A Review: McDonalds Mushroom & Swiss Angus Burger Vs. Country Kitchen's A1 Mushroom & Swiss Burger

In recent months McDonald's has come out with a new line of all Angus 1/3 lb burgers. It's been said that this new line of burgers was aimed at the portion of the dining market that would prefer a somewhat upscale burger. Something like what is found at many chain sit down restaurants across the country.

For this comparison Country Kitchen was chosen to represent the "sit down" restaurant side of the equation. With a preference for Mushroom and Swiss style burgers both establishments would present their similar offerings and judgment would be made on price, quality, quantity, speed and attitude of service and a last note ambiance or atmosphere of the establishment.

Country Kitchen is a nation wide chain having restaurants located in about half the states in the country with some in Canada as well. Not quite on the same scale as McDonald's, with multiple outlets per square mile in almost any city of even modest size. None the less Country Kitchen is no Mom and Pop one dining room business.

With this size of operation it would be expected that the food served would be competitively priced and of high enough quality and standardization corporation wide that you could expect to get the same meal pretty much at any of their locations. McDonald's as we all know has this issue down to a science as a Big Mac will taste the same no matter where you go to find one.

Lets look at the McDonald's Angus Mushroom & Swiss Burger first. The burger is not your standard flat pancake patty as is found on their lesser fare. It's a nice thick juicy, similar to a hand formed, burger. The flavor is remarkably better then their standard burger. With two slices of Swiss cheese melting and oozing out around the edges combined with a generous portion of sauteed mushrooms all on a up graded bakery bun, this is one tasty burger. At a 1/3 lb the quantity was approaching too much for the middle aged appetite, but I persevered and finished it post haste. The accompanying French Fries were standard McDonald's with the expected good flavor and crispiness most have come to expect. With a Diet Coke for a beverage this meal rates as one of the best offered by McDonald's. My order was filled in less then 3 minutes by a clean pleasant uniformed young lady who wished me a good day upon my departure. We ate at a clean booth with the expected somewhat high level of chatter as it was the noon hour and business was brisk. My total bill came to less then $7.00 including Tax.

On to Country Kitchen's A1 Mushroom & Swiss Burger. As you can see by the on line menu, which you can view by clicking on their link, the A1 Mushroom & Swiss burger doesn't even rate a picture. By adding A1 Steak Sauce to their write up you might get the idea this is something special. We were shown to our table where the hostess inquired to our drinking desires. Two Ice Tea were ordered and delivered in a few minutes time. Our waitress was to be with us shortly to take our order.

While waiting the ambiance consisted of a view of the dining remains left from a large gathering which included sliding three tables together in the middle of the dining room. This mess was to be present throughout most of our meal. Finally our order was taken and we were asked if we'd like a side salad while we wait as this may take a bit. Funny, as on another note, we were not distracted by the hub bub of happy customers mostly because on our half of the building there was only one other couple. We again arrived at prime noon dining time and the place was practically vacant.

After what I would have to say was an extended period of time to prepare a burger and fries our order arrived. The sandwich was placed open faced with lettuce and tomato on one side and the burger with mushrooms and cheese on the other half. The serving dish was a wax paper lined plastic basket, barely one step up from the cardboard box that McDonald's used for their burger. The meal included a modest quantity of French Fries and 2 small pickle slices on the side. A bottle of A1 Steak Sauce came when the order was served as well.

My first issue was the lettuce and tomato. The lettuce was wilted and well beyond any indication of crunchiness. The tomato had been left sliced and opened to the air so long that it had developed a dry skin across it. Nothing fresh going on here.

The burger patty was well done and flavorful though it was about 1/2 the size of what came from the competition. I would suspect a 1/4 lb patty instead of the 1/3 lb patty at Mickey Dee's. With one slice of Swiss cheese and a small amount of sauteed mushrooms it was a bit underwhelming.

The one strong point was the toasted bun which was of a better quality then the upgraded model at McDonald's. The French Fries, though a smaller amount, were also a bit crunchier then McDonald's as well.

Over all I have no qualms about the taste and quality of preparation from either establishment. My most problematic issue is which restaurant offers the most bang for the buck combined with how was I treated.

McDonald's gets very high marks on those accounts with a High quality, filling meal delivered by friendly staff in a matter of a couple minutes for less then $7.

Country Kitchen on the other hand took about 30 minutes total to get the food on the table. The quality was as good, but when all was considered not any better then McDonald's. The ambiance was no better and in some respects worse then the competition and the service was mediocre as I was never offered a refill on my drink until my meal was completed.

Now here is the biggie. Total cost for my Mushroom & Swiss meal at Country Kitchen including tax and 10% Gratuity (something unheard of at McDonald's) came to $12.

Clearly this illustrates that once again McDonald's has got it right. They have matched and surpassed what can be served at a respectable sit down chain restaurant and at a price that that will have you eating 2 meals for the price of one at the competition. It's no wonder Country Kitchen had an almost vacant parking lot, they just can't compete.