The Breakfast Conundrum

After 5 years of serving me a shitty breakfast, I put my foot down.  I will no longer be giving the 3rd and Spring Garden Dunkin Donuts my business.  I don’t have a personal problem with the guy who toasts the bagel but he’s terrible at his job.  He aims for speed rather than serving a proper bagel.  That being said, I’m looking for new options and here is the breakdown.

Dunkin Donuts

Location: ⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆
Price: ⋆⋆⋆⋆ – $4.87 for a medium coffee, sesame seed bagel w/ cream cheese, and a glazed donut.
Analysis: If you are interested in my breakdown you can read this post. The bottom line is that the bagel tastes like shit even though I’m addicted to their coffee. The price is decent and the location is perfect which is why I’ve gone there as often as I have. Wait time can be long if there is a line.

Johnny’s Hots

Location: ***
Price: ** – $6.00 for a sausage, egg, and cheese + a Lemon Snapple
Analysis: Johnny’s Hot’s is on Columbus near the Sugar House. This requires me to drive about 5 minutes to get there which isn’t horrible but it’s not great either. The price is hefty if I add a drink. I think the sandwich is tasty and the staff is nice. Wait time is usually 3-5 minutes as it’s cooked to order.

Wawa

Location: ⋆
Price: ⋆⋆⋆ – $4.54 for a bacon, egg, and cheese sizzli and a medium coffee
Analysis: I can drive to the one on 11th and Race which I saw was shutting down, the one on 21st and Hamilton, or the one on Columbus near Club Risque. Each one takes 5-10 minutes which is longer than I’d like to go for breakfast. The price is what I consider exactly average and the sizzli is the sizzli that I’ve grown to expect. It’s average. I can make the coffee myself which I like but I don’t think that puts Wawa over the top. Parking at any of them but Columbus can be an absolute nightmare which means if I’m not there by 7:30, forget about it.

Sassafras

Location: ⋆⋆⋆⋆
Price: ⋆⋆ – $5.34 for a sausage, egg, and cheese on a sesame seed bagel, and a Half and Half Nantucket Nectar
Analysis: The price is fairly high for a homemade breakfast sandwich. It takes about 4-5 minutes for the sandwich to be prepared and if there is a line (which there never is) it could add minutes. It’s right on my way to work on parking is free on the street as long as I get there by 8am.  The sandwich is above average.

Spring Garden Restaurant

Location: ⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆
Price: ⋆ – 7.00+ tip
Analysis: A restaurant that opens at 4 or 5 in the morning and cooks quickly. It’s sit down so I’d have to allocate at least 20 minutes to the meal which is what usually keeps me away. It will also cost upwards of 7 bucks plus tip which would get pricey for breakfast. I always liked the idea of waking up early and reading the paper at a diner with the regulars. For whatever reason, I don’t do it often. I’ve only ever gotten the omelet for breakfast and it’s average.

Conclusion

As you can read, it’s not an easy decision.  Each one has their perks and downsides.  Of course I could just make my breakfast at home which I’m leaning more and more to but I haven’t quite got there yet.  My perfect world would be waking up, pee / brush my teeth, out the door, drive to work where a breakfast cart sells me a sausage egg and cheese for $3.00.  Has anyone tried Subway breakfast?  I could also include Plaza Pizza in this list but haven’t had it enough.