Loaded Nacho Cheeseburger
Wendy's (2023)
We stopped to fuel up on the way home from seeing Police Academy at the Mahoning Drive-In Theater when I was beckoned by the gas pump to try the new Loaded Nacho Cheeseburger from Wendy's. The location outside of the Laurel Mall in Hazleton was still open, so we took a slight detour on our way home for late night burgers and Frostys.
The Wendy's website describes the Loaded Nacho Cheeseburger as "a quarter pound of fresh, never-frozen beef, American cheese, hot and crispy corn and tortilla strips, spicy chipotle sauce, poblano queso, lettuce, and tomatoes on a jalapeño cheddar bun". I describe this burger as a disappointing knock-off of the McDonald's Cheesy Jalapeno Bacon Quarter Pounder with Cheese.
Now, I admit that this comparison photo may not be totally fair. For one thing, I purchased a single from Wendy's and a double from McDonald's, and the lighting and angle of the McDonald's photo is a lot more flattering than the one that I took of the Wendy's burger. However, I'm not going to apologize to an industry who use unrealistic photos of their products to lure customers in, which is how I came to try the Wendy's burger in the first place. Also, if I'm being completely honest, the reason I didn't try to take a better picture of the Wendy's burger is because it was so bland that it didn't seem worth the effort.
In addition to the underwhelming burger, my wife and I both thought that the Frosty we purchased had a strong chemical flavor, and the fries were... well... they were from Wendy's. I really have no one but myself to blame here. There have been a few things that I've tried at Wendy's that I have really enjoyed, but overall, most of their menu offerings are a disappointment in comparison to their counterparts at McDonald's, or Burger King. It might be time to cross them off of the list for good.
