In today’s fast-paced environment, everyone needs a hearty breakfast to start off the day. Making breakfast is sometimes too cumbersome, especially with hectic work schedules. Several fast food chains capitalize on this opportunity and compete to serve the best breakfast.

1. MCDONALD’s

McDonald’s is the king of breakfast fast food chains. Its Egg McMuffin, hotcakes, hash browns, and bagel with bacon, egg, and cheese are quite popular. A wide variety of breakfast sandwiches including McGriddles and biscuits as bread options with various meats are delicious.

An Egg McMuffin and 2 hotcakes are 300 calories each, other McMuffin varieties are between 260-480 calories, and hash browns are 150 calories. McGriddle varieties are 420-550 calories; biscuit varieties are 450-550 calories; and bacon, egg, and cheese bagel is 550 calories. Hash browns are $1.09, 2 hotcakes are $2.49, and an Egg McMuffin is $2.79.

Other McMuffin varieties range from $2.79-$4.19, McGriddles are $3.29-$4.49, biscuits are $2.89-4.89, and the bagel with bacon, egg, and cheese is $3.29.

2. BURGER KING

Burger King is another formidable giant in breakfast fast food chains. It’s popular for its pancakes and sausage platter, French toast sticks, silver dollar hash browns, egg-normous burrito, and breakfast sandwiches.

Croissant and sour dough bread options are popular with sausage, bacon, egg, and cheese. Small hash browns are 250 calories, pancakes and sausage platter is 610 calories, French toast sticks are 230 calories, and an egg-normous burrito is 930 calories. Croissant sandwiches range between 300-710 calories, sour dough sandwiches are 510-790 calories, and other breakfast sandwiches are 370-610 calories.

Small hash browns and French toast sticks are only $1 each, egg-normous burrito is $3.49, and pancakes and sausage platter is $3.69. Croissant sandwiches range from $2.99-4.29, the sourdough collection starts are $3.69, and other sandwich varieties are between $2.99-$3.69.

3. WENDY’S

Wendy’s is another top contender in the breakfast industry. Its baconator is its signature item with an overload of sausage, eggs, bacon, and cheese. Sausage gravy with biscuit, oatmeal, and seasoned potatoes are popular sides to go with its sandwiches.

The baconator is 770 calories, sausage gravy with biscuit is 470 calories, and seasoned potatoes are 230-360 calories. Oatmeal ranges from 160-370 calories and sandwiches are between 330-620 calories. Seasoned potatoes are only $0.99, and sausage gravy with biscuit is $1.99. Oatmeal is $2.59 while sandwiches range from $2.19-$4.49. The meaty baconator is $6.09.

4. ARBY’S

Not all Arby’s locations serve breakfast, but those that do are comparable to other breakfast-serving fast food chains. Many sandwiches with chicken, sausage, egg, cheese, bacon, or ham are served in biscuits, croissants, sourdough breads or in a wrap.

Biscuit varieties are 340-640 calories, croissant sandwiches are 330-590 calories, sourdough varieties are 470-640 calories, and wraps are 440-630 calories. Arby’s is very generous with coupons, so with a breakfast coupon, a variety of biscuit, croissant, and sourdough sandwiches start from only $0.99. Wrap combos start at $2.99 with a coupon. Arby’s will also give free sandwiches with a coupon with the purchase of another item as well.

5. JACK IN THE BOX

Jack In The Box doesn’t have a large variety as other breakfast fast food chains. It serves basic breakfast, except its pancakes are mini pancakes. It also serves hash browns, burritos, and sandwiches, including sausage, egg, bacon, or cheese in biscuits or regular sandwich breads.

Mini pancakes are 140 calories, hash browns are 190 calories, burritos are a significant 780-1,040 calories, biscuit varieties range from 410-550 calories, and other sandwich varieties are 350-710 calories. Mini pancakes only cost about $1.44, and hash browns are about $1.68. Breakfast sandwiches range between $1.73-$4.56. Biscuit varieties start at $3.23 while burritos start a little higher at $4.41.

