Wendy’s – Daves Triple

It was a birthday celebration and nostalgic North American tastebuds that brought us to Wendy’s Burger in Reading. Wendy’s actually were in the UK previously before closing all of their UK branches in 2001 I learned on a little research before attending. A new proposal this year has stated that Wendy’s plan to open 400 branches in the UK and so a taste of the infamous square patties quite excited me! Read on to find out how it went…

What we have in store

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The Bun: 17/20

I really liked Wendy’s bun. Soft brioche, with a particular sweetness that I enjoyed. It held well tasted good and didn’t fall apart which is always a fine line in brioche buns, especially under the immense pressure of 3 square patties. They had wrapped the burger similar to Five Guys style on receipt. Sometimes at Five Guys the heat of the burger can make the bun a little too moist to the point of it becoming a little too steamed but Wendy’s didn’t seem to do that. The only thing that I thought was a little negative was perhaps one of the main positives also. The sweetness did take away slightly from the patties and did become a little bit tedious toward the end of the burger.

The Toppings: 9/10

A huge, fresh ring of onion with crispy fresh lettuce, pickle and a mammoth slice of tomato were the toppings on this stack. I can be clear in saying these were the freshest toppings I have ever had in a burger. Fresh onion isn’t really something that I would choose to have in my stack and not something that is common for us here in the UK but that was the highlight of the toppings for me. Followed by really fresh lettuce the two of these toppings gave an amazing freshness to the burger followed by a textural balance that was needed in a 3 patty stack. The tomato was not something that I enjoyed too much and subsequently discarded before I had eaten half of the burger. Despite the tomato, the toppings still scored highly for the freshness and simplicity that added great balance to the overall experience.

The Condiments: 5/10

Ketchup and Mayo are like staples of a burger sauce and Dave’s Triple just needed more. I don’t think I tasted any sauce in my burger whatsoever but I did open it up to see that there was a pretty lonely placement of a pink mixture of sauce on the crown bun. Disappointing really because you can’t go wrong with ketchup and mayo on a burger. Being a burger guy and constantly reviewing does give you certain insights on ratio. Having 3 patties you have balance the beefiness out with the condiments and toppings, goes without saying. The toppings did really well to bring about that balance but just couldn’t counterbalance the beefiness (which you will read in the patty section) enough on their own.

The Cheese: 11/20

American Cheese really gives that food porn look and feel that cannot be denied! This cheese had the look, it had the feel but unfortunately did not have the taste that I have come to enjoy from American Cheese. Texture-wise it was enjoyable, contouring each side of the patties and hugging the fresh lettuce is a sight to behold, but, the taste was much more processed than I am used to. Hard to explain but in the most simple of terms, it tasted a bit chemical! Not that I hated it because I certainly didn’t, I just did not quite manage to get to grips with the after taste which had a strange twang to it.

The Patty (s): 12/20

The square patties which I had been so excited to eat were cooked incredibly.  I did not get the chargrill flavour, which I do enjoy, but seeing the perfect colouration in the meat on 3 separate patties was nice. I have cooked many a burger on the grill and anything more than 2 I start to get the sweats on that I am going to overcook or undercook! The flavour was okay, it was not brilliant and I could definitely tell that the meat, in terms of quality, was a long way off some of the reviews I have personally done for Cheeseburgerme. I guess when you are buying something competing with the likes of Burger King and McDonald’s it does put expectations down a notch but it would have been nice to be surprised. So, if you are hoping for high-quality beef, that is not something that you can expect but the product execution was the best it could have been.

The Taste: 13/20

Overall the taste was let down by a pretty average beef, not enough sauce, and a cheese that I just didn’t enjoy. The freshness of the toppings was a massive plus which, if that was a higher scoring category would have made a big difference to the overall result of this burger. The taste was negatively affected in prime categories being the cheese and the patties. The taste was better than I expected it to be, taking into consideration the price point, but just isn’t a patch on some of the burgers we have tried. You could have a look at our Hit List here to see some of our favourites

Our Verdict: 67/100

As a single burger goes, Dave’s Triple was an above-average product. It tasted pretty good and the flaws were primarily in the quality of some of the key components. At the price point of £7.29 for the whole meal of Burger, Fries, and a Drink there has to be a sacrifice in quality. The fairest way to describe Wendy’s is: As a “Fast Food” establishment it is one of the best I have had outside of Five Guys but as a restaurant, it cannot compete on the same playing field. If you would like to try your nearest Wendys, you should check out their website here