Even the best restaurant chains have off-days where customers feel disappointed by the experience; but some places are so consistently sub-par that former fans can’t see themselves going back. Maybe prices have gone up and quality has dipped, or the menu has changed for the worse, or the customer service is terrible. I analyzed comments on several social media threads and posts to see which chains inspire the strongest feelings from customers, who say they’d rather cook at home than go out to eat. Here are seven fast food restaurants customers dislike, ranked from least-worst to “never again.”
Sonic
More than one customer has strong feelings about Sonic’s menu items. “When Sonic came to this area, there were 2 hour waits for the first week or so. Finally got there after a while and was so excited. It’s beyond mediocre. I couldn’t believe people were raving about it,” one Redditor said. “Sonic gets me sick every time,” another commented.
Burger King
Burger King’s consistency varies wildly by location, customers say. “I know this is unpopular but I go to Burger King once every 7-8 years to confirm I still don’t like it and yeah. Got a whopper last year, bland, cost like $19 for the meal with cheese added… Not for me,” one Redditor said.
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KFC
KFC is no longer worth the money, some customers say. “KFC – Too much breading on chicken and too salty. Also too pricy and always out of food,” one customer complained. “Couldn’t do KFC for years after working there and eating it every day, it tasted like nothing. I can eat it again now but the quality has gone way down even from when I worked there and it was already on the way down,” another said.
Subway
Subway customers are unhappy about the chain, especially since they overhauled the menu “Stopped going to Subway since just before the Pandemic, which was still far too late,” one customer said. “Literally do not understand why anyone would go to Subway unless it is the only thing around. And even then…” another commented.
Taco Bell
Taco Bell is too expensive, customers say. “The worst thing in my area was Taco Bell. Never seen such inconsistency from a fast food joint ever. I think they were really struggling to find employees,” one Redditor said. “Their quality went down while their prices went up. The one good value they had, the $5 box, has crept up in price to being $7 now. I will say, their chicken nuggets were surprisingly good. But they were a limited time item and a bit expensive,” another agreed.
Arby’s
Arby’s comes in at number 2, with customers complaining about the cleanliness and appearance of the restaurants. “I never had a ‘good’ Arby’s experience,” one Redditor said. “Maybe it’s better in the last decade but it legit earned its terrible reputation in the 90s/2000s. It made Taco Bell feel like food,” another commented.
Panera
And the most complained about fast food restaurant is… Panera, with customers very unhappy about the trajectory the chain is taking. “Legitimately the only fast food place I went to once and decided there’s no point in trying it again. I got 3 things: a sandwich, a flatbread pizza and something else… It tasted like the food was made by 5 year olds that were learning about food preparation. And just so over priced for something I could probably go to Target and get at half the cost and better quality,” one disappointed customer said. “Panera was amazing 20 years ago. The quality has gone way down. They are also switching to frozen, partially baked dough now too, so it’ll only get worse,” another commented.
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