Square It Off

Since I recently went through and reviewed a few quick items from the menus of both McDonalds and Burger King, it seemed only fitting to go for the third major burger chain and look at their stuff too. I used to be a huge fan of Wendy’s, eating them more often than I probably should have because I really enjoyed the spicy chicken sandwich they serve. But over time I’ve kind of evolved away from them, finding most of their menu items to be pretty basic and uninteresting. Still, there are options on offer worth looking at, so let’s take a beat to see what Wendy’s has.

So let's take a quick tour of some basic items to see how Wendy's is doing:

Baconator

This is, of course, their big sandwich, the one they advertise to stand up against the Big Mac and the Whopper. I’ll admit that up until this past weekend I hadn’t had one before. My thought was, “it’s a Wendy’s burger with bacon on it.” That’s not really anything special since Wendy’s has had some form of a bacon sandwich on the menu for as long as I can remember (the Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger at a minimum). Putting out another bacon burger doesn’t seem all that interesting.

And, fact of the matter is, it’s not. This is basically a Wendy’s burger with bacon on it. The burger (which you can get in single patty or double sizes, and I got the single because I don’t want to die young) comes with strips of applewood smoked bacon, American cheese, ketchup, and mayo, all on a soft “premium” bun. You know what else comes from Wendy’s with bacon, cheese, mayo, and ketchup? The Big Bacon Classic, and that one also has lettuce, tomato, and onion on it. The only real difference between the Baconator and the Big Bacon Classic is that you get less in the way of toppings for the premium burger.

As far as taste is concerned, it’s a decent Wendy’s burger. The bacon is nice on the burger, salty with a solid crunch, and the mayo and ketchup to accent the salt of the bacon and cheese. Like, it’s a nice combo, but then so is the Big Bacon Classic. Both are solid burgers and they achieve the same goal: bacon on burger for a “premium” burger. In essence, the only reason to get one over the other is whether you want veggies on it or not. But then, you could just order the Big Bacon Classic sans veggies and you’d get the same experience.

In short, I really don’t know who this sandwich is for. Were there enough people out there going, “I really want a bacon burger but telling them, ‘no veggies,’ is just too hard!” I don’t see it. This is just a catchy name applied to a burger Wendy’s was already selling, a menu item without any extra creativity involved. It’s fine, but then so is every other Wendy’s burger on the menu.

Fries

I ragged on Burger King’s fries in my review of their food because, man, their fries are awful. They’re easily the worst of the lot from the various fast food joints. While I wouldn’t call Wendy’s fries the best of the lot, they are miles better than Burger King’s offering. They have a better, more potato-y flavor, and they don’t require as much salt to be good. The “natural cut” style they use makes you feel like you’re eating something that might, at one point, actually have been a potato, as opposed to whatever processed starch and meal Burger King makes their fries from.

And, frankly, Wendy’s fries hold up better in the long run. They have better flavor, and they’re good even after they start to cool. Being “natural” aids them in this as you don’t mind if a normal potato isn’t as crispy after a few minutes. It is, overall, a far better experience. There are better fries out there (Five Guys, Steak ‘n Shake, to name two), but Wendy’s is perfectly snackable.

Triple Berry Frosty

I don’t tend to go in for fruity flavors in my shakes. I like chocolate, sometimes vanilla, or some combination of them, and that’s usually it. With that said, I am always willing to give something a try for the sake of a review. When I was in Wendy’s they had their limited edition Triple Berry Frosty and, just in case it was truly terrible (or maybe even halfway decent) I knew I had to get one. I ordered up a small, grabbed the bright purple drink that came to me afterwards and gave the whole thing a sip.

Well, okay, I tried desperately to hoover any of it up into the straw but the mix was way too thick. So after letting it warm for a bit and get gooey, I then gave the whole thing a sip.

Honestly, it was pretty good. The flavor is subtle at the start, tasting like vanilla with just a bit of berry flavor. The more you drink on it, though, the more berry-forward the flavor gets, and it’s a pretty good flavor. It tastes like berries (and not artificial berry flavor), like real berry-flavored ice cream was used in the Frosty-making experience. It’s actually a drinkable shake, even coming from someone that wouldn’t normally order this.

Wendy’s advertises it as having strawberry, blackberry, and raspberry flavors. Of those, I could definitely taste the blackberry. I would have guessed blackberry and blueberry were in it as the flavors are subtle and not too strong. I didn’t really taste the strawberry or raspberry, but they’re probably there as much for color as flavor. Blackberry-forward is good, though, and it makes for a tasty shake. Honestly, while it’s in stock, I do suggest giving it a sip.