7 Most Disliked Menu Items at Major Fast-Food Chains
Even the most popular fast-food chains are going to have a menu item that is anything but beloved—an item that is, in fact, outright unpopular. And we've scoured the internet to find out which items are garnering the wrath of naysayers more so than others.
Disdain for some of these items makes sense, as they represent the brand's departure from its core offerings. In other cases, it's rather a shock how poorly a given menu item is received, considering it isn't much different from the rest of the chain's menu.
Here are some of the items that customers love to hate. For more, check out 6 Most Anticipated Fast-Food Menu Items Launching This Year.
Arby's Creamy Mediterranean Chicken Wrap
It seems like Arby's ought to stick to its comfort zone of roast beef sandwiches based on the regular panning this wrap got from customers who responded to a poll. Mashed polled nearly 600 people on the worst wrap the chain offers, and this combo of roast chicken, banana peppers, red onions, tomatoes, green leaf lettuce, and Tzatziki sauce took the dubious distinction by a considerable margin, earning nearly 37% of all votes.
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Panera's Bacon Tomato Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Reddit users and Business Insider agree: the Bacon Tomato Grilled Cheese Sandwich at Panera is just not good. Andrew LaSane of BI was diplomatic in his assessment of the sandwich, calling it "my least favorite option because its flavors weren't that exciting and it didn't have enough cheese" and noting a poor distribution of other ingredients. Reddit user caiutley was a bit more direct, saying it was "by far the worst thing I've ever had, [and] don't get me wrong, I love Panera for life."
McDonald's Filet-O-Fish
Last year, when McDonald's perhaps misguidedly decided to hold a tournament via Twitter to determine the customers' favorite menu item, what was also revealed was which McD's menu item customers disliked the most. And that turned out to be the Filet-O-Fish. The humble sandwich garnering the lowest amount—a mere 5.9%—of favorite votes. The favorite? The Big Mac, of course.
Wendy's Chili
Even many diehard Wendy's fans can't seem to find anything nice to say about the chain's chili. Reddit user Jetho06 offered up an insider explanation that's long been rumored to be the reason behind the chili's bad flavor: "It's made from dried up, leftover hamburger meat. It sits in bags of its own grease in the freezer for god knows how long, until it's pulled out and boiled. Then it's mixed with giant cans of beans and tomatoes that smell like vomit, and boiled again for hours. Whatever wasn't used at the end of the night was poured back into vats and stored in the walk in until it would be reheated in the morning. Everything else at Wendy's is actually decent. The hamburger meat really is never frozen. Unless it's for chili."
Subway Tuna Sandwich
Subway's Tuna Sandwich is routinely panned as the worst sandwich on the menu, thanks to its questionable tuna quality. Reddit users piled onto a thread of comments deriding this menu option, with one calling it "basically all mayonnaise" and "the most unhealthy thing on the menu." Another, who had worked at Subway restaurants, added: "In some stores where [the tuna] doesn't sell well they will try to keep it around as long as possible which may include artificially extending its expiration date as to save on food cost." Still another user said: "The tuna is one sack of tuna and then a liter of mayonnaise… really disgusting."
Chick-fil-A Hash Browns
As much as customers love many Chick-fil-A sandwiches with a passion, many loathe their little hash browns with a vengeance. A Reddit user called Fusic said "CFA hash browns are the worst item they have . . . Don't put potatoes in a box, [they] just get soggy sitting in the chute." It also does not help that have 18 grams of fat per serving.
Chipotle's Queso
Chipotle's food is generally pretty well-loved and considered to be of superior quality compared to the average fast-food joint, but the chain does offer one item folks seem to mostly hate. Reddit users assailed the stuff in a thread of comments, with one saying: "Chipotle queso is SO AWFUL. They made such a big deal out of it too for it to just be terrible." Another called it "chalky and spoiled-milk tasting," a definition others agreed with.
For more, check out the 108 Most Popular Sodas Ranked By How Toxic They Are.
