8 Common Customer Complaints About Burger King

If you've been to Burger King for a Whopper fix recently, you're in a very big club. According to research from Numerator, every year, around 66% of American households will purchase food from the fast-food giant around 11 times. In fact, on average, customers spend around $134 at Burger King over the course of one year. But, cue the violin, not all of those purchases will be happy ones.

It turns out, while many people love Burger King, it's not all sunshine, rainbows, and juicy Whoppers. Increasingly, customers are pretty irritated at the chain, which has more than 6,580 locations across the U.S. 

Yep, if you've ever found yourself disappointed by the onion-less onion rings or a barely-there portion of bland fries, you're also not alone. Keep reading to find out some of the most common (and potentially appetite-ruining) customer complaints about Burger King.

According to one Redditor in the r/fastfood subreddit, "a bad BK is like eating out of a soggy trash can." But a good one? Well, that's like "heaven on [Earth]." They're far from alone; many Burger King fans say that their biggest issue with the chain is that they never know what they're going to get.

For some, it's the unpredictable buns that really get them worked up. Sometimes, customers say their Whopper comes in a picture-perfect, sesame seed-topped, golden-brown bun, and other times, well, it's a disappointing, sad-looking, sesame seed-less situation. Like many have speculated, this could be down to different suppliers being used at different franchises. But others say the quality of the soda is also unreliable, while many can't stand how inconsistent the fries are. Lots of customers say that the quality of the burgers and chicken sandwiches isn't consistent, either.

"If Burger King was consistent, it would be the clear choice over [McDonald's]," wrote one Redditor in the r/unpopularopinion subreddit. At the time of writing, the post had around 1,500 upvotes, suggesting that it's not much of an unpopular opinion at all. "I once got a Whopper for lunch and it was one of the best I've ever had. I went back for dinner and I couldn't eat it because of how bad it tasted," commented another user.

Some customers claim that, if there's one thing you can count on at Burger King, it's that the fries are going to be disappointing. Many people say that they lack flavor, they're dry, they're too thick, and they're not salty enough. For many customers, BK's fries are the antithesis of McDonald's fries, which are thin, crispy, and very salty. Interestingly, both McDonald's and Burger King use the same potato supplier; it just seems that McDonald's has the better recipe.

But, according to some, Burger King's fries aren't just worse than McDonald's; they're some of the most unsatisfying fries in the entire fast-food industry. "Burger King makes the worst french fries in existence and if you eat them you don't love yourself," read one post in the r/unpopularopinion subreddit. It had 275 upvotes at the time of writing. They added: "You know how your eyes light up when you find some loose french fries at the bottom of the bag? I don't get that way with BK." Harsh, but, as many would say, accurate.

Of course, not everyone agrees that Burger King's fries are all that bad. When our taste tester ranked Burger King sides, they put the french fries in the middle. "They're hot and crisp with a touch of salt to give them the edge they need," they wrote. However, they did admit that the flavor didn't last very long and that they weren't as good when they were cold.

If you were thinking the solution to bad fries is to order onion rings instead, we have bad news. While they have plenty of fans, they also have plenty of enemies. On many occasions, customers have taken to social media to bemoan the quality of Burger King's onion rings, calling them mushy, rubbery, and generally lacking in flavor.

One key issue for many people is that they're not made with actual rings of onion, