Shopping Spy: The Fast-Food Breakfast War

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- It's no secret that fast-food restaurants have struggled, throughout the Great Recession, to cope with declining demands and increasingly budget-conscious consumers. And, in response, many have turned to the morning meal as a means of capturing market share.

But which have truly succeeded?

Ahead of a slew of restaurant earnings reports out this week, the Shopping Spy took the streets to see just which eatery ranks highest on the following criteria: menu options, service, quality, price and nutritional value at breakfast time.

We matched McDonald's(MCD Quote)against Burger King(BKC Quote) and Starbucks(SBUX Quote), all of which are revamping their breakfast menus.

Spy Shopper: Fast Food Table

Our first -- and, these days, arguably most crucial -- comparison was price: To that end, McDonald's has been making a push to become the go-to destination for a cup of Joe with its mass roll-out of its McCafe initiative -- touting a bevy of beverage options at cheaper prices than Starbucks' "luxury" drinks.

But what we found didn't exactly jibe with that: A small cup of McDonald's mocha latte (12 ounces) was $3.48 at an undisclosed location in New York City. The same hot beverage at Starbucks was virtually identical at $3.50 -- and the quality at Starbucks was, to be sure, worth the two cents more. In our taste test, McDonald's version was overly syrupy sweet.

It was only with the higher-end drinks that we started to see a price savings at McDonald's, over Starbucks, of about $1 on average.

Starbucks was, not surprisingly, the most expensive choice. Our small mocha latte and spinach-and-feta egg wrap cost $6.75. The McDonald's mocha latte, McSkillet Burrito with sausage and hash brown was $6.39 and much more filling.