The 1,690 calorie mac n' cheeseburger: delicious or disgusting?

Piper Weiss


(photo: Denny's)
(photo: Denny's)

Denny's dastardly minds have done it again. The restaurant chain that fries mozzarella sticks between pieces of bread, have rolled out more gluttonously cheesy menu items.

The most notable is the Mac n' Cheese Big Daddy Patty Melt: A burger patty layered with slices of cheese, macaroni and cheese, another layer of cheese, some kind of tomato-based "frisco" sauce and two pieces of buttered-up potato bread. Still hungry? It comes with a side of fries.

The 1,690 calorie count makes a lot more sense when you consider the sandwich is breakfast, lunch and dinner stacked on top of each other. It makes absolutely zero sense when you consider that it's got 500 more calories than a Carl's Jr. burger with fries, and large coke. It's about three times the calories of a KFC Double Down sandwich. And about 200 calories more than five (count 'em, five) Boston Market Mac and Cheese sides.

That's without the super-size cheese option. Seriously, if your melt isn't ooze-y enough, you can pay Denny's 69 cents extra for more cheese. A better use of that 69 cents: pay the guy in the next booth to be your sober cheese counselor.

Denny's joined Burger King and more than a dozen chains on a health initiative recently, offering more veggie and fruit options for kids. Adults? They can go to you know where...by way of the cheese menu. Direct quote from the company's press release: "With America consuming around 8.8 billion pounds of cheese annually, Denny's is answering to the appetites of the nation by introducing a dedicated menu that celebrates all things cheesy." Other items on their new cheese menu include a strawberry cheesecake milkshake and a cheese-filled omelette drizzled in cheese sauce.

But nothing outdoes the cheese pasta/cheeseburger/buttered toast combo, both in calories and in creativity. Be honest, on the gross food scale, does the Mac and Cheese melt look deliciously gross, curiously gross, or just plain gross?

Related links:
Denny's grand slam breakfast: a diet don't
The secret to healthy grilled cheese
The human cheese project
Crazy fast food meals