Wendy's English Muffin Breakfast Sandwiches Review: A Soggy Swing And A Miss
The overall success of Wendy's' most recent entry into the fast food breakfast game is sort of staggering — not solely because its launch occurred mere weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic exploded in earnest in March 2020. After all, having failed to stake its claim on the morning menu market thrice before, history wasn't exactly on the Dave Thomas-founded restaurant's side. Yet more than three years later, Wendy's breakfast menu isn't just thriving, it's expanding — including the addition of English muffin breakfast sandwiches to its morning offerings.
First released on the morning of August 22, 2023, some (including this writer) may instinctively believe Wendy's has its sights set squarely on the king of the fast food breakfast sandwich mountain: the Egg McMuffin. But whether or not the fast food chain intends to take down McDonald's all-time classic menu item is unclear — and the move may be a simple matter of Wendy's choosing to increase its menu selections to provide customers more options.
Either way, we were eager (as always) to discover how Wendy's new English muffin breakfast sandwiches tasted once available. And thanks to the kind folks at Wendy's, we were able to do so. If you're curious whether the international conglomerate's latest product reaches the high standard set with its preexisting breakfast menu? Keep reading as we discuss — and review — Wendy's new English muffin breakfast sandwiches.
What's in Wendy's English Muffin Breakfast Sandwiches?
Realistically, the ingredients found in Wendy's latest a.m. food creations aren't apt to set the fast-food world on fire. In fact, with the exception of the bread at hand, there's very little discernible difference between the new English muffin breakfast sandwiches and the chain's already-available biscuit-based breakfast sandwiches — at least those containing bacon and sausage.
Just like the bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit sandwich, the new English muffin breakfast sandwich contains a fresh-cooked fried egg — Grade A quality, as the company likes to tout – a slice of American cheese, and the meat of your choice (either bacon or a sausage patty). Of course, unlike the biscuit varieties, Wendy's newest version is housed on a toasted English muffin instead of a buttermilk biscuit.
Wendy's doesn't appear to butter its biscuits before preparation. By contrast, the new English muffin breakfast sandwiches allegedly feature a "buttery spread" — which is actually a combination of margarine and butter (hence the name).
How much do Wendy's English Muffin Breakfast Sandwiches cost?
Since it's well-known a product's price tends to vary depending on where (and how) one chooses to purchase it, it's impossible to provide a set-in-stone cost for Wendy's new English Muffin breakfast sandwiches. However, that doesn't mean we're incapable of providing a general price range for the likely potential cost of an English muffin breakfast sandwich — no matter which Wendy's a person patronizes.
For starters, at our local Wendy's restaurants in the Lowell, Massachusetts area (including the restaurant where we obtained our order), each version of Wendy's new English muffin breakfast sandwich (bacon or sausage) will cost consumers $3.89. Of course, if you're in another part of the country — or choosing to buy your breakfast through a delivery app such as Uber Eats or DoorDash — the price may increase, though it's apt to remain less than $5 or so for the sandwich alone.
If you'd prefer to make your order a combo and add seasoned potatoes along with a drink (usually coffee). You can expect it to cost a few dollars more, with a projected cost between $6.50 and $8.50 for the meal option.
How long are Wendy's English Muffin Breakfast Sandwiches available and where?
If you've been paying attention thus far, you're already well aware of the official release date for Wendy's English muffin breakfast sandwiches. After all, as of August 22, 2023, the fast food chain's most recent addition to its a.m. menu is available at any location where breakfast is offered.
Many of the food products we're tasked with sampling (and consequently reviewing) fall into the category of limited-time promotions — mainly because there tends to be some inherent novelty involved — in the case of Wendy's newest morning-time menu item. There's no end date in sight.
In fact, Wendy's new English muffin breakfast sandwiches appear to be a permanent addition to its menu (seemingly replacing the breakfast sandwiches it previously sold on plain, hamburger-type buns). With that in mind, we can't exactly tell you how long it'll be available — because we can't predict the future or whether Wendy's will decide to discontinue it someday.
What is the nutrition info for Wendy's English Muffin Breakfast Sandwiches?
By and large, Wendy's new English muffin breakfast sandwiches aren't exactly diet killers regarding nutritional profiles. But that doesn't mean the new breakfast sandwiches are nutritional dynamos by any means, either.
Now, if you're ordering a bacon, egg, and cheese English muffin breakfast sandwich, you'll be obtaining a product with a relatively reasonable 390 calories and 17 grams of protein to boot. However, the bacon version also contains 21 grams of fat per sandwich and 910 mg of sodium — or more than one-third of the daily recommended sodium intake.
Of course, compared to the sausage patty variety, Wendy's bacon English muffin breakfast sandwich may as well be the pillar of a healthy diet. After all, the sausage version contains a whopping 550 calories per sandwich, as well as a substantially higher amount of fat (37 grams) and sodium (1030 mg). The sausage version does contain more protein than the bacon option with 21 grams — though that's hardly enough to offset the remaining, far less nutritious nature of the sausage versus bacon.
How does it compare to other Wendy's breakfast products?
We've already made it clear the new English muffin breakfast sandwiches from Wendy's are a dead ringer for some of the fast food restaurant's biscuit breakfast sandwiches (minus the biscuit). But we'd be neglecting our job if we ignored the additional set of breakfast sandwiches it sells. In that sense, it's worth exploring how Wendy's English muffin breakfast sandwiches compare to the chain's croissant-based breakfast sandwiches, as well.
Unlike its close relative in the biscuit sandwiches, the new English muffin breakfast sandwiches have a fairly strong differentiating factor compared to the croissant varieties — and we don't simply mean the bread. After all, Wendy's croissant breakfast sandwiches don't use a slice of American cheese but a Swiss cheese sauce instead.
In all honesty, then, this means there's no real comparison between the flavors of Wendy's English muffin breakfast sandwiches and the croissant breakfast sandwiches. Or, to be more precise, the alternate cheese options means you'll never mistake one for the other.
Wendy's English Muffin Breakfast Sandwiches Verdict: A Thoroughly Lackluster New Addition
In light of our longstanding adoration for all things Wendy's, it pains us to write the actual review portion of this review. But we're bound to be truthful above all else (our journalistic integrity demands it, quite frankly) and can only be honest in our critical assessment. So, while we'd love to tell you otherwise, Wendy's new English muffin breakfast sandwiches were an utter disappointment — and the shockingly bland English muffins left us longing for the chain's croissants and biscuits.
To be clear, Wendy's English muffin breakfast sandwiches were decidedly lackluster for one reason: the English muffin itself. The purportedly toasted bread was soggy five minutes after ordering, and while black pepper was visibly present, if any butter was spread on these English muffins, as advertised? It eluded our tastebuds. Now, each slice of bacon was a salty, crispy piece of heaven, and the fried egg and melted American cheese were absolutely delightful on each sandwich, as well.
Additionally, though the sausage patty's flavor profile somewhat reminded us of a Jimmy Dean frozen product, we've always been fond of that brand — meaning our only quibbles came with the English muffin. In that regard, we're happy to continue recommending Wendy's breakfast menu for any a.m. breakfast goers. But unless some drastic improvements are made to its latest addition, we'd suggest you steer clear of the new English muffin breakfast sandwiches in the near future.