Many Loyal McDonald's Customers Are Done — 5 Fast Food Chains Where Some Are Eating Instead

In a 2026 YouGov poll, the top three burger places in America were Five Guys, Burger King, and In-N-Out. McDonald's ranked fifth, with 8.7% of the total vote. In 2025, McDonald's made headlines when reports that it was losing its lower-income customer base amid rising costs began to circulate. Once upon a time, customers could buy a hamburger for a buck, but now McDonald's has the McValue menu, which features items like fries or a McChicken for $3. Many customers have expressed dissatisfaction with the price increases, saying that McDonald's is no longer offering value for money. We've talked about customers feeling McDonald's isn't worth the price before, and it seems to only be getting worse. 

The world of fast food, and burgers in particular, offers plenty of choices. That means when a chain like McDonald's starts slipping in the eyes of some customers, there will always be another ready to take up the slack. It's gotten so bad that social media posts from disgruntled McDonald's customers writing "Dear John" letters to the Golden Arches have become commonplace. Many former McDonald's fans have abandoned the chain in favor of competitors. So just who is making off with these customers like the Hamburglar snatching a bag of purloined burgers? Let's find out.

In the YouGov poll, Burger King was the #2-rated burger place in America. The results were drawn from over 40,000 respondents. Near the beginning of 2026, we compared how far $15 would take you at McDonald's versus Burger King, but the gap keeps widening. It's not surprising, then, that as some former fans abandon the McDonald's ship, they're heading for shore in the Burger Kingdom.

In one Reddit thread about making the switch, the original poster said of the Whopper, "It's not as greasy as every burger at McDonald's." One commenter replied, "McDonald's is the least innovative, worst-tasting fast food chain in America, and their prices are out of control." Few threads made the motivation clearer than one right on the McDonald's subreddit entitled: "Price gouging pushed me to Burger King." In the post, the Redditor explained how Burger King swayed them. "The quality was noticeably better," the poster said. "You can tell Burger King's bacon is thicker and actually grilled. It was $2 cheaper than McDonald's and I gotta say it was much better."

While many McDonald's supporters mention you can still get deals on the app, a number of Burger King fans have pointed out that if you use Walmart+, you can get 25% off at the restaurant, making for even better deals.

The number one burger place in America, Five Guys is also known for being pricey. It's somewhat surprising that some former McDonald's customers have switched to Five Guys, arguing that larger portions, better ingredients, and more toppings make it the better overall value

In a very thorough post, a Redditor explained why they believed Five Guys was not as expensive as it first seemed. The poster got into some numbers comparing prices and portion sizes between Five Guys and McDonald's. They determined that it would cost $11.27 to customize a Bacon Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese at McDonald's to match a Five Guys burger, since McDonald's charges for extra toppings. "But since the Five Guys burger is 30 percent bigger, adding 30 percent to $11.27 puts us at $14.65. More expensive at McDonalds than Five Guys for the 'same thing'."

The thread went on to explain how Five Guys fries are a better deal than McDonald's, given the quantity. In a different thread, another Redditor brought up the same point about fries at Five Guys. "A $4.99 small fry is equivalent to a McDonalds large fry, plus more. They always overfill the container, and twice as much are in your bag...and it's fresh cut fries or even Cajun fries." Other threads also broke down the cost-versus-value of Five Guys and McDonald's, focusing on calories and portions before concluding that Five Guys came out on top.

In a thread about leaving McDonald's, a Redditor said, "From the crazy price increases, smaller fry amounts, their crappy app and rewards, the fact that they get the simplest orders wrong at almost every visit, and the non friendly customer service, I've just had enough." This comment came from a self-professed lifelong McDonald's fan. Their new restaurant of choice? Freddy's. So what does Freddy's offer that McDonald's doesn't, according to this customer? "They have fresh, seasoned fries that they fill to the top for you, really great burgers/chicken sandwiches." The Redditor also said Freddy's has great customer service.

In another thread, a Freddy's fan pointed out that the chain offered bigger, higher-quality burgers for only a slightly higher price, making the switch worth it. Other Redditors agreed that the Kansas-based chain made a better burger. "I'd take a Freddy's burger over one at McDonald's any day!" said one Redditor. A more balanced opinion on Freddy's came from this Redditor, who said, "It's above McDonald's but below 5 Guys."

Elsewhere on Reddit, a Freddy's fan posted a tiered list of dozens of fast-food restaurants and argued that Freddy's deserved an S-Tier ranking despite not appearing on the original list. The post was titled "Freddy's is S tier," putting the chain on equal footing with Five Guys and two tiers above McDonald's. Some of the commenters also agreed that Freddy's deserved to rank.

Wendy's ranked just above McDonald's in the 2026 YouGov survey, claiming the number four spot among burger places in America. It took the top spot for value, and it also ranked number two in terms of brand popularity. McDonald's did not break the top 20 in popularity.

Wendy's enthusiasm was just as prevalent on social media, where it was winning converts from McDonald's who were looking for better value or quality. In a Reddit thread called "Replacing McDonald's with Wendy's," the poster said they used to get McDonald's fries once a week until they decided to try Wendy's one day. "Lately, the prices have been much, MUCH too high at Mickey D's," they added. "The burgers taste WAYYYYYY better here." On a different forum discussing value menus, a poster compared Wendy's to McDonald's and concluded Wendy's offered better value for the money. "If Wendy's can afford to do this then McDonald's which has many more locations can offer a real value menu as well," they said. 

Back on Reddit, a thread called "McDonald's is nothing compared to Wendy's anymore after raising the price of the meal deal," featured numerous customers who explained why they felt Wendy's had pulled ahead of McDonald's in terms of value. One poster summed it up well when they said, "Wendy's has been getting all my fast food money for a month or two now unless McDonald's has a crazy deal."

Culver's is based in Wisconsin, but has locations in 26 states. The chain is famous for its ButterBurger, and it has drawn some former McDonald's fans away from the Golden Arches. In one Reddit thread about how Culver's is now cheaper than McDonald's, the poster said, "I got a basket for just under $10. This amount of food would have been at least $12 at McDonalds lately." Later, in response to someone else, they added, "Culver's has always been my 'premium' fast food option since it used to cost a little more but is way better quality. Now that it's comparable/cheaper, it's a no-brainer."

On the McDonald's subreddit, where former customers were discussing moving on from the chain, one poster said, "I've moved on to Culvers. I can get a fresh never frozen cheeseburger, medium fry, small soda, scoop of ice cream with 2 toppings... for $7.20+tax."

In another thread dedicated to how McDonald's had become too expensive, one Redditor said, "In my area, we have Culver's, and the Double Deluxe or even the Mushroom & Swiss double cheeseburger are both cheaper than the Big Arch, and far superior." The first reply stated, "Culver's is actually in a whole 'nother league, compared to Micky D's." It wasn't just the quality of the food and the price that drew fans to Culver's, either. As one Redditor stated, "Culver's doesn't mess up your order every time!"