9 Fast Food Burger Chains Customers Say Aren't What They Used To Be

It's amazing how long some fast food burger chains have been around. Major names like McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, and others, aren't just places for quickly-prepared eats, but rather, are indelible parts of our cultural zeitgeist. You'd be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn't know the grown up feeling of eating a Big Mac as a kid, or how the thick consistency of a Wendy's Frosty made it impossible to sip with a straw. Thanks to these cherished core memories, we know when the quality of a fast food chain isn't hitting like it's supposed to.

There can be many reasons why a chain falls off, too, from changes to recipes and cooking methods, to the use of lower-quality ingredients, new ownership, poor-management, and more. Often, companies say that these shifts are an attempt to streamline operations, or to offer customers an improved experience. But, of course, not every change pans out for the better, which can lead to complaints about declining quality. If you consider yourself among those who think fast food burger chains aren't what they used to be, we dug up reviews from Reddit, Facebook, YouTube, Yelp, and other sites that support your theory.

Fans visit Habit Burger & Grill for mouthwatering char-grilled burgers, such as the Double Char, which was ranked USA Today's Best Fast Food Burger in 2025. It actually won over In-N-Out's Double Double. Despite the accolades, the same award-worthy quality doesn't seem to apply across the board, as customers say the chain isn't what it used to be. "The quality of food has gone down significantly and the price has risen like crazy," said someone on Reddit, who blamed it on Yum! Brands, the company that acquired Habit Burger in 2020, and that also owns KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell.

Numerous Redditors in the comments section say the patty meat is different, smaller, and mushy, so it's clear people agree. To make matters worse, Habit Burger is pricier than a lot of fast food chains, according to another Reddit user who said, "[Habit Burger & Grill] came to Tucson and [was] great for about the opening month. Then the prices got crazy and the quality dove headfirst off a cliff." And, though it calls itself "chef-driven," people say it's closer to a Burger King that's twice the price. Over on Facebook, someone offered a list of possible reasons to the question of, "Why is the Habit Burger always empty?" Unsurprisingly, it included the food not being that great and the prices being too high for what you get.

The burger patties at Sonic Drive-in have been on the receiving end of customer complaints as of late, with people calling them disgusting, smelly, and curiously smaller than they were back in the day. "The last THREE times that I've had it, once in Tennessee and twice in Indiana, it has been absolutely horrible," said someone on Reddit, adding that the cheese didn't melt and the fries were soggy. Scrolling through the thread of nearly 200 comments, we found many people unhappy with the chain's alleged cheaper-quality food and skyrocketed prices.

On a Facebook post about which fast food chains have fallen off, someone responded, "The quality of the meat at Sonic has changed. They just don't taste the same." In a reply to the post, a fan lamented Sonic's heyday, expressing disappointment in how low the bar has apparently dropped. It isn't all doom and gloom at Sonic's, though, it still has an awesome drink selection, and is known for its friendly customer service.

If there's one word that comes to mind when you think Shake Shack, it might just be "expensive." It isn't the place for discounts, limited-time offers, or money-saving combos. The burgers are usually over $10 and do not include fries. That said, the chain wouldn't have made it past 400 locations if the quality didn't justify the price — or at least if it hadn't at some point. Shake Shack has staked its reputation on using premium ingredients that it cooks fresh-to-order, but customers say the chain has been plagued by high prices and "shrinkflation." 

In a Yelp review from 2022, a father called out the price of his daughter's hamburger, saying, "Upon opening, my daughter held up her burger and said, 'Really dad... what a disappointment.' Her $7.99 burger looked about the size of a McDonald's regular cheeseburger." The year shows that Shake Shack has been serving up diminishing returns for some time, and the bad reviews go back even further. "Prices are way out of hand for a fast food establishment. The burger itself is pretty small, you can finish it in 5 bites," another Yelp review from 2016 read.

You'd think that after years of complaints, the chain would make some changes. But, according to one of many recent complaints from customers across Reddit, "After 2022 the quality went down and got more expensive. Their burgers taste like chemicals and it doesn't taste fresh."

The official Wendy's website promises high-quality food, but when it comes to Wendy's square-shaped burgers, people say the quality and size has decreased. On a 2025 Facebook post, a user shared a photo of a Junior Bacon Cheeseburger that only featured, what looked like, one slice of bacon broken in half. They said, "[I] won't shame which Wendy's this was but when they used to be .89 cents they were better."

Another said quality has been on the decline for years, and someone suggested that it may be related to the closure of hundreds of Wendy's stores that same year, which was part a "turnaround plan" that continued into 2026. On a Reddit thread titled, "Wendy's has really gone downhill," a user said, "Tonight, I ordered 2 JBCs and wow. The meat was so thin you could see through it." YouTuber Lindey Glenn shared a video of what a Junior Bacon Cheeseburger looked like in 2025, and it was barely larger than a hockey puck. So, it appears as if there's some truth to what customers are saying.

