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)against Burger King(BKC) and Starbucks(SBUX), 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.