Review: Hardee's / Carl's Jr. - Cinnamon Swirl French Toast Breakfast Sandwich with Ham

Hardee's / Carl’s Jr's new Cinnamon Swirl French Toast Breakfast Sandwich features egg, cheese, your choice of breakfast meat (sausage, bacon, or ham), and a maple glaze between two slices of cinnamon swirl French toast.

I got one from Hardee’s with ham for $3.49.

Hardee's / Carl's Jr. has been one of the more innovative franchises as far as breakfast is concerned lately. Their newest creation is a pretty standard breakfast sandwich with French toast instead of the usual biscuit and a maple syrup glaze. McDonald’s has had the market for the sweet and savory breakfast sandwich cornered for a while with the McGriddle but a challenger arises every now and again.

Unfortunately, the Cinnamon Swirl French Toast sandwich isn't up to the task of unseating the McGriddle as the king of fast food breakfast innovation and accessibility. I appreciated Hardee's egg for at least tasting real, though neither it or the cheese had much of a taste. It did have a nice fluffy consistency that constituted the majority of the sandwich's inner texture.

The pairing of sweet maple and French toast to the saltiness of the ham was enjoyable. Every bite had plenty of each going on. The sweet ingredients weren't overpowering so the sandwich had a good balance. I imagine that using either bacon or sausage would result in a similar sensation.

My biggest problem with this sandwich was the French toast itself. While it held together just fine when holding the sandwich, it was a little too soft when eating. The French toast would practically disappear in my mouth after a couple of bites. French toast isn't supposed to be particularly dense but as a part of a whole, it made for an awkward experience. The extra heft of biscuits and muffins, which can sometimes cause breakfast sandwiches to be dry, do serve the purpose of supporting the ingredients throughout the experience. I also wasn't as full from this sandwich as I generally am after finishing a breakfast sandwich. The lighter French toast just isn’t as substantial as your standard breakfast biscuit.

When all's said and done, I can't recommend the Cinnamon Swirl French Toast Breakfast Sandwich. The satisfying flavor of the French toast and maple glaze aren't sufficient to forgive the awkward consistency and lack of substance. Unless the public is crazier about it than I am, I see Hardee's French Toast Breakfast Sandwich going the way of Taco Bell's Waffle Taco: Just another failed attempt to mimic the McGriddle's success.

By Darius.

Nutritional Info - Hardee’s / Carl’s Jr. Cinnamon Swirl French Toast Breakfast Sandwich w/ Ham (175g)
Calories - 400 (from Fat - 130)
Fat - 14g (Saturated Fat - 6g)
Sodium - 1130mg
Carbs - 50g (Sugars - 6g)
Protein - 20g