot that made me smile about this sandwich.

It easily had the best bread of the bunch — a warm and toasty Chick-fil-A biscuit that melted in my mouth.

If this was an egg-and-cheese sandwich ranking, I could easily see this option blowing away the competition since the scramble was delicious and fluffy.

Unfortunately, the bacon was bland and brittle.

Score: 4/5

Chick-fil-A's hash browns were salty and delicious.

Chick-fil-a hash browns in their original red box on wooden table
The chain's hash browns had a nice flavor.Savanna Swain-Wilson for Insider

I could actually taste the potato in these hash browns.

Since they're fried in canola oil, they had a much more mild flavor but were still salty enough that I couldn't help but reach for more.

Plus they came as bite-sized discs that fit perfectly into Chick-fil-A's ketchup cups, but these were so scrumptious that they didn't need the dip at all.

Score: 5/5

This iced coffee would be good with a little less sweetener.

hand holding Chick-fil-a iced coffee in front of beige wall
It had too much vanilla creamer.Savanna Swain-Wilson for Insider

The drink mostly tasted like a cup of vanilla creamer, but once I gave it a good stir I started to notice some coffee with a smooth, almost caramelly flavor.

It genuinely tasted good paired with the sandwich, so there's definitely potential with less sweetener.

Score: 3/5

WINNER: Chick-fil-A's breakfast was pretty delicious overall.

The write holding the Chick-Fil-A bag
Chick-fil-A's breakfast was pricey, but quite tasty.Savanna Swain-Wilson for Insider

Although Chick-fil-A offers impressive hash browns, breakfast sandwiches, and iced coffee, the nearly $9 price tag was pretty difficult to stomach.

It was the most expensive breakfast I tried, but if you have someone who's willing to share the hash browns with you, it might be worth the buy.

Total score: 12/15

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