Does Dunkin’s breakfast sandwich stack up?
This week, I reached out for an Angus Steak and Egg Sandwich at the undisputed champion doughnut den, Dunkin’ Donuts, with 3,100 shops across the breadth of America. And doughuts have contributed plenty to that breadth.
Like most fast-food joints, Dunkin’ keeps cranking out breakfast sandwiches, hoping to catch lightning in a bottle, trying to chip away at McDonald’s insanely profitable morning dominance. It’s weird how other drive-throughs are ghost towns at 8 a.m., while the line of cars for McDonald’s is backed into the street.
Dunkin’s most elaborate and elegant breakfast challenger is the Angus Steak and Egg Sandwich.
It’s not just steak and eggs, the rich folks’ breakfast. We’re talking Angus steak, a cut above.
Here’s the Angus Steak and Egg Sandwich breakdown: a beefsteak patty, an egg, which may or may not be fried, and American cheese on a plain, toasted bagel.
Total calories: 570. Fat grams: 19. Sodium: 1,300 mg. Carbs: 67 g. Dietary fiber: 4. Protein: 33. Manufacturer’s suggested retail price: $3.99. Steep.
On its own, Dunkin’s Angus Steak and Egg Sandwich is pretty darn tasty. The bagel is big and billowy, top drawer. It should be. When Dunkin’ introduced bagels in 1996, overnight it became the world’s No. 1 bagel seller. That’s what a nationwide chain gets ya.
This column deals in the bottom line. We care about two things: taste and value. For taste, what the heck, the Angus Steak and Egg Sandwich earns a solid B-plus.
Now settle back for some bad grades, and we may have to call your parents in for a meeting with the principal.
Angus steak? I was expecting a slab of beef, even better … Angus beef. I had no expectations of filet mignon or prime rib. I would have settled for the paper-thin steak from IHOP.
Instead, I found a chopped beef patty that could make a living in Branson, Mo., as a burger impersonator. The egg could be fried, possibly microwaved, but we don’t know where or when. Just not at Dunkin’ on the day we visited.
There’s no cooking or grilling done at Dunkin’. It’s the same doubt I carry at Subway — which came first, the egg or Valentine’s Day?
So the Angus Steak and Egg Sandwich isn’t so much cooked at Dunkin’ as assembled.
Now the showdown. Every fast-food breakfast sandwich has to stand up to its counterpart at McDonald’s.
In the blue corner: Dunkin’ Donuts’ Angus Steak and Egg Sandwich, with a warmed-over, pre-cooked egg from days gone by.
In the red corner: McDonald’s Steak, Egg & Cheese Bagel, with a pre-cooked “fluffy folded egg” and sautéed onions. But hold on — here’s McDonald’s divine little secret. When you order any breakfast sandwich with an egg, ask for a “round egg.” They’ll crack one open and fry it right there and then.
Dunkin’ doesn’t crack any eggs on site.
Here’s another bright idea. Dunkin’ isn’t exactly a dieter’s destination. A Dunkin’ bagel — plain and simple — packs 310 calories. Tuck in the beef patty, egg and cheese, and you’re almost doubling the load.
An Egg McMuffin — the breakfast icon — fully loaded with a slice of Canadian Bacon, cheese and egg on an English muffin — has 300 calories. That’s fewer than just the bagel at Dunkin’.
Stick with the sign outside. It says Donuts.