Burger King's famous flame-grilling method is achieved with an enclosed commercial broiler, instead of an open grill. The chain has been using commercial broilers since its inception, updating the machines every few years. Despite this fact, customers still question whether Burger King still flame-grills its burgers. "BK's main selling point was their 'flame broiled' burgers but it's been years since I've tasted that flavor," said someone on a Reddit thread about the chain's burger quality, adding that, "the meat patties are tasteless meat pucks."

Along with additional accusations of using pre-cooked and microwaved patties, we found Redditors accusing Burger King of using unripe tomatoes, and for having some of the worst fast food fries. Now, to be fair, others say it's a location-based thing more than a chain-wide issue, and, of course, we already know Burger King still flame-grills burgers before putting them under a booster. But, the fact that several people say the same could indicate quality control issues.

Whataburger doesn't have the nationwide presence of major chains like McDonald's or Burger King, as it's a regional fast food chain primarily located in the South. Considering its somewhat niche status, it's unfortunate to hear customers criticize the hamburger quality. "Sadly, Whataburger has fell off a little for me. Not sure what's going on. But in the 70's & 80's it was straight fire," said someone on a Facebook post. In response, one person said that the only thing worth getting now is the apple pie, while another said that the experience at Whataburger has generally become disappointing.

The customer service is under fire as well, according to a Reddit user who also said, "The fries are always undercooked and soggy. Bacon undercooked and soggy, burger thrown together very sloppily." Even worse than the quality going downhill is that customers find Whataburger to be overpriced. "It feels like they have gotten lesser quality meat and other foods. But the prices keep going up, that, they are consistent on," complained someone on a different Reddit thread.

Dairy Queen isn't a fast food chain you think of when it comes to quality. In fact, due to the chain's lack of transparency, particularly regarding how it treats animals and whether or not its meat contains antibiotics, you may want to avoid Dairy Queen burgers. While the chain certainly has fans, a deep dive into customer reviews has revealed lots of disappointment with the overall quality of the burger patties. "The hamburgers are different, spongy. I think they are using frozen patties," said someone on a Facebook thread about supposed changes to the burgers. Most people agreed, too, with another person pointing out that Dairy Queen uses microwaves.

Microwaving the burgers would definitely impact how they taste, but in a reply on Facebook, the company shot down that claim, confirming that they're made-to-order. Like at Burger King, microwaves are used to keep burgers warm between orders, but neither will probably ever admit that some patties end up being zapped longer than others, which can result in a rubbery consistency. Over on Reddit, someone put the DQ Stackburgers in their crosshairs, too, saying, "Thin patties with floppy bite, it was like a soggy waterlogged hamburger with Tabasco mayo and two definitely seemed thinner than usual."

Somewhere along the line Jack in the Box became the worst American burger chain among customers. One example is the fan-favorite Ultimate Cheeseburger, which folks say is getting pricier and pricier, while the quality gets worse. "I had one today and NOPE... that lovely flavour is completely gone. Oh, and BTW, you have to pay $6.79," said one Reddit user who was fed up with the price increase. Granted, it isn't as pricey as the Quarter Pounder at McDonald's, let alone other more expensive fast food chains. But, the Redditor isn't the only one with choice words for The Ultimate Cheeseburger.

"I recall getting the ultimate cheeseburger and it really hitting hard and being good. Now, the meat quality tastes shockingly poor at many locations," said another person. Someone criticized the cost of adding extra toppings, too, saying that customers are now being charged "convenience fees," which we can only assume means that they think toppings should be free. In general, people in the comments were on the same page about The Ultimate Cheeseburger's decline.

When the Big Mac was first introduced, it featured two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, and onions on a sesame-seed bun. While those ingredients still remain, the flagship McDonald's handheld did get an update in 2023, receiving softer buns, meltier cheese, more caramelized onion richness, and more sauce. For a lot of customers, though, the changes ultimately failed to deliver. Someone on Reddit criticized the sweetness of the new bun, saying, "I miss when my bun didn't taste like a sugared donut, or when it wasn't super hard and seedy," while others said too much sauce was added. 

To be fair, there are some people in the thread who actually enjoy the changes, but in general, most don't seem too enthused. "Instead of making these new changes, why not remove the old changes and make them like they used to when everybody says they were better," said one of the thread's top comments. Mixed reviews aside, the Big Mac is such a beloved fast food staple, any changes to it will likely always be met with some pushback. 

To determine which fast food burger chains customers say aren't what they used to be, we sourced reviews from Reddit threads, Facebook, Yelp, and YouTube. We then used an aggregate of negative reviews to narrow down specific chains that customers say have declined in quality, along with specific chain burgers. We looked for complaints about ingredients, consistency, presentation, customer service, price, and the taste, compared to how people remember it tasting before the quality began declining.