A Tasty Experiment

Who's got the best Big Mac?

I was watching television one evening when I saw a commercial for a McDonald's Big Mac. Then I saw a commercial for a Hardee's burger named a Big Hardee. Hmmmm, that's interesting. It looks a lot like a Big Mac. If that wasn't weird enough, Jack in the Box aired a commercial for their Bonus Jack, which also looked a lot like a Big Mac. They're all definitely trying to copy it....it made me a little curious. Being an unapologetic Big Mac lover, I decided the best way to settle this issue would be to try them all and blog about it! So, follow me on my search for the best, biggest, mac-iest Big Mac.

My first stop was to Hardee's. Their Big Hardee sandwich was advertised as a large, messy sandwich that bounced around when thrown on the table...It looked very tasty and it appeared that they may have improved on the sandwich design by replacing a piece of bun with an additional patty.

Let's get the nutrition mumbo jumbo out of the way!

Calories: 730

Fat: 51g

It appears to be quite a big sandwich! I wondered if I could even eat the entire meal... The service at Hardee's was pretty good. I placed the order with a friendly cashier who also delivered my lunch to my table when it was ready. My concerns about the size quickly vanished when my food arrived at my table. From first impressions, it looked like a tiny single cheesburger.

Not promising! The "secret sauce" competitor was barely added. The patties tasted burnt and overpowered everything. Those three tiny patties were stacked haphazardly, and after I reassembled the burger, it still was tiny. The meal cost me $4.95 with tax, but failed to impress me.

The next burger I tried was at Jack in the Box. The Bonus Jack looked more like a traditional Big Mac. The last time I visited JITB, I was less than impressed. The food and service were not very good, but I was willing to give this another try in the name of blogging.

Calories: 540

Fat: 33g

Other than the squashed appearance, the sandwich was larger than the Big Hardee. It was very tasty! There was plenty of Jack's special sauce and it tasted more like a traditional Mac. The service was pretty intense, with a personal visit to my table to ask about the sandwich, but it was refreshing. I liked this visit a lot! After tax, it cost me $4.84.

I couldn't blog about fake Big Macs without including the original. I've enjoyed a "#1" before there was such a thing as an Extra Value Meal. In fact, I fondly remember riding my bicycle up to Mickey D's as a kid for a summer lunch, with an awesome Batman Returns cup. So are my memories biased or is this still the best option?

The McDonald's by our house has phenomenal service. The staff are always polite, professional and the quality is always top notch. I ordered up a #1 and sat down to take a closer look.

Calories: 540

Fat: 29g

The Big Mac was the only contender not squashed and held itself together very neatly. It was the tallest of the three and had the best amount of ingredients. Taste was excellent and you can't beat those fries, either! In a twisted way, it was the healthiest burger out of the three... but that isn't saying much of anything. After tax: $5.82.

Well, here's the final verdict. Who has the best Big Mac? McDonald's! They've had years to work on this thing, and while it hasn't changed much, it is a pretty solid formula. Plus, I still prefer their french fries. Runner up? Jack in the Box. Go out and enjoy one...no, wait. I can't really recommend anyone eats a meal this unhealthy, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do: wink, wink.