It’s on, people.
It appears there is a little war going on in fast food land. Three major fast food chains are all offering a meal for 4 bucks.
Times are tough. Nobody has any money. We certainly don’t. So, it stands to reason that in an age where people are counting pennies (and in some cases, saving pennies from the couch in order to buy a fast food meal!), the fast food joints would try to attract the money-conscious consumer.
Besides, fast food prices are getting insane. Wendy’s is probably the worst offender, in our opinion. Wendy’s combo meals start with the small size. Some of the combos get close to ten bucks. You want a bigger size? Costs more yet. Burger King and the rest are pretty bad, too. In an age where jobs pay 8 bucks an hour (and most of these jobs have a half-hour lunch), it really sucks to have to work an hour to pay for lunch. And where is someone with a half-hour lunch gonna go? You get the idea.
For all of these reasons, this new war of the fast food $4 deals has erupted.
We will be focusing on Wendy’s, Burger King, and Hardee’s (and Carl’s Jr.). These are the national chains with the $4 deal. Some other places like McDonald’s and Subway have similar deals. But, they differ enough that we aren’t going to include them. The $4 war seems to be with the three we are covering.
Let’s take a look and see what you get, shall we Snobs?
Wendy’s – Wendy’s is offering the 4 for $4. It includes a Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger, 4-piece chicken nuggets with 1 sauce included, small fries, and a small drink.
Burger King – BK is doing the 5 for $4 Deal. It includes a bacon cheeseburger, 4-piece chicken nuggets, small fries, small drink, and a chocolate chip cookie.
Hardee’s/Carl’s Jr. – Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. have The $4 Real Deal. It includes a double cheeseburger, a spicy chicken sandwich, small fries, and a 16-ounce drink.
All of these deals are for a limited time only.
So which one is the best deal? Only we can decide! Time for some analysis (we feel like we should be laughing at this word for some reason!).
Wendy’s – It seems to us that Wendy’s was the first place with a deal like this. So apparently, Wendy’s was actually an innovator on something! Imagine that. Admittedly, Denny is a frequent flyer at Wendy’s, despite thinking it sucks now. He thought the deal was pretty good, and has gotten it as a snack several times.
The Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger is the same one that’s been on Wendy’s “value” menu. If you have had it, you know there is virtually no beef on it. But on its own, the burger is almost 2 bucks. So when you consider that the deal includes a drink, some fries, and four nuggets with sauce, it is a pretty good deal. And again, Wendy’s set the bar here. If you have a craving for some Wendy’s, it’s good. But others have beaten Wendy’s.
Burger King – BK upped the ante by offering 5 items. The bacon cheeseburger, like Wendy’s, is the same one that is on the regular cheaper menu. Again, we have 4 nuggets. The only real difference here is that BK throws in a cookie. Whoopie.
It is clear to us that BK was just trying to match Wendy’s, and sweeten the deal with a cookie. There isn’t anything revolutionary here, people. It can be argued that the burger is a little bit bigger on BK’s version as compared to Wendy’s. But here, it is all going to come down to your preference between the two. A good deal, anyway.
Hardee’s/Carl’s Jr. – These guys really took it to a new level. Instead of 4 dinky nuggets, these suckers are putting a second sandwich into the mix. And not only is it a chicken sandwich, but it is a SPICY chicken sandwich. Nifty.
The double cheeseburger is the same as the one on the regular cheaper menu. The chicken sandwich appears to be unique to this deal, however. It is not on the regular menu.
One difference Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. has when compared to the others is no bacon on the double cheeseburger. We don’t really miss the bacon, though. And why? There is WAY more meat on this burger than the other guys. This is worth the loss of the bacon, people.
And we swear the fries are bigger in this deal than the others. We didn’t actually measure. What do we look like, scientists? The size of the fries seems bigger, and that’s good enough for us.
Check out our full review on this deal here.
Final Verdict: Hardee’s/Carl’s Jr. wins. Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. feels like a meal. Wendy’s and Burger King is more like a snack. BK wins on the numbers since they offer 5 things, but nuggets and a cookie don’t impress us. Do people really go into a joint and order a burger and 4 nuggets anyway? We prefer getting 2 sandwiches. Keep your cookie. Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. for the win.
What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.
