Dunkin' Donuts Waffle Breakfast Sandwich vs. McD's McGriddle
You asked, we ate. I grabbed one of Dunkin' Donuts' new Waffle Breakfast Sandwiches and then a McDonald's McGriddle joint—DD's obvious inspiration—for comparison.
First impression while placing both unwrapped sandwiches side by side: Looks like we're getting a bigger sandwich from Dunkin', I thought. But then we unwrapped them, after the jump.
Unwrapped, the Waffle Breakfast Sandwich still looks like it has the larger diameter of the two. And you can't beat the cute grid pattern in terms of looks. (Although the embossed McDonald's M is a nice touch on the burger clown's part.)
But switching from the bird's eye view to the side-on camera reveals the difference in height. That McGriddle really towers above the D'waffle. Granted, some of the McGriddle's extra height is due to the fact it comes preconfigured with a sausage patty rather than the WBS's default "cherrywood smoked bacon."
Before we could taste, we needed one more photo—the innard view. And it gives a hint of the flavors to come. The McD's bread substrate is shot through with some sort of maple-flavored substance that gives the McGriddle a sweet counterpoint to the savoriness of the sausage patty. The Dunkin' waffle, on the other hand, has no visual evidence of syrup flavoring. And tasting it bears out that observation.
The Dunkin' waffle sandwich was fairly lackluster in comparison to the McGriddle, with no discernible sweetness, despite the fact that Dunkin' touts it as "maple-infused." The waffles were dry and bland and really could have used the butter and syrup duo their kind usually pals around with. On a positive note, the egg of the Waffle Breakfast Sandwich was a bit more moist than the McGriddle egg—a redeeming factor, but one that was only evident when we separated out all components for individual taste-testing.
The most important draw of either of these sandwiches is the combination of sweet and savory. At best, they should offer all the pleasure of a forkful of salty pork paired with a bite of spongy-springy syrup-soaked waffle or pancake—but in a portable, one-handed form factor. McD's product lives up to that promise. Dunkin's falls short.
My hope is that the doughnut masters retool the waffle a bit and amp up the sweetness. But they only have a short time to do it. According to a press release I received, the Waffle Breakfast Sandwich is only available through March 17 (and only at participating DD locations).
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27 Comments:
Maybe you could take a Dunkin Maple Glazed Donut and put it in the middle for your sweetness....But I'm sure that wouldn't be healthy.... errr.... something.
Pavlov at 7:44AM on 02/05/09
Thanks Adam--what responsiveness to SE comments! :)
I have to say, I've never quite gotten the maple (sweet) and savory thing. Waffle + runny sunnyside-up egg=good. Waffle + maple syrup and butter=good. Waffle, maple syrup, and egg to me just does not compute. And the words maple 'infused' (flavored) waffles just gives me a creepy-crawly sensation.
HeartofGlass at 8:53AM on 02/05/09
yay more fast food crap. wash it down wish some syrup, why not?
spartana07 at 8:59AM on 02/05/09
I'm curious how you go about these reviews. Do you do your anatomy breakdown and photographs from a set of two, buy two more, and immediately taste? Or do your diagnosis only on a pair and use the same one for tasting?
Mike13241 at 9:05AM on 02/05/09
I was a senior in college when the McGriddle was introduced. A lot of nights my friends and I would make it a point to stay out till 5AM just so that we could roll over to a McDonalds when they started serving them....
JudgeFudge at 9:36AM on 02/05/09
As a public service, can you please not do any more detailed innard shots of either sandwich? There is nothing in those pictures that makes me want to eat it.
ESNY1077 at 9:48AM on 02/05/09
@spartana07: Glug, glug. Thanks for the suggestion.
@Mike13241: I think it's highly presumptuous on your part that you'd think I'd divulge our top secret reviewing technique. But, yes, we sample a set in situ and then grab another set for photos, nibbling from that set, too, for very direct comparison.
@ESNY1077: I'll have Robyn take the innards shots next time. Her photo skills would make a turd look edible.
Adam Kuban at 10:02AM on 02/05/09
I will have to agree that the DD sandwich fell short. It came as a soggy, flattened mess. What about the claim to be "oven toasted"? Not so much. I would stick with McD's any day. But, if you are a fast food junkie like me, at least try it once for yourself.
juleslov at 10:12AM on 02/05/09
@juleslov: But it is oven-toasted. I saw them oven-toast mine. Trouble is, they seem to be doing all the "cooking" (more like reheating) in those TurboChef ovens rather than on a griddle or by making the waffles there. Not that any fast-food place isn't going to cut corners in some way, but when you see the pieces being reheated in little cardboard trays before being assembled into a sandwich, you know you're in for something a little less than awesome.
