9 Menu Items To Avoid Ordering At Wendy's, According To Customers

Wendy's is great at a lot of things. There's nothing quite as scrumptious as dunking hot fries in a creamy and cold Frosty or taking a bite into Dave's Single — which is easily the best burger on the menu. But as with anything in life, not everything can be a masterpiece. Some Wendy's menu items should be avoided entirely, as they are so bad that you shouldn't so much as look in their direction. Which ones, exactly? Ah, well, we did the research for you (and tried a bunch of them ourselves) so you can leave with a full belly and a happy outcome each time you go. There's no need to waste money on food that's subpar or worse, absolutely inedible.

The following items are based on insights gathered from previous Tasting Table taste tests, our actual experiences eating them, as well as a mix of online reviews and opinions. The problems often stem from issues with the overall flavor of the product, its texture, poor appearance, value, and overall disappointing experiences. For each item, we'll share what we/other Tasting Table writers thought about the food, and interject other customer reviews where applicable; we'll also cover what the biggest complaints are and why you should skip it. Simply avoid these 10 things, and you're bound to have a better experience at the chain fast food restaurant. 

When we tried and ranked every Wendy's burger, there were plenty of tasty picks — but the Jr. Hamburger landed dead last on the list. The hamburger comes with the usual suspects: beef, sliced pickles, a bit of onion, and a layer of ketchup and mustard that's served on a bun. Nothing sounds offensive about it on paper, but you can see the problems once you actually taste it. The main issue is its plainness. It's incredibly dull, and while we didn't find it revolting in any way, it's simply not worth purchasing when there are so many better burgers on the menu. 

Others complain that the burger is paper-thin, which isn't enough to keep you full. As one Facebook commenter shares about the burger, "There's shrinkflation, and now there's thinflation." So, this also gives it a bad bang for your buck, since you're getting such a small product. Others chime in that it looks like beef jerky or that they couldn't even taste the hamburger patty; it simply tasted like the toppings. If you want a "junior" version of something, just get the Jr. Cheeseburger — that smidge of cheese is enough to liven it up.

The Son of Baconator didn't fare much better than the Jr. Hamburger, making it toward the tail end of our burger ranking. This hamburger comes with two beef patties, a couple of slices of American cheese, Applewood smoked bacon, and then a bit of ketchup and mayo lodged between the bun. It looks sad, smashed, and much smaller than the grandiose one on the Wendy's website. The bacon appears grey and wilted compared to crunchy and striking. We found that it was a one-note burger, as in the only thing we could discern was its heaviness — and others agree that it's a bit basic.

The mayo, burgers, cheese slices, and bacon made the bite feel weighty and excessive without other flavors to uplift it. Some say that the bacon lacks crispiness, while the burger patties could have been juicier and needed a bit more browning on the exterior. It's not a pleasant dining experience, that much is certain. People also note that the cheese could benefit from actually getting slightly melted, rather than just being slapped on cold. It's a waste of money, too, because people on TikTok mention remaining hungry after eating their Son of Baconator.

The (new) taco salad is a fail for long-time Wendy's customers. Let's start with the plus side: The flavors generally come together. It has a mix of romaine lettuce, cheddar cheese, tomatoes, fire-roasted corn, chile lime taco strips, chili, and the creamy salsa dressing. While some call out the taco salad as the worst item on the menu because they believe chili doesn't belong on salad, we have a different complaint. 

The portion, or shrinkflation element, and changes to the recipe make it a skip for us and for many loyal fans of the previous taco salad. If you had it before the revamp, then the newer version simply doesn't cut it in comparison; it feels scant and small. People complain that the chips are tiny and there's a serious lack of chili, compared to what they used to have. The changes to the salad can be a hard pill to swallow for long-time Wendy's customers who loved it the way it was. As one Redditor says, "I tried the new one, and hated it. Not the same at all. I guess I've just had my last Taco Salad at Wendy's." Others mention that it's disappointing and not worth it when pitting it against the old version.

In the summer of 2024, Wendy's released a Triple Berry Frosty, which was a blend of strawberry, blackberry, and raspberry flavors. It didn't return in 2025, but there's no telling if it'll resurface in the summers to come — it had mixed reviews, but those who didn't like it thought it was beyond awful. If you see it one day, though, thinking it could be refreshing for a hot summer's day, don't be fooled. It's better to simply avoid it.

On the kinder end of the spectrum, some complained that it merely had too many flavors going on or that it wasn't very summery. Then, stronger grievances revolved around those who thought that it tasted artificial or like cough syrup – not really something you want your drink to taste like. But then some people had such a strong negative reaction, deeming the berry-laden Frosty as the worst item on the menu. "That thing tasted like someone took moldy fruit and blended it with goat milk, and just put [it] in a cup for the most unsuspecting victim out there," one person on Reddit shared. So, yeah, skip this if you ever come across it.

The maple bacon chicken croissant with maple butter — which has everything its name implies – came in last when we tested out nine items from Wendy's breakfast menu. It was so bad it was nauseating. Our writer said that the aroma was beyond awful; it was "horrific." The croissant was the saddest take on what's supposed to be a flaky and airy pastry that we've ever seen. Others say that it looks like ... well, poop. And looking at the photo, we understand the sentiment. Not only that, but the "croissant" was stale and merely looked like a regular bun. 

The bacon's maple elements overpowered the sandwich with an artificial flavor, making it too cloying to enjoy. We aren't the only ones to have strong reactions to the sandwich, either, as others mention that it's a highly disappointing and disgusting nightmare. They share that the chicken is terrible and way too salty. Every component — bacon, chicken, and croissant — is unbearable to eat, and therefore, is an easy skip. If you want bacon with your brekkie, get the Breakfast Baconator instead.

In theory, bacon, egg, and cheese sounds like a timeless, delicious combination. But Wendy's bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit is ultimately a letdown. While it didn't elicit a strong visceral reaction from us like the maple bacon chicken croissant abomination, it had a lackluster flavor and poor texture that doesn't make for a successful breakfast. When we tried it, there was a quality control issue where the cheese was missing entirely. Even when you do get it, people grumble that it's not enough to give it any flavor.

The sandwich is unbalanced with too much egg, too little bacon, and of course, no or little cheese. The biscuit — which is described as fluffy on Wendy's website — is dry, chewy, and overpowers the amount of protein that you get, while everything is overly salted. The biscuit consistently gets negative reviews, out of all the sandwich's elements, and that's the foundation of the entire thing. It's basically a bread sandwich with some egg slapped in the middle. Once again, there are issues with flavor, texture, delivery, and value of every element of this sandwich, so it's better that you dodge ordering the bacon, egg, and cheese breakfast biscuit.

We love Cinnabon. There's nothing quite like that gooey, doughy, cinnamon-y center of the cinnamon roll, and we've made the long drive to the only mall in town with Cinnabon to get one. So, you'd think the Wendy's Cinnabon Pull-Apart that touts the brand's name may offer a scrumptious alternative to a classic roll, but that's not the case. Customers say that the bakery treat is dry, and mainly tastes like bread with a touch of cinnamon, and then Cinnabon's icing plopped over the top. Some lament that icing is served cold, and all you get is a mere squirt of the stuff.

There is no buttery flavor nor "ooey, gooey" texture that Wendy's describes. Reviewers actually say that theirs was hard as a rock and seemed like it had been sitting out for a while – nothing like that fresh quality of watching the associate at Cinnabon make it right in front of you. Oh, and there's nothing to pull apart; the hard, old bread is just stuck together. To top it all off, people mention that it's not worth the price. The bland taste, hockey puck-like texture, and value are a big fail for this dessert. You're better off making the occasional trip to your nearest Cinnabon and skipping this Wendy's version entirely.

Grabbing a cup of coffee at a fast food joint is a convenient way to obtain your coffee if you're already stopping by for breakfast — diverting to an actual coffee shop can take a lot of time and add dollars, too — but not all chains offer tasty results. Wendy's hot coffee is made with 100% Arabica beans sourced from Central and South America. Okay, sounds good, right? But when we compared Wendy's coffee beverages to 14 other fast food coffees in a ranking, the brand found itself toward the bottom of the list because of its mediocrity. 

It fared just as poorly when we pitted Wendy's black coffee against McDonald's, with our writer sharing that it tasted more like a bad diner coffee — bitter, acidic, slightly watery. Generally, people think that Wendy's black coffee sucks or that it doesn't provide much flavor – that goes for hot or iced versions, which means that neither is safe. Some even say that the coffee is noticeably bitter even if you add sugar to it. So, whether you're a coffee connoisseur or just need a bit of morning caffeine, we can safely declare that coffee from Wendy's is better off skipped. Head to McDonald's instead, since it clearly won out against Wendy's. But Starbucks or Dunkin' ranked in the top two in the fast food coffee ranking, should you want something even tastier.

Wendy's bacon breakfast burrito is a miss all around. It comes with Applewood smoked bacon, American cheese, potatoes, and Swiss cheese sauce wrapped in a flour tortilla with Cholula hot sauce on the side. That actually sounds really good, right? Well, the pictures of the burrito often look poorly made, with gaps where the filling should be, or just a half-open tortilla loosely holding the filling. Quality control is a persistent obstacle with some of these items. 

People seem to have issues with virtually every component of the burrito, which only solidifies that there's a lack of care in the overall product. Some customers say the cheese is scarce and bland (and that's saying something considering there's supposed to be American cheese as well as the Swiss sauce) or that they didn't receive any Cholula sauce at all. Others mention that the bacon was undercooked, and the tortilla was brittle and falling apart. We thought the entire burrito was too salty when we had it. Overall, this breakfast burrito is considered expensive, dry, and underwhelming by Wendy's patrons. The only guarantee, it seems, is that it will be bad. 

We looked toward our own experience eating these items, as well as perusing previous Tasting Table articles, online reviews, and public opinions to determine which Wendy's food and drinks should be avoided. While each person has their specific tastes and dislikes, we sought out items that had multiple reviews highlighting issues with flavor, texture, appearance, generally underwhelming experiences, and value. We wanted to be sure that the issue(s) with the item occurred multiple times or that the item in question had several problems, rather than one person's one-time experience. You can certainly try these if you're feeling adventurous, but you're better off saving your dollars and stomach space for tastier Wendy's options.