First appearing nationwide in McDonald's on
June 10, 2003, McGriddles are the newest "
permanent menu item" on
McDonald's breakfast menu. If the
buzzwords they are using to market these sandwiches are any indication -- the word "
innovative" is used to describe them on the website, and the word "
ingenious" is used on the to-go bag -- McGriddles appear to be the newest, determined efforts by the troubled
franchise to vigorously
revamp their
product line and bring a sense of "freshness" back to their product, in the eyes of the consumer.
This said, the McGriddles are fairly similar to their other breakfast biscuit or "
McMuffin" sandwiches; they come in three varieties:
- Sausage McGriddle
- Sausage, Egg and Cheese McGriddle
- Bacon, Egg and Cheese McGriddle
The difference between the McGriddles and McDonald's other line of breakfast sandwiches is the bread itself. Instead of using
english muffins or
buttermilk biscuits, they use patties that vaguely resemble
griddle cakes, or miniature
pancakes. Claiming they have "the taste of
maple syrup baked in", they are indeed somewhat sweet, but not sticky as one might expect... most likely because there is probably no real maple syrup added, of course. Perhaps the strangest thing of all about them, however, is the eerie,
embossed McDonald's "M" that encompasses the top. I could be wrong about this, but I don't know that I've ever heard of fast food corporate logos placed on the meal itself...
Gastronomically speaking, the McGriddles, while nothing extraordinary, don't taste terrible, and are nothing I would mind eating on my perhaps
thrice a year
breakfast visitations to the local airport
franchisee. Healthwise, however, I probably wouldn't want to eat them very often either, and nor should you, as they are total
cholesterol bombs: The Bacon Egg and Cheese McGriddle contains 240
mg, which is 80% of one's
USRDA, according to the corporate website.
Works Referenced:
- "McDonald's USA - New McGriddles Breakfast Sandwiches" : http://www.mcdonalds.com/countries/usa/whatsnew/mcgriddles/
- "McDonald's USA - Bacon, Egg & Cheese McGriddlesTM" : http://www.mcdonalds.com/countries/usa/food/nutrition/menuitems/display/index.jsp/itemID=10060