Adam Kuban at 10:22AM on 02/05/09
I first read about the McGriddle when I was living in the UK, where it isn't sold. So I made my own with honey-soaked crumpets, scrambled eggs, a chipolata sausage slit in half and some sauteed back bacon. *groan of pleasure at the memory* Don't eat this weird egg-sponge stuff--make that instead.
Michele Humes at 12:23PM on 02/05/09
You are my hero for this article. I have been an undercover McGriddles support since they debuted.
Like putting syrup in your scrambled eggs. Why not?
TheUE at 12:48PM on 02/05/09
The McD egg looks much "eggier," kinda fluffy and holey. The DD egg doesn't even look real.
Kerosena at 1:36PM on 02/05/09
How can you compare height when you the Dunkin Waffle has bacon and the McGriddle has sausage? And, the bottom of the waffle looks like it's been flattened. I had the waffle today and it had visible maple bits in it with a nice aroma. Not as sweet as McGriddle, which I think is preferrable.
fastfoodjunkie30 at 1:40PM on 02/05/09
@fastfoodjunkie30: I did pay a slight nod to this discrepancy: "Granted, some of the McGriddle's extra height is due to the fact it comes preconfigured with a sausage patty rather than the WBS's default "cherrywood smoked bacon."
In the end, the height is no big deal. Flavor is king, and the McGriddle retained its sweet-savory breakfast sandwich crown. (I stlll prefer the Sausage Egg McMuffin, though, when it comes to fast-food breakfast sandwiches.)
Adam Kuban at 1:42PM on 02/05/09
@Adam Kuban: You can order the DD sandwich with a sausage patty and I think it really changes flavor profile.
fastfoodjunkie30 at 1:48PM on 02/05/09
The DD eggs always weird me out, but I am fascinated by the idea in the first comment about putting it in a doughnut. Mmm, forbidden donut.
cakespy at 1:52PM on 02/05/09
Adam, you have a hard job. I'm sure that the rest of your SE peers appreciate you taking one for the team.
CanadianFoodieGirl at 2:29PM on 02/05/09
@CanadianFoodieGirl: I actually like the McGriddle once in a while. So that was no problem. I only ate about a half of each one, in total. Maybe 1.25.
Adam Kuban at 2:32PM on 02/05/09
I was going to follow my comment with another noting that I was being facetious but then I got distracted.
CanadianFoodieGirl at 4:44PM on 02/05/09
@CFG: Yeah. I know you were joking. I'm not 100 percent serious here, either. ;)
Adam Kuban at 5:47PM on 02/05/09
It should be noted that while the DD sandwich rings in at 390 calories, that version of the mcgriddle is 550 calories.
They're both disgusting, and I want to eat both of them right now.
bobloblawlovesme at 8:54PM on 02/05/09
The Dunkin Donuts egg looks like Tamago!
ag3208 at 11:03PM on 02/05/09
Can you get the McGriddle with the poached egg they use for McMuffin sandwiches? Then it would be PERFECT.
TheCheapChick at 1:52AM on 02/06/09
You know, the sweet-savory thing always freaked me out when I was younger. When I first saw someone add syrup to their sausages for breakfast, my mind literally flipped. I thought I wouldn't like the McGriddle when I tried it, but ... I actually quite like the flavor combination :)
jujube at 2:13AM on 02/06/09
The DD egg looks like a slice of cafeteria flan. That said, I'd take properly crisped waffles for a sandwich over pancakes anyday.
Oh, and eggs with maple syrup rock, as anyone who's been to the sugar shack can attest. Just not too much -- you want more egg than syrup.
piccola at 9:23PM on 02/06/09
Theres this kid in my class that EVERYDAY brings in a Mcgriddle. The smell is intoxicating. I've never had a Mcgriddle...but probably will.
DD doesn't stand a chance with McD's!
ruthbleu at 3:07PM on 02/08/09
I love maple flavored everything... I once saw on television that they use maple crystals to get that syrupy delicious taste in the McGriddles. It's harder to find, and since it is just concentrated maple syrup... it's very expensive for a tiny little container of it. Since I discovered the stuff i've been baking it into anything that I want to be studded with maple goodness.
ulyric at 1:45AM on 02/09/09