7 Worst Chicken Chains In The US, According To Customers

Savoring a bucket of fried chicken smothered in a decadent sauce with accompaniments like crinkle fries and mac and cheese can be a satisfying and comforting experience. Unfortunately, some of the casual chains that carry these items have been recently offering a subpar experience for various reasons, such as inconsistent food and service quality across branches, unwelcome recipe changes, and gradually shrinking portion sizes combined with escalating costs.

It goes without saying that several regional, national, and global fast food chains are plagued with repulsive myths and rumors, but many of the latter have turned out to be completely unfounded. In fact, some renowned establishments, such as Chick-Fil-A and Chipotle, have endured for decades and actually offer scrumptious handcrafted items. 

Still, while diners across the U.S. have recently crowned Dave's Hot Chicken the most loved casual-dining chicken chain, they've also expressed their deep discontent with other franchises that, ironically, have been expanding for many years. As seen on platforms like Yelp, Google, and TripAdvisor, several of these famous brands seem to be slowly falling out of favor. So, here's a compilation of the most common complaints that chicken-focused franchises in the country, such as Church's Texas Chicken, KFC, and Buffalo Wild Wings, have been bombarded with over the past couple of years. Do any of these low-star ratings and grievances resonate with you?

Church's specializes in double-breaded fried chicken, crispy tenders, and honey-butter biscuits. First established by George W. Church in 1952 as Church's Fried Chicken, the restaurant rebranded in 2019 and was acquired by an investment firm in 2021. Sadly, these moves seem to have led to changes in the chicken recipes and smaller portion sizes, which have been met with wide discontent. In fact, you might want to avoid some of Church's chicken menu items altogether, such as the spicy chicken sandwich, which wouldn't satisfy your heat buds, or the soupy, grainy mac and cheese.

Some customers believe the food quality has deteriorated over the years and that some of the items the brand now carries taste so bland they're not worth their money. Others have gone as far as praising the chicken found at convenience stores as more cheaper and more flavorful and have even reported having digestive issues after consumption. "The skin is so thick and tough. Or wadded-up fat. Not at all fresh," one Facebook user remarked.

The lack of standardized preparation across Church's branches has also been reported, as has the watery and bland gravy and the disappointment over the abrupt switch from crinkle-cut to straight-cut fries in several locations. "If selling diminishing portions of poorly made food is the only way Church's can make the margins they require, they probably won't be in business much longer," a Redditor concluded.

Bojangles is another big name in the world of casual chicken chains in the U.S. Established in 1977, the brand specializes in Cajun-style chicken and buttermilk biscuits and operates about 800 branches across 17 states.

Unfortunately, complaints from online reviewers have been pouring in, denouncing sanitary and cleanliness issues in some branches, messed-up orders, and the painfully slow service. As for the food itself, we've previously reviewed Bojangles' as having the worst breakfast sandwich, an underwhelming sausage biscuit. Or, you could just scour Yelp and Reddit for grievances about burned biscuits, flavorless, dry, chicken items, and lukewarm fries that are served either completely bland or excessively seasoned in some locations.

"Everything was hard and dehydrated, even the coleslaw. The kids did not like it at all," a Yelp user protested. "I'm not sure what the hype is about this place, but it was definitely not worth it, nor what they charge you."

Founded in 1996, Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers currently operates 879 branches, and it plans to expand to 1,000 locations in 2026. Still, its limited menu, which focuses on combos that include crinkle-cut fries, a house sauce, coleslaw, and a beverage, fails to arouse widespread interest.

Many customers have described the chicken as bland and soggy and the fries practically unseasoned, noting that the menu is in dire need of fresh ingredients. "Everything taste like nothing, besides the sauce, so they encourage you to drown everything in it, and now you have a swampy wet slop of soggy food," a Redditor lamented.

Others have reportedly received the wrong order, undercooked chicken (on multiple occasions), and sodas without ice. Add to that rude staff and sluggish service at different locations, and it's no wonder Raising Cane's is now considered overpriced and overhyped. Not to mention the decreasingly smaller chicken fingers offered at lower quality and higher prices. "They've been reducing portion sizes while charging more for the same meal," a reviewer on Google wrote. "I don't like feeling ripped off."

Though Kentucky Fried Chicken debuted at a roadside gas station in 1930 Corbin, it has now expanded to more than 30,000 restaurants across 150 countries. This world-famous brand may be thriving in some areas and nations, but it has closed many branches over the years and even went bankrupt in Türkiye in 2025.

It looks like KFC's popularity is waning in the U.S. due to increased competition. That "finger lickin' good" chicken is no longer deemed crispy enough by many customers, not to mention the deteriorating quality and service across branches. "I've always thought their sides are school cafeteria level. The chicken is so-so," a Redditor wrote, while another one added, "Half the breading is falling off and the meat tastes bad and has a weird texture."

In some American locations, patrons have complained about the funky cheese flavor, hardened buns, decreasing coleslaw portion, dry and burned wedges, and practically meatless, barely seasoned chicken. One Yelp reviewer also noticed a bitter aftertaste, concluding, "I won't be spending my cheat days here anymore because I will be the one who ends up being CHEATED."

Locations with a low-star rating have been flagged for their unprofessional managers (surely, staff members getting fired in front of customers is a no-no), challenging phone and app systems, and greasy and soggy chicken that may have been fried in old oil — not to mention messy mashed potatoes, "stone-hard" wedges, flat drinks, undercooked nuggets, and dirty soda dispensers. In short, those who will no longer be patronizing this chain have seemingly had enough of the drive-thru hours that may change without prior notice, constant order errors, unenthusiastic staff, and venues with poor hygiene and pervasive smells.

Founded in 1990, Zaxby's is known for its signature chicken sandwich, chicken fingers, and Zalads (i.e., salads with grilled, fried, or blackened chicken pieces). In recent years, though, diners have taken to various platforms to vent their frustration, tackling subjects like hygiene, staff performance, and communication issues in some locations, calling the food excessively greasy, and complaining about their dry chicken and incomplete orders.

"The chicken tenders tasted and smelled like they were seasoned with cigarette ash. No joke. Highly, highly disappointed," one Yelp user wrote, while another customer chimed in on Facebook, "Just enough sauce to color the wings and no flavor ... Be warned, if you have a bad experience with Zaxby's, they will do nothing to gain their redemption. Sad."

There also been some uproar after the brand changed a few beloved recipes and discontinued popular items like the spicy fried mushrooms and Blackened Blue Zalad. Therefore, the latter was brought back in 2024, albeit a modified version. 

Established in 1994, Wingstop is another enduring chicken chain. Specializing in buffalo wings, it currently boasts 2,563 domestic and international locations. Nonetheless, despite the sales growth noted on its website, the brand has been receiving a lot of backlash from diners in recent years, centering on issues like digestive discomfort, delays and errors in online and phone orders, incomplete orders, under-sauced wings, and sanitation problems.

Overall, the food quality is deemed inconsistent and depends on which branch you visit. "The wings were tough, fighting to get it down. Almost tasted as if you fried it frozen," a dissatisfied Redditor noted.

Moreover, house sauces like the blue cheese have been called subpar (especially compared to the more popular mango habanero and ranch), while essential sides like fries are served cold and soggy in many locations.

Founded in 1982, Buffalo Wild Wings is a casual restaurant and sports bar chain that has expanded to more than 1,200 locations across 10 countries, offering 26 signature sauces and seasonings. Clients believe that the reason this chain is still afloat is because of the booze, screened sports games, and overall lively atmosphere. On the other hand, they find these establishments overpriced compared to others, with terrible customer service for both dine-in and takeout.

As for those signature wings, they're deemed small and rather dry. "Smallest wings imaginable, boneless or otherwise," a Redditor complained. "They never change the oil in the fryers ... You like cheese curds? How about tiny pieces of brown gravel that taste like aluminum?" Another reviewer noted on Google, "Every time I come to Buffalo Wild Wings, I can count on having horrible service. I took a break for a while to see if things changed, but no."

Indeed, across various U.S. states, reproaches have been flooding online platforms with stories about cold meals, wilted salads, oversalted sauces, missing sides, neglectful and unwelcoming employees, dirty floors, tables, and bathrooms, funky smells, flat beers, and wings that don't taste as fresh as they should — even by casual-dining standards.

This list of declining chicken-centered establishments was inspired by Reddit threads focusing on the worst fast food and chicken chains across the U.S. I then selected pertinent arguments from Redditors and compiled additional negative reviews pertaining to low-rated branches from Google, TripAdvisor, YouTube, Facebook, and Yelp.

Naturally, all these objections are subjective and may mostly concern specific branches, but I've made sure to cover various aspects, from the texture and flavor of the chicken items in question to the sauces, sides, cleanliness, sanitation, and staff. Only the most recurring comments, such as rude and slacking employees; dry, cold, soggy, and unseasoned food; rip-off "deals;" and post-consumption digestive problems have been retained. It's up to these listed brands to listen to their frustrated patrons and revisit their strategies for the near future, lest they lose more regulars.