A lot is happening at Wendy's. At the end of last year, the company started selling its new French fries — russet potato skin left on, sea salt — which had some of that "artisanal" feel the fast-food chains are catching onto. And as it turned out, they were pretty good! Now, in an effort to further reenergize the brand, it's debuting its completely overhauled cheeseburger, called the Dave's Hot 'N Juicy, in reverence to the late founder, who used to joke about the square patties that "we don't cut corners," and which we were curious enough to try during our lunch break. The square patties are still there, sort of (they've been rounded off slightly), but they're thicker, the white onions have been swapped for red ones, the mustard is gone, and now that bun is served toasted with butter.

And you'll notice it looks like ... well, a lot of other burgers. For people expecting something revelatory here, this might be a disappointment. Outside of some regional chains like In-N-Out, fast-food burgers don't vary all that much from one another. Wendy's follows the basic template. It's a pretty decent burger, and some of the changes are noticeable: The bun is perfectly soft, the beef is a little beefier, even if it still doesn't taste quite like how you imagine beef tasting. The processed yellow cheese is right where you left it. If it lacks some of the uniqueness of McDonald's products (the sesame bun, the "special" sauce), that's okay, too — this isn't an industry that needs more gimmicks. And for $4.29 plus taxes in midtown Manhattan, it's hard to complain.

Paul Schrodt Paul Schrodt is a freelance writer and editor who also contributes to Esquire, GQ, Money, The Wall Street Journal, and more.

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