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“Their Kitchen Is Comprised Entirely Of Microwaves”: 30 Of The Absolute Worst Chain Restaurants
Many of us enjoy a cheeky fast-food meal every now and then. But unless you’ve worked on the other side of the counter, very few people think about what it’s like being a chain restaurant employee. All the customers have to go on is the quality of the food and service. Though everyone makes mistakes, some businesses seem to be in the habit of making their errors a regular feature.
Redditor u/Eris3344 wanted to get to grips with the landscape of chain restaurants in the United States, so they asked people to explain which ones are the worst and why. We’ve collected some of the most insightful answers to share with you.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
I was excited to try Taco Bell when they launched in the UK a couple of years ago. What the hell America, it's literally warm lettuce in an unflavoured Dorito.
GoGoPDX 1 year ago (edited)
There are 3 times when Taco Bell is great. 1: you are 19, broke, and want something other than hamburgers. 2: you are high, and Taco Bell is suddenly gourmet. 3: you're drunk, your friends are drunk, and the bars are closed. Taco Bell is open. Then there is the weird extra time Taco Bell is good. Some random Tuesday night after a long work day and you just want Taco Bell.
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#2
Subway. Still lost about how they stay in business. The quality keeps dropping, the prices keep rising, the deals are shrinking, and their market share is being cannibalized over the last decade or so by places that offer a superior offering at less or just slightly more. I can walk in and get a Jersey Mikes sub for 10 bucks and it's miles better than anything subway can spit out.
Did I say that out loud? (he/him)cis/het 1 year ago
What is that weird smell that every Subway seems to have?
#3
I'm convinced Applebee's isn't a real restaurant. Just a front for repurposed takeout from neighboring restaurants.
ShawshankException:
I'm convinced their kitchen is comprised entirely of microwaves.
Most customers are practical. So long as the food tastes great and is pretty affordable, and the staff treats them well, they’ll be happy. However, some of the most important things happen behind the scenes. Ideally, all businesses would operate ethically, treat their employees well, and have high quality and hygiene standards.
These factors also often have an effect on the quality of the food that comes out of the kitchen. Motivated, well-trained, fairly paid, disciplined staff members will provide an excellent customer experience. On the flip side, workers who don’t get paid well, have no clue what they’re doing, and are managed poorly are more likely to not care about their jobs. Caring about the way chain restaurants operate means enjoying a better customer experience.
#4
Golden Corral is an abomination.
GNOIZ1C:
Quantity, Not Quality™️
#5
I fail to understand how Dominoes is still in business. It's the cr*ppiest pizza out there. Like cardboard with red melted crayon for sauce. It's pathetic. With all the far superior places to get a pizza from.......why the hell do people still prefer Dominoes?
Sue Denham 1 year ago
Is this everywhere or just some places? We have Domino's in NZ and it's pretty good.
#6
McDonald's, they treat their workers like s**t, they get paid to be abused by coworkers, customers, owners, and truck drivers. Get injured? too bad! That's a you problem! Get back to work!! You can't even make enough to SURVIVE food is s**t, overpriced, and I'd rather eat my own s**t over mcs**t. You have a family member dying? Oh well we need you to come in cus our best Boi Mc. Never does anything wrong needs a month off cus he "earned it" aka siting on his a*s doing nothing while you cook, clean, fry, assemble, and so on! Tldr: McDonald's is a hellhole and far worse than any fast food joint.
Companies change their business practices to match their customers’ expectations. So if you feel that a certain chain of restaurants is getting super expensive, ladling slop on dirty trays, and treating everyone who walks through the doors poorly, vote with your feet. Boycott the restaurant and give the chain your honest feedback in writing.
Meanwhile, if you’ve seen hygiene standards slip and you’re honestly worried about your health, report the problems to your local organization responsible for ensuring food safety and standards. There’s nothing like a proper inspection to get restaurants in line.
#7
They all suck, but Pizza Hut has to be the one that fell the farthest.
lemming_follower:
I've always believed there is money to be made on nostalgia. Pizza Hut executives are letting this demographic slip away. You think they'd offer a once-a-year special to satisfy us old-timers.
Of course, in addition to my 80's pizza, I'd want a few games sitting down at a cocktail arcade machine...
#8
Panera is on the list too.
Nature_Goulet:
Panera costs more than a regular sit down. Totally ridiculous.
#9
KFC. How can a chicken place be out of chicken so often? And bring back the corn on the cob as well as the tater wedges you fools.
TheGramdWaZoo:
It doesn't even taste like chicken anymore... It's just battered grease.
alwaysmyfault:
Bring back the buffet!