6. CHICK-FIL-A

Chick-fil-A is unique because it doesn’t serve beef but mainly chicken (chick-fil-a.com/About/Who-We-Are, 2019). Its breakfast includes the egg white grill with grilled chicken and cheese on an English muffin, hash browns, yogurt parfait, fruit cup, hash brown scramble bowl, and biscuits with chicken, sausage, bacon, egg, or cheese. The egg white grill is 300 calories, yogurt parfait and hash browns are 250 calories each, fruit cup is 50 calories, and hash brown scramble bowl is 460 calories.

Biscuit varieties range from 440-670 calories. Hash browns are only $0.99, yogurt parfait is $2.45, and fruit cups range from $2.05-$4.25. Varieties of biscuit sandwiches range from $2.19-$2.59. The hash brown scramble bowl is $3.49, and egg white grill is $3.59 .

7. DUNKIN’ DONUTS

Dunkin’ Donuts is known for its signature coffee, but customers also buy breakfast. Dunkin’ Donuts serves hash browns; signature wake-up wrap sandwich with bacon, egg, and cheese; or its sausage, turkey sausage, bacon, egg, cheese, or ham in a croissant or English muffin.

Hash browns are 140 calories; wake-up wrap with bacon, egg, and cheese is 210 calories; croissant varieties are 500-710 calories; and English muffin varieties are 270-450 calories. Hash browns are only $1.29, and the signature wake-up wrap sandwich is only $1.59. Dunkin’ Donuts sells its croissant and English muffin sandwiches for anywhere between $3.99-$4.29.

8. CARL’S JR.

Carl’s Jr. serves basic breakfast including hash rounds, biscuits and burritos with steak, sausage, bacon, ham, egg, and cheese. It also serves the breakfast burger, with egg, bacon, American cheese, charbroiled beef patty, and hash rounds, which is 730 calories.

Small hash rounds are 350 calories, biscuit varieties are 480-820 calories, and burrito varieties are 570-760 calories. Small hash rounds are only $1.56, biscuit sandwich varieties range from $2.23-$4.80, and burrito varieties start at $3.91. The breakfast burger ranges between $4.39-$5.69, depending on whether it’s a single or double beef patty.

9. WHATABURGER

Whataburger is located only in some parts of the United States. It serves basic breakfast, including egg sandwich, honey butter chicken biscuit, cheese taquitos, cinnamon rolls, and hash brown sticks.

It’s egg sandwich is 310 calories, honey butter chicken biscuit is 560 calories, cinnamon roll is 570 calories, hash brown sticks are 190 calories, and cheese taquitos are 400 calories. Whataburger sells hash brown sticks at $1.54, egg sandwiches for $1.74, and cinnamon rolls at $1.79. Its cheese taquitos run for $2.54 while the honey butter chicken biscuit is $2.59.

10. SONIC

Sonic has a simple breakfast menu. It serves a few loaded breakfast burritos with potatoes, bell peppers, egg, cheese, or sausage. It also serves French toast sticks, brioche breakfast sandwiches, and its signature breakfast toaster with cheese, eggs, and choice of meat served on thick Texas toast. Loaded breakfast burritos are 290-840 calories, French toast sticks are 480 calories, brioche breakfast sandwiches are 470-640 calories, and its signature breakfast toasters range from 540-720 calories. French toast sticks cost about $2.49 and delicious signature breakfast toasters start at $2.89. Breakfast burritos range from $2.59-$3.89 while brioche breakfast sandwiches are between $2.99-$4.99 (sonicdrivein.com/menu, 2019).

McDonald’s and Burger King dominate the breakfast fast food industry, but I prefer Dunkin’ Donuts. Its veggie egg white omelet with mushrooms, bell peppers, onion, and cheese in a croissant is delicious. It’s complete with seasoned hash browns and signature Dunkin’ Donuts coffee.