Kayne Gallegos

Times staff Kayne Gallegos at Wendy’s, eating a double stack, Step. 18.

In a head-to-head comparison between Wendy’s and McDonald’s, Wendy’s should be the preferred restaurant.

A McDouble from McDonald’s, and its Wendy’s equivalent the Double Stack. Each sandwich had a small side of fries, 10 chicken nuggets (or McNuggets) and a small Dr. Pepper, were compared.

Nutrition is a something often considered when deciding what to eat, and while no one expects “Fast Food” to be healthy, it is a good idea to watch what you eat so you don’t become unhealthy. The nutritional information was taken from the websites of the respective restaurants, and is in the table below.

The three factors that both had listed were calories, protein and fat. For the nutritional values, the two only had minor differences, possibly because of the similarity of the food served and industry standardized ways of processing it.

Next thing up is cost, and the two meals are once again close. Money wise, there is nothing that sets the two apart. One thing of note, at Wendy’s, the cashier combined the order into a combo meal without prompting, so if all of the items are bought individually, its price may vary.

There is one more thing to consider, however. Wendy’s has this value meal, the “4 for $4.” It gets you a burger from a variety (examples include a Baconator, a Double Stack or a Chicken Sandwich) along with small fries, a small drink and four chicken nuggets.

You give up six chicken nuggets, but you cut the costs of your meal by about 50 percent, as well as get options for its composition. The franchises were so close that the “4 for $4” put Wendy’s ahead of McDonald’s. While McDonald’s do have combo meals available, they don’t have anything really comparable.

Also, food was bought and cooked. from a grocery store. Burgers were made,  a beef log was chosen and patties were made to the size and shape of a small fist. The bacon also had to be cooked, but all other ingredients were prepackaged and pre-processed.

The homemade burgers had a larger degree of customization. Avocados and bacon, pepper jack cheese and sourdough were what made those custom sandwiches.

They were more expensive, almost $35,  and I had to cook and put them together, but I got nine thick burger patties from it, roughly having the costs of each individual burger to about $4. The nutrition and cost is going to vary based on ingredients. However, they are more cost effective then eating fast food.

A final factor to consider is convenience. At San Jose City College, it is not really an issue. Food is readily and easily available, as Bascom Avenue has various food joints that are on the same block as City College. Wendy’s and McDonald’s are both within walking distance from college, so they are rather convenient and easy.

Wendy’s has the edge over the McDonald’s, but the homemade burgers are a good option for individuals who are really concerned with money more than time and convenience.

the writer am not affiliated nor paid by McDonald’s or Wendy’s