While chain restaurant employees ought to be proud of their jobs and try to do the best they possibly could, the responsibility doesn’t rest just on their shoulders. It’s also essential that their managers and bosses motivate them properly. After all, if someone’s superiors don’t care about the customers, why should the employees?
This motivation could, for instance, mean rewarding the staff with monetary bonuses for excellent work, top-notch customer service, and good hygiene practices. That way, there’s a very practical incentive to be at the top of your game. Similarly, workers ought to be incentivized in the long term as well. They should know what kinds of training, raises, promotions, and other perks they can reasonably expect, and when. And that comes down to upper management that genuinely wants their staff to thrive, and is transparent about their goals and expectations.
#11
Burger King - awesome when I was a teenager, sucks now. I dunno, the food quality has gone too downhill for me.
#12
Hate me if you want, but I can't stand Olive Garden. Their menu is just too limited and their food has no inspiration.
DenL4242:
Why would anyone hate you for stating straight-up facts? Olive Garden can't even cook pasta correctly.
Aisling Raye 1 year ago
Unlimited salad and breadsticks are sort of wonderful when you're broke tho lol.
#13
Chick-Fil-A. They cause horrific traffic jams. One just opened and it’s already making everyone around miserable.
It’s a damn sandwich.
Aisling Raye 1 year ago
Never been and never will, so I can't comment on quality of food. The WTF America part of it is how horrible they are as a company. I absolutely cannot support a business that is so overwhelmingly obsessed with homophobia and the desire to shove religion down the throats (literally and figuratively) of the masses.
#14
Papa John's went from the top to the absolute bottom in a very short time. We refuse to order it anymore. It was never great but it has become inedible in the last 5 years or so. We actually threw it out last time we ordered it and made something else.
CanadianDimes 1 year ago
Of all the things the UK could import from the US, I will never understand why Papa John’s was chosen. It’s just so bad.
#15
Long John Silver, it has to be a cover for the mob or something.
draggar
Just something about fast seafood doesn't sit right with me.
Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 1 year ago
I like Captain D's. People seem to like one or the other, but never both.
#16
Food? Mcdonald’s.
Being able to make the food? Popeyes.
Being able to CONSISTENTLY f**k up? Jack in the box.
Somehow getting people to order online? Chipotle.
Longest wait? Sonic.
Closing every store? Burger king.
Trying so damn hard to no avail? Arby’s.
Please support independent restaurants yall. Same price or cheaper, way better food, doesn’t take 30 minutes just to get fries, and your money isn’t going to some corporation.
D-m Keilman 1 year ago
Every Christmas I buy immediate family gift cards to local family owned restaurants. Found some really great places that way.
#17
TGIFriday’s. Between TGIF, Applebee’s, and Chili’s (all essentially the same place) TGIF is the absolute worst. I doubt they even have fryers or ovens/grills in the kitchen - wouldn’t be surprised to just see 10 microwaves lined up.
troufaki13 1 year ago
TGIFriday's is pretty good in Greece though. Maybe it's something regional?
#18
I’m definitely going to get hate for this but Panda Express.
The food is mediocre at best but I will give them the benefit that you can’t find a larger portion of food for ~$10 anywhere else. However the real reason I say it is the worst is because due to how popular and widespread they are, it’s given a lot of people in less culturally diverse sectors the idea that all Chinese food is a cheap and greasy struggle meal. I am of East Asian descent and I’ve learned to stop suggesting Chinese food as a first date when meeting a non-Asian girl because I usually get hit with something like “What like Panda Express? Can we go somewhere better?” 🤦🏻♂️
#19
Waffle House
EDIT: I Googled "Waffle House shooting [hometown]" to support my point, but I then had to specify which one.
ConfusedCub 1 year ago
A shooting has absolutely WHAT to do with food chain quality? I myself have never tasted their food but I really can't imagine it being any better or worse than ihop.
#20
Denny's. EVERY time I eat there (desperate times call for desperate measures) It sucks. Only 24/7 place open by my airport. How can you screw up food that bad and stay open?
David 1 year ago
Denny's is like McDonalds in that when you are traveling they both give you consistent mediocrity when dining in a strange town. You know they will be more or less c**p but you are familiar with that particular c**p and the prices so you eat there and then drive away asking yourself why.
#21
iHop
Just go to a local diner. Much cheaper, better food, better service by far.
Brocken Blue 1 year ago (edited)
That assuming there *is* a local diner. Sometimes IHOP is the best/only game in town (and it’s always better than Denny’s)
#22
My wife and kids LOVE this place, but I'm just gonna say it; Fazoli's.
