Is your favorite fast food chain on our list?

Fast food chains that are well known to be a bit more expensive are known to rank higher with consumers when it comes to food quality. Generally offering fresher food, even if it’s a bit pricier, these counter-service restaurants changed how the Americans public dines, merging traditional restaurant fare with fast food’s speed and pricing.

This winning combo has seen its popularity burst over the last couple of decades. In 2009, there were about 17,300 of these types of fast food chains in the U.S. And by 2018, they more than doubled their footprint to nearly 35,000 locations, according to research. The good news is that the market is still growing.

But like any other chain of restaurants, sometimes they’ve gotten exposed, cutting corners, making questionable behind-the-scenes moves, or simply getting a flair-up of lousy publicity.

Whatever the reason, pricier fast food chains are still capable of lousy food. So, let’s get to the bottom of it! Here are 5 fast food chains with some of the most documented customer complaints.

Panera Bread

When the St. Louis Bread Company opened back in 1987 in Missouri, there was really no indication of how big this fast food chain would actually get. But that first sourdough starter would soon find its way into all major cities across the country. In its prime, Panera Bread filled a soup and sandwich void that the US didn’t even know it had.

More recently, though, many complaints have been piling up that the once-loved bread chain has been disappointing people. We’ve been noticing customers fussing about Panera “skimping” and increasing its prices so much that the quality has gone down. Some people talk about the “good old days” when the restaurant featured pasta and an extra baguette that didn’t cost an outrageous amount.

Consumers have gotten so dissatisfied with Panera that a social media trend was born last year, dubbing the chain “high-quality hospital food.” If that wasn’t enough lousy exposure, the brand came under fire again last year when an ex-employee posted a video on TikTok which showed her boiling the mac and cheese in a bag to warm it up.

She was fired after the viral video got hit with comments regarding how cheap the prep looked. The fast food chain responded to the video, saying it’s done that way because “it’s shipped frozen to our bakery-cafes. This helps us avoid using preservatives which don’t meet our cleanliness standards.”

The only problem with that is that the chain was sued back in 2020 for marketing its food as “clean” when it supposedly has preservatives. Whatever the case may be, though, Panera definitely has some explaining to do, folks!

Chipotle

Many remember the 2015 disaster that got over 1,000 people sick and cost the burrito brand a $25 million federal fine. But Chipotle has done a lot to fix its image. And even though the outbreak will forever leave a stain on the company’s reputation, Chipotle has made strides in winning customers back, now surpassing revenue expectations for the past few years running.

While this fast food chain may have cleaned up its act a bit, the brand isn’t without fault. Over the past couple of years, a couple of failed menu experiments have had people wondering what the Tex-Mex fast food chain is thinking. Last year’s experiment of smoked brisket got many complaints that the beef was more like jerky than pulled meat.

Then, the 2017 big queso rollout had clients wondering how cheese could be so chalky tasting. Noticing that “chalk-like” wasn’t the flavor comparison they were looking for, Chipotle rethought its queso and put it out again in 2019, only to get a bunch of complaints that the lumpy cheese dip was coagulated. So, if the “new” items weren’t successful, at least its staples still shined, right?

Sadly, no. For many, this fast food chain’s overall quality has gone downhill. Social media posts see questions like, “Does anyone notice an extreme decline in Chipotle?” and “What has happened to this chain?” Some think the decline was because of the change of leadership to CEO Brian Niccol, who was formally the CEO of Taco Bell.. which is also not exactly known for its high-quality measures.

Panda Express

While we can all agree that most American-Chinese food isn’t exactly considered a healthy choice, fast-food giant Panda Express has seen a lot of criticism about its ingredient quality. Once found mainly in airports and malls, this fast food chain has expanded since its inception in 1983.

And being around that long significantly impacted the cuisine, having invented orange chicken 35 years ago. While the dish has changed considerably on Chinese menus all over America, it has also been called out for using some questionable ingredients.

In 2018, rival Pei Wei and Panda Express had an all-out war when it publicly called out the eatery for its menu transparency, especially with its orange chicken. The “challenge” included Pei Wei showing its recipe for its version and asking Panda Express to do the same with their dish.

Well, they didn’t. And then, when Pei Wei didn’t get a response, they went dumpster diving behind its rival’s restaurant and posted a picture of an orange chicken package from its factory on social media, exposing the brand for its long laundry list of preservatives.

Wild brand wars aside, customers have also had issues with them. A recent Reddit discussion on the drawbacks of the chain’s food reached 3,000 upvotes and almost 800 comments, proving that customers have a lot to say.

As if that wasn’t enough, the chain was voted last year as one of the nation’s “least trusted food chains” according to the ACSI customer satisfaction score.

But, while it depends on the dish, this fast food chain still has some healthy choices. Maybe just not the orange chicken! Or better yet, you can make your own at home. Check out this genius cheat sheet from Amazon: Copycat Recipes: Making PF Chang’s, Panda Express & Pei Wei Most Popular Chinese Recipes at Home

Wingstop

When everyone’s craving chicken wings, they’re most likely heading toward Wingstop, one of the biggest wing servers in the nation. But, this fast food chain has plenty of baggage regarding its questionable and sometimes gross history, especially behind closed doors.

In 2016, an employee earned some unwanted press for the fast food spot when she put her face into a bucket of raw chicken at a location in Colorado, causing more than a few raised eyebrows nationwide. Then, another video emerged last year showing another worker handling food without gloves.

If shoddy kitchen practices weren’t enough, sources revealed that Wingstop’s “boneless wings” are actually not even “wings,” just chicken nuggets made using breast meat. And for all the video footage and allegations, many consumers are saying that the restaurant is way too overpriced.

“Paid $14 for 10 wings drenched in grease with cold seasoned fries,” said one unhappy customer. Across Twitter, reports show that this fast food chain’s fries are also a disappointment, often described as gross, limp, and old.

Five Guys

Five Guys used to be the darling burger chain of the Millennial crowd, who couldn’t get enough of the huge portions of burgers and fries stacked with delicious toppings. But, more recently, it has been getting lots of customer complaints. One recurring grudge customers have talked about is its recent price surge.

Reddit has called the fast food chain an “absolute rip-off,” and Twitter has joined in, saying, “When you pay $20 for fries and a burger, you expect it to at least be good.” And the price has just been one complaint for many customers.

On the top of the list has been Five Guys’ soggy fries, which have been dubbed “disgusting,” “mediocre,” and even “pathetic.” If the statements of this fast food chain haven’t indicated people aren’t mad enough, the ingredients have become sub-par, too.

A report by a few agencies in 2018 gave Five Guys an F because they don’t source any of their beef products from antibiotic-free farms. Additionally, Time Magazine has even ranked its large portion of fries as one of the “Top 10 Worst Fast-Food Meals.”

What are your thoughts on what’s happening with these fast food chains? Were any of your favorites on this list. Let us know in the comments below.

Meanwhile, if you liked this article, we also recommend reading: Servers Won’t Eat These 11 Shocking Things at Their Own Restaurants!