9 Fast Food Items Employees Can't Stand To Prepare

Working in the fast food industry is tough. Dealing with the public can be challenging at times, especially when customers are rude, aggressive, or just downright awkward. Employees are also expected to dish up orders quickly and stay on their feet all day, all with a smile on their face. But things can go from bad to worse when a customer orders something that they simply can't stand to prepare. Yep, it turns out that some of your favorite dishes might just be a fast food employee's worst nightmare. 

Want to know if your go-to order is ruining someone's shift? We scanned Reddit to find out the fast food items that regularly rack up complaints from employees. Apologies in advance if this list puts you off your beloved lunch or dinner order, but trust us: You'll be making someone's day by skipping one of these annoying orders in favor of something else.

Panera is famous, of course, for serving soups in bread bowls. It didn't invent them (people have been using bread as replacement plates and bowls since the Medieval period, at least), but it is committed to consistently innovating the concept. In the late 2010s, for example, it created the Double Bread Bowl, which had two holes for different soups. Groundbreaking, right? It doesn't end there. In April 2026, Panera stepped it up again by launching another new take on the concept: Bread bowls for salads.

These salad bread bowls are called Salad Stuffers. And truly, as hollowed-out Italian rolls filled with leafy greens, they're not all that different from a regular sandwich. But who cares if Panera is trying to reinvent the wheel; it's harmless, right? Well, employees say that actually, Salad Stuffers are a pain to make, and they're pretty wasteful, too.

It turns out an entire portion of salad doesn't actually fit in one roll, so much of it gets thrown away. There's also the bread waste issue, as the inside of the roll has to be scooped out to make room for the salad. "These are a huge waste of money and food guys, I wouldn't recommend spending your hard earned cash on them," said one Redditor on the r/Panera thread.

If you're chronically online, you're probably already familiar with the TikTok hack to get the freshest fries from McDonald's. According to TikTok users, all you have to do is ask for your fries without salt. McDonald's policy is to add salt to its fries when they're cooking, so asking for them unsalted means that they will have to cook yours from scratch. But we have to warn you: If you do this, you may end up with more than fresh fries — you'll end up with a seriously annoyed staff member, too.

The truth is, many McDonald's workers can't stand it when customers ask for unsalted fries it requires that they stop what they're doing and pour new fries into the hot fryer (which can actually result in burns). But safety risks aside, it's just annoying and inconvenient, say many workers. While many are understanding if the request is motivated by health reasons, if you ask for more salt afterward, that's a dead giveaway that you did it just to get the freshest fries. "[I'd] just tell them we ran out of salt packets to be petty," said one Redditor in the r/McDonaldsEmployees thread.

Still want fresh fries? It's easy: Just ask for them. "I would always let them know they can ask for their fries cooked to order, that way they're fresh and salty," added another Reddit user.

If you're tempted to stop by Chipotle for lunch, employees have one tip for you: Don't order the tacos. There are a few reasons for this. Firstly, they're just not that good a value for money, and you'll get far more if you simply opt for a burrito bowl instead. Secondly, though, many workers just hate making them. And who wants to ruin someone's day?

According to Chipotle workers, taco orders are frustrating because they take extra time to make, and it's hard to make them look neat and presentable without reducing the ingredients you put inside them. In fact, some workers say that they've had customers actually walk out on them because they felt they'd been shortchanged on ingredients. "I hate tacos because of the fact that not only are they slow to make, but the customer itself is getting less overall," said one person on the r/Chipotle subreddit. "[You're] literally asking for the meal with less food in it."

And if you're wondering if it makes a difference whether the taco is hard or soft, the answer is nope, not really. It seems that both present issues. The biggest problem with the hard-shell tacos is that they're prone to cracking. "Crunchy tacos are the worst especially when people want everything and [you] can't fit it all without it getting messy/ breaking," added another Redditor.

At just $1.39 at the time of writing, Cheesy Roll Ups are one of the cheapest options you can get at Taco Bell. The menu item (which is exactly as it sounds — a rolled tortilla with a blend of melted cheeses) has been a staple on the menu since 2008, and it's garnered a loyal following for its price and its size. Some like them as a snack, while others order them as an appetizer before the main event. But while they're a popular choice for customers, some employees say they're not fans of preparing this cheesy menu item. 

The biggest problem, according to some, is that because they're so cheap, people order them in multiples. "As a former employee I hated doing these, [the] reason being is they were cheap so anybody would come in asking for about 10 cheesy rolls and only 4 can fit in the steamer at a time," said one person in the r/tacobell Reddit thread. 

Others felt it would make more sense for customers to simply order one quesadilla instead of lots of Cheesy Roll Ups, while some felt that it would be far more cost-effective for customers to make their own at home — given the simple ingredients. "I would just suggest going to the store," the former employee added. "Buying a pack of tortillas with a bag of three cheese and [making] your own instead of paying a $1.39 for one."

The Big Breakfast is one of McDonald's staple breakfast options. In fact, it's been on the menu since the 1970s. While it originally came with a sausage patty, hash browns, an English muffin, and scrambled eggs, it's evolved slightly since then. Well, the muffin has been swapped out for a biscuit, namely. Hotcakes have also been on the menu since the 1970s, and together, these two vintage items are still a firm favorite of many customers everywhere. But if you choose to order the McDonald's Big Breakfast with Hotcakes today, some staff members might be a little bit annoyed because it's their least favorite menu item to prepare.

The key issue for some is the time it takes to pull this dish together due to all of its components. "[It's especially annoying] on busy weekend mornings. Especially when someone wants 6 of them. Go to IHOP," said one worker on the r/McDonaldsEmployees subreddit. For others, it's not the time that annoys them, but the packaging. Some say that the lid of the box often pops off, presumably because of the amount of food inside.

That said, some workers say they don't mind preparing Big Breakfast with Hotcakes — precisely because of the amount of time it takes. "As someone paid by the hour, I don't care," said one Reddit user in the r/McDonalds thread. "Takes longer? Ok. Looks like I'll get paid more."

Subway's tuna has been in the headlines a lot in recent years, and not for good reasons. In 2021, a California woman sued the chain, claiming that its tuna was not actually real tuna. In 2023, the lawsuit was dismissed, but many still view Subway's tuna with skepticism, despite the fact that the chain has confirmed and proven that it does, indeed, use real fish in its sandwiches. But it's not just customers who are wary of the tuna at Subway; it turns out that many employees don't really like preparing it either.

For many, it's the fishy smell and texture that are seriously off-putting. One employee said in the r/AskReddit thread: "Even though the tuna is real tuna, despite rumors, it's disgusting and the smell alone should turn anyone away." For others, it's not necessarily the tuna itself, but the way some customers ask for it to be prepared. Some employees say that they frequently get asked for tuna with meatballs, for example, while others have gotten orders for tuna with extra seafood or even steak or chicken teriyaki. 

Again, for most, it's the smell of these orders that they find overwhelming. One Redditor said: "Tuna and meat balls with tikka chicken and loads of garlic and onion sauce with cucumber tomatoes and jalapeños the smell was enough to get me!!"

If you've been put off ordering a Chipotle taco and are now tempted to head to Wendy's for a taco salad instead, we have bad news. Yep, this is another menu item that many employees seemingly can't stand to prepare.

We're with you on the disappointment. In 2025, our taste tester rated four salads at Wendy's and gave the taco salad the number one spot. They loved the chili sauce, the crushed tortilla topping, and the creamy salsa dressing, especially. But it turns out all of these elements are the reason that some employees hate making the salad. "There's just too many components," said one employee on the r/wendys subreddit, adding, "when people order it in the drive thru [I] lose my mind a little bit."

Some Wendy's workers say they hate the taco salad so much that they'd like to ban it completely. "As someone who works front reg [I] would ban taco salad in a heartbeat because not only does it make you go on a journey but everything about the taco salad just infuriates me," another employee said on the r/wendys subreddit. They went on to explain that they didn't realize why a taco salad was even on the menu at Wendy's, presumably because it's not a Tex-Mex chain. They also expressed their annoyance that it's not a healthy option, despite being a salad. "I could rant for hours [about] how much I despise the taco salad," they added.

With its extra layers of cheese and pepperoni, Pizza Hut's Pepperoni Lovers pizza is so beloved by customers, it has become one of the chain's most iconic menu options. But lately, the pizza seems to be losing its luster a little. Customers have complained that there simply isn't enough pepperoni on their Pepperoni Lovers, while others think the pies just aren't big enough anymore. In fact, this has led some Redditors to start nicknaming the pizza new names like "Pepperoni Appreciater's" and "Pepper-no-ni." And according to some employees, the contempt for Pepperoni Lovers is mutual.

The biggest issue for Pizza Hut workers is how long it takes to make a Pepperoni Lovers pizza. Despite what customers might think, they have to count out each slice of meat to make sure there's enough. It's even worse when some customers ask for their Pepperoni Lovers with extra pepperoni. "Pepperoni and stuffed (incl cheesy bites) anything both suck because there is no real way to rush them if you're making things to specs," said one Pizza Hut worker in the r/pizzahutemployees subreddit. They added that it's not just that everything has to be counted, but that the whole pizza has to be made in under four minutes. "I LOATHE Pep and Pep Lovers," agreed another Redditor.

Fun fact: Burger King's Whopper Jr. was never supposed to exist. It was created in the early 1960s, when one location in Puerto Rico was running low on regular Whopper buns. Owner Luis Arenas-Pérez decided to improvise with smaller buns, and the Whopper Jr. was born. Yep, the only difference between the Whopper and the Whopper Jr. is the size. But while many customers like ordering a Whopper Jr. because they prefer the ratio of bun to burger, others aren't huge fans of the smaller burger. And by others, we mean employees. In fact, many probably rue the day that Arenas-Pérez ran out of those buns.

It's a similar issue to Taco Bell's Cheesy Roll Ups. Because the Whopper Jr is small, many customers feel compelled to order more of them in one go, which, of course, takes more time than simply making one regular Whopper. "If you get any more than four [Whopper Jr.s] through the drive thru, we hate you," said one employee in the r/BurgerKing subreddit. Others chimed in, noting that the Whopper Jr. is harder to wrap because of its size. "The [Whopper Jr.] wrap is my least favorite one of all time," added another Redditor, noting that "they're too thin and I struggle to wrap them."