It's literally just microwaved Italian Lean Cuisines (and if it's not I will be VERY surprised). It's not that it's gross, but I don't see the need to go out and pay a premium for it when I can hit up my local grocery store and nuke it at home.
#23
Sonic. Which sucks because I remember when the food there used to be good.
#24
Chili’s has gone so far downhill that it’s sad. 15-20 years ago it was the top family restaurant in my eyes. Food was excellent, service was good and the atmosphere was fun. Now, the food is bland, it seems every chili’s is woefully understaffed and every time I go, it feels miserable there. It was one of my favorite places to catch a bite to eat and now I don’t even bother anymore.
#25
Cheese Cake Factory. One of the worst meals I've ever had from a restaurant is from them, and I can happily eat at Applebee's or wherever. Not only that but you pay a premium for their s**t food.
#27
Chipotle. The one time I attempted to eat there, I waited 20 minutes in line, the place was filthy, and then while my burrito was being made, the girl at the guacamole station LITERALLY VOMITED IN HER MOUTH AND RAN OFF THE LINE. The manager just called someone else up to take her place. I walked out. This was AFTER the whole "Chipotle is making people sick" thing, where they figured out it was sick workers and bad hygiene that was infecting customers with norovirus. That place is gross. I'll take Salsa Fresca over them any day.
#28
Never met a Red Robin that didn't give me food poisoning.
#29
Tim Hortons.
DeliciousPangolin:
I hate their phony, mass-produced nationalist pandering. Especially from a foreign-owned company that does everything in its power to avoid employing Canadians. No one outside Ontario gave a s**t about TH until they started spamming TV with ads depicting themselves as a cherished Canadian institution. Where did they get the money to do that? By selling themselves to Wendy's.
Krystle Deschene 1 year ago (edited)
It's not a coffee shop anymore. They try to push to many products, and "refocus on dinner menus" I managed one (shamefully, for 20 years) and the changes they made are atrocious.... focus on coffee donuts and bagels. Fix the coffee machines. Fox the drive thru set up amd youll have happier customers again. And 100% this post is correct. They get a government grant to support foreign workers which is fine, no problem there. Problem is the owners pay for one house, stick 10 -20 foreign workers in it. Screw them over in every way possible. Yet we couldn't hold onto our long term locals because the owners didn't give a s**t about them
#30
Arby's is just reconstituted diarrhea on a soggy bun.
What do you think ?
Christos Arvanitis 1 year ago
So fast food and fast casual chains aren't at the top of the culinary experience? Who knew?
Ace 1 year ago
This isn't so much about food quality but people's changing tastes. In reality, fast food has been seen as getting worse consistently since it first came on the scene, each generations remembering how good it seemed when they were growing up and how much worse it tasted later, completely ignoring how their own tastes have changed over time. It's mainly nostalgia, of the "things were better when I was a kid" kind.
Brocken Blue 1 year ago
100% agreed … maybe folks should consider that childhood memories aren’t the most reliable? And people are pickier when they are the adults who have to pay the bill? IDK but I often have slight suspicion for “it was better when I was younger” arguments
Load More Replies...
Agfox 1 year ago
Outback Steakhouse - any thoughts, anyone? I've eaten there in several Asian Countries & thought it wasn't too bad although, as an Australian, I thought that naming convention was cringeworthy
Brocken Blue 1 year ago
Oh the naming is definitely cringeworthy but their food is pretty reliable
Load More Replies... Christos Arvanitis 1 year ago
So fast food and fast casual chains aren't at the top of the culinary experience? Who knew?
Ace 1 year ago
This isn't so much about food quality but people's changing tastes. In reality, fast food has been seen as getting worse consistently since it first came on the scene, each generations remembering how good it seemed when they were growing up and how much worse it tasted later, completely ignoring how their own tastes have changed over time. It's mainly nostalgia, of the "things were better when I was a kid" kind.
Brocken Blue 1 year ago
100% agreed … maybe folks should consider that childhood memories aren’t the most reliable? And people are pickier when they are the adults who have to pay the bill? IDK but I often have slight suspicion for “it was better when I was younger” arguments
Load More Replies... Agfox 1 year ago
Outback Steakhouse - any thoughts, anyone? I've eaten there in several Asian Countries & thought it wasn't too bad although, as an Australian, I thought that naming convention was cringeworthy
Brocken Blue 1 year ago
Oh the naming is definitely cringeworthy but their food is pretty reliable
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