I tried every item on Wendy's new breakfast menu that is rolling out nationwide, and it blew me away

Irene Jiang

Sep 15, 2019, 18:17 IST

I tried every item on Wendy's new breakfast menu that is rolling out nationwide, and it blew me away

Irene Jiang / Business Insider

Wendy's new breakfast menu has some real hard-hitter, such as the Breakfast Baconator.

On Tuesday, Wendy's announced that it would be rolling out a breakfast menu nationwide in 2020.
The chain's stock dropped by over 11% on Tuesday after the chain revised its profit due to the breakfast announcement.
I went to a Wendy's location that was testing the breakfast menu and tried everything on it.
Investors should keep calm and carry on - the new menu has some real hard-hitters that are sure to please fans, like the Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit and the Breakfast Baconator.
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Wendy's is entering the breakfast arena again, the chain announced on Monday.

But not everyone's as excited about the news. Investor trepidation - possibly due to Wendy's many short-lived dalliances with breakfast over the years - caused the company's stock to drop by over 11% after the announcement was made.

It just so happens that the Wendy's closest to Business Insider's New York office is one of the 300 locations around the nation that is testing out the breakfast menu ahead of time.

Naturally, I went to that Wendy's and ordered everything on the breakfast menu (except for apple slices and the granola bar, because who goes to Wendy's for apple slices or granola?)

The verdict? Some items were clear flops, but others were definitely a potent threat to the competition. Overall, I'd say that Wendy's got it right this time.

Here's how its breakfast menu stacks up.

The haul: nine sandwiches, a burrito, some fried potatoes, and two kinds of iced coffee.

BREAKFAST BACONATOR — First up, and already the most iconic of the lineup. The breakfast Baconator is essentially a breakfast version of Wendy's iconic Baconator.

The Breakfast Baconator replaces the two beef patties in the classic Baconator with a square sausage patty and a round fried egg. True to its name, it also has a ton of bacon.

It's perfect in every way except the bun, which doesn't taste very breakfasty. Savory sausage, fresh egg, crispy bacon, and tangy cheese all come together to make a wholly delicious, if very heavy, breakfast sandwich.

SAUSAGE EGG AND CHEESE BISCUIT — This is a biscuit cut in half and stuffed with Wendy's square sausage and a round fried egg topped with melted American cheese.

It's absolutely delicious, and the highlight here is Wendy's buttery, crumbly biscuit.

The sausage is savory and spicy with a hint of lemon zest. I'm personally not a fan of the lemon, but otherwise, I was very happy with this sandwich.

BACON EGG AND CHEESE BISCUIT — The name is self-explanatory: it's a biscuit with bacon, egg, and cheese on it.

This one was a bit plainer than the sausage biscuit. The bacon was lackluster because there simply wasn't enough of it on the sandwich.

However, this sandwich really allows for the hearty fried egg and American cheese combo to take the limelight.

HONEY BUTTER CHICKEN SANDWICH — This is one of the simplest items on Wendy's breakfast menu: biscuit + butter + chicken. I'm usually skeptical of anything that looks too beige, and this was no exception.

But, oh my, was this good! I've never before fallen so deeply in love at first bite. The crumbly, buttery biscuit was a cozy, welcoming home for the crispy chicken inside.

Soft, juicy, flavorful, and yet oh-so-crispy outside, the chicken was an absolute stunner. The maple butter contributed a subtle sweet overtone that made this sandwich stand out. Chick-fil-A, watch out. Wendy's is coming for your chicken biscuit!

SAUSAGE EGG AND CHEESE BURRITO — This was listed under the "sides" section of the breakfast menu, although it's basically a sausage egg and cheese sandwich in a tortilla.

After a great triumph often comes an even greater fall. This burrito is that fall: an uninspiring combination of overcooked scrambled eggs, a smattering of crumbled sausage, and barely noticeable cheese in a tough, bland tortilla

Nothing about this burrito justifies its existence. I can only hope for Wendy's sake that the chain decides to nix it from its breakfast menu before the nationwide rollout.

CHOCOLATE FROSTY-CCINO — This was described by Wendy's as "cold-brew coffee mixed with either chocolate or vanilla Frosty cream," leading to my expectation that this would be an affogato-like concoction.

Alas, it did not have actual Frosty, just the cream used to make Frostys. And that was actually surprisingly good. It was rich, creamy, and sweet, and not too much of any of those things.

This tasted a lot like a melted mocha freeze from Costco, and I'm a huge fan of those, so I was a fan of this. I still think it would have been better with actual Frosty ice cream in it. Oh well.

SAUSAGE EGG AND CHEESE CROISSANT — Wendy's breaks out new pain-au-chocolat-shaped croissants for characteristically square breakfast sandwiches including this one.

Mild, mushy, and inoffensive, the sausage egg and cheese croissant may make a great meal for someone who enjoys their food bland and very chewable. The croissant was also very squished, which is not how I like my croissants.

It's one of my least favorite items on the menu. There's only one flavor: salty. And there's only one texture: soft.

BACON EGG AND CHEESE CROISSANT — Since everything on this sandwich is either round or malleable, I'm not sure why the bun is still square. Wendy's does Wendy's, I guess.

It's stacked with bacon, and the bun is significantly fluffier than the one on the sausage croissant, although that may have been a fluke.

Although it's still pretty good, it's otherwise unexciting. It's a standard bacon egg and cheese sandwich with Wendy's trademark of slightly higher-quality ingredients on a croissant bun.

MAPLE BACON CHICKEN CROISSANT — Oh boy, here comes that chicken again. This is a croissant-wich with crispy chicken, maple butter, and plenty of bacon.

Drop everything right now and get yourself to a Wendy's that has this sandwich. You won't regret it.

It's sweet, savory, and buttery, but not at all greasy. The chicken batter is slightly spicy, and the chicken itself is juicy and tender.

SEASONED HOMESTYLE POTATOES — No hash browns at Wendy's for breakfast. Instead, the chain will be serving up half-moon-shaped homestyle potatoes, which are seasoned and deep-fried.

These were also astonishingly good. Crunchy outside, soft inside with a mouthwatering combo of seasonings, I definitely couldn't eat just one.

They tasted kind of like Arby's curly fries but less spicy. I'm not sure if they could replace hash browns' place in my heart, but these are far superior to any other fried potato item Wendy's has previously offered.

COLD BREW ICED COFFEE — Is it iced coffee, or is it cold brew? I'd get an iced coffee from Wendy's, but not cold brew.

This cold brew doesn't compare to anything you could get from a local coffee shop. It's sour, weak, and underwhelming compared to better stuff. But it's also better than an iced coffee. If you're in a bind and need a quick fix, this'll do.

SAUSAGE EGG AND CHEESE SANDWICH — I suppose this is the answer to McDonald's McMuffin, kind of. It has a cornmeal-dusted breakfast roll for a bun, and at first glance isn't especially appealing.

But looks can deceive. This was my favorite of all the sausage egg and cheese sandwiches. It turns out that all that combination needed to fulfill its true potential was a plain, sturdy, dependable bun.

The breakfast roll bun is surprisingly good on this sandwich. Its chewy and soft texture with a hint of grain provides a much-needed contrast to the soft and savory sausage, egg, and cheese.

BACON EGG AND CHEESE SANDWICH — Swap out the sausage in the previous sandwich with bacon, and you've got this sandwich. At this point, I don't blame you if they're all starting to kind of blend together.

This sandwich was also good, but not as good as the sausage sandwich. The plentiful bacon was a boon, but bacon does better with fluffy rather than chewy buns.

Still, I'd take a bacon egg and cheese McMuffin over this sandwich any day. It was fine.

In the wake of many large bites and a very full stomach, what did I learn about Wendy's new breakfast menu?

The breakfast Baconator stands out as a solid new flagship breakfast item for the chain. It's tasty, filling, and unique.

But Wendy's will become a real contender in the chicken ring. Its chicken breakfast sandwiches are obsession-worthy and its biscuits are not to be sniffed at.

Wendy's breakfast chicken sandwiches could be a major game-changer. They're so powerfully delicious that chicken-centered chains have reason to be scared.

Sure, it may have a troubling history, but breakfast at Wendy's is back and better than ever.

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