The Biggest Filet-O-Fish Complaint McDonald's Customers Have

McDonald's Filet-O-Fish sandwich has been a menu staple for over 60 years now, since it was first introduced by a franchisee named Lou Groen in Cincinnati, Ohio all the way back in 1962. With its square piece of fried fish, tartar sauce, and always-crooked slice of cheese, the sandwich has changed some over the years, in both structure and cost, but generally these changes have been taken in stride by committed customers of the Golden Arches. The Filet-O-Fish was originally made with halibut, for example, but the Alaskan pollock that is used now works just fine, too. And while McDonald's signature fish sandwich used to cost a whole lot less — even accounting for inflation — most fast food is pushing luxury prices these days. Though there is one major complaint growing among Filet-O-Fish eaters. Despite the increasing cost of the sandwich, many believe that the Filet-O-Fish is actually shrinking.

This story first showed up in 2023, with individuals across social media accusing McDonald's of "shrinkflation," the practice of reducing the size of an item while keeping its price the same in order to increase profits. According to McDonald's at the time, the frustrated customers were mistaken. The company insisted that nothing about the chain's fish sandwich had changed in decades. Despite the statements, however, some Mickey D's customers remain unconvinced. Across the internet there are myriad accounts of Filet-O-Fish eaters frustrated by the size of the sandwiches in their orders.

"Tried one today for the first time in a few years," writes one Reddit user of the Filet-O-Fish sandwich. "I know my hands haven't gotten larger, but it literally looked like a child's toy food sandwich. It was so, SO small." But the customer is far from alone in their complaint. Another Redditor took to the platform to share their disappointing Filet-O-Fish experience by writing, "The fish filet ... barely reached the outer edges of the bun and the bun was only about the diameter of a baseball. When did this happen?!" 

Others, however, are less convinced. The practice of shrinkflation in popular grocery items is well documented, but when it comes to McDonald's fish sandwich, it may be that this is all an illusion. In each of the Reddit threads claiming shrinkflation in the Filet-O-Fish, other voices argue the opposite. Some point to the nearly identical nutrition facts for the sandwich over the past 30 years, while others rely on personal experience, having cooked for the fast food chain in the past.

McDonald's is not alone in facing such allegations, though. Customers believe Wendy's chicken nuggets are shrinking, as well. Yet, while the anecdotal experiences of users on internet forums are not a path to any sort of truth, it is notable how widespread the belief seems to be. It could be attributed to the Filet-O-Fish staying the same size while other offerings increased in size, as it's reported that fast food portions have grown considerably over the years. Alternatively, it could be simply that increases in price have caused diners to more intensively question the value of their orders. No matter the cause, though, it's clear that the iconic Filet-O-Fish is no longer cutting it for many McDonald's customers.