The Battle of Fastfood Burgers

Everyone gets that craving, whether its laziness, gluttony or an unconscious desire to indulge in its hearty and savoury allure—we all crave a cheeseburger every now an then. If our pockets were deep, this issue would address those wholesome gourmet burgers, but as penny pinching college students, the focus at hand is fastfood joints.

The Contenders (all single patty with cheese):

1. McDonald’s Quarter Pounder
2. Wendy’s Big Bacon Classic
3. A&W Teen Burger
4. Burger King Whopper
   
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1. McDonald’s Quarter Pounder

Health
510 Calories, 26g of Fat, 90mg of Cholesterol, 1190mg of Sodium, 29g of Protein
If you’ve seen Super Size Me, you’d know that McDonald’s doesn’t exactly take pride in the quality of their beef or even food for that matter. Although this is just one documentary, McDonald’s old ad campaign of “100% Pure Beef” was foiled after it was revealed that the title was simply the name of their supplier and the beef was in fact riddled with additives and fillers.  

Last Place

Taste
The Quarter Pounder seems to get neglected by McDonald’s as it tries to push it’s healthy choices menu and we all know that the Big Mac is the chain’s go to belt-buster. It often leaves one feeling unhealthy and barely satisfied.

Last Place 

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2. Wendy’s Big Bacon Classic

Health
590 Calories, 30g of Fat, 90mg of Cholesterol, 1150mg of Sodium, 34g of Protein 
Wendy’s won their lawsuit a few years back, proving that they do in fact serve only fresh and never frozen beef. Nutritionists and analysts alike have found Wendy’s to be superior in their supply of meats, using real chicken breast and local beef. This helps to explain their high amounts of sodium, a preservative for their more “real” meat.

First Place

Taste
The Big Bacon Classic is ALWAYS my fast food burger of choice. It possesses an unrivalled freshness for a fastfood burger, even better than some gourmet burger joints. If you haven’t tried this burger, you are missing out.

First Place

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3. A&W Teen Burger

Health
500 Calories, 24g of Fat, 75mg of Cholesterol, 1290mg of Sodium, 30g of Protein
The Teen burger is smaller than it’s competitors, preventing excessive gorging. The lowest in all categories and the pinnacle of its joint, it’s about a safe as a bet you can get with fastfood. 

Second Place

Taste
The Teen Burger is the pride and joy of A&W, the perfect combination of meat, bacon, cheese, and delectable spicing. You simply cannot go wrong with this number.

Second Place

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4. Burger King Whopper

Health
540 Calories, 24g of Fat, 75mg of Cholesterol, 900mg of Sodium, 30g of Protein
This is a Big burger with a lot of bun too, so a lot of carbohydrate in the form of white bread. Burger King is notorious for trans fat, the kind that you really want to avoid.

Third Place

Taste
Living in Victoria/North Vancouver, Burger King isn’t exactly the most common chain around, so it hasn’t become a staple by any means. Nevertheless, I’ve definitely indulged in my fair share of Whoppers, which I can admit, have never left me unsatisfied. They’re both hearty and fresh.

Third Place

In the end, the overall winner for both health and taste, and the new champion of the fast food cheeseburger world is…

Wendy’s Big Bacon Classic