Review: Dave’s Hot ‘N Juicy Cheeseburger from Wendy’s

Posted September 17th, 2011 | 2:18pm by Ryan

The nationwide roll-out of Wendy’s new cheeseburger line dubbed, Dave’s Hot ‘N Juicy Cheeseburgers, won’t hit until October 3rd, but my local Wendy’s has them already. Lucky me? Meh, whatever… the Wendy’s restaurants around my hometown never seem to get anything right so I guess you could say this was a pleasant surprise. I’ve learned to approach Wendy’s with low expectations lately as to not get overly disappointed, yet I still come away feeling as though something isn’t quite clicking anymore for the fast food chain. Time to review the new and improved Wendy’s cheeseburger.

Dave’s Hot ‘N Juicy Cheeseburger (Single) is described like this:

A quarter-pound of 100% real North American beef and the freshest premium toppings on buttered, toasted buns – our new gold standard!

I went for the $3.49 Dave’s Hot ‘N Juicy 1/4 pound Single for this review because I didn’t want to overdo it right away. While the 1/2 pound Double and 3/4 pound Triple are available as well, I figured let’s start off with the Single and maybe if it’s stellar, a Double or Triple could be an option for some other gluttonous day. The burger boasts “New Premium Toppings” like crinkle-cut pickles, sweet red onions and thick hand-sliced tomato. Sadly, none of these ingredients scream premium to me and they came off quite ordinary. I wouldn’t have been able to tell there was any change if not for the advertising. The iceberg lettuce is the same and should’ve been replaced with some leafy green. If you’re going to overhaul your cheeseburger, it’s better to do a complete overhaul. Was the burger “Hot ‘N Juicy”? No and no. It was so-so warm and a little dry to be honest. The beef patty was definitely a thicker hunk of beef than what I’m used to with Wendy’s, but that’s about where the improvement ends. What I disliked most about the new Dave’s Hot ‘N Juicy Cheeseburger was the bun. Soft and fresh, but not at all buttered or toasted. So very average.

I was looking forward to this cheeseburger and that was probably my biggest mistake. Advertising hype and tasty pics drew me in like a sucker. This isn’t any kind of big improvement from what you’re used to with the bigger burgers at Wendy’s. The improvements that I’d prefer to see include consistent prices and a return of the 99cent Extra Value Menu everywhere. The last few years at Wendy’s has left me with just lasting impressions of shrinking food and inflated prices. Dave’s Hot ‘N Juicy Cheeseburgers are nothing but a lateral move in business that continues to let me down.