The Value Menu Burger Comparison – Wendy’s, McDonalds, Carl’s Jr.

Since the popular thing for any fast food restaurant is their Value Menu and because we all love a $1 price tag, I figured it was time to compare the Value Menu burgers at a few of fast food burger joints.  First I hit Wendy’s for a Wendy’s Double Stack which is a simple two pattie burger with cheese between a cheap Wendy’s bun.  Then I went to McDonalds and got their new McDouble which is simply the previously famous Double Cheeseburger minus one slice of cheese.  Finally I went to Carl’s Jr. for the Big Hamburger which is the Carl’s Jr. cheapskate burger without any cheese.

Already you can see that both McDonalds and Wendy’s does include cheese on their Value Menu burger so they get a point, maybe.  I took all three, in their respective bags back to my office for analysis, evaluation and digestion.  Here are my comments:

Wendy’s Double Stack – was two little square patties with cheese, pickle, ketchup and onions.  I’m typically a fan of the Wendy’s experience and rarely complain but the Double Stack wasn’t very good.  The bun tasted like a cheap generic grocery store roll that had been squished under the rest of the groceries.  It soaked up the greasy burger juice really quickly and the whole thing was less than average.  I had to also do some surgery on the burger because they were obviously in a hurry to get me in and out while making this since have the burger was outside of the bun “circle of influence”.  Overall this was the worst burger.

McDonalds McDouble – was a surprise because I was still expecting their Double cheeseburger but after asking the McDonalds worker what the difference was she said it was simply one slice of cheese and I can handle that.  The McDouble was juicy and the bun held the burger well.  It’s bigger than the Double Stack and the McDonalds assembly line was definitely better than Wendy’s on this trip.  Everything held together well and the toppings were spread out throughout the entire burger.  Made of two patties, one slice of cheese, ketchup, pickle, McDonalds onions and the standard McDonalds bun the McDonalds McDouble value burger was better than Wendy’s and definitely bigger.

Carl’s Jr. Big Hamburger – was a the only Value burger without cheese but by far the largest burger for a buck.  The Carl’s Jr Big Hamburger was also the only burger with a sesame seed bun which means it was by far the best quality bun.  Made of a charbroiled beef pattie, onions, pickle, ketchup and mustard it had a good chew, was the biggest burger and was the Overall Best Burger on any Value menu I visited.  If you have a dollar and need a burger, the Big Hamburger is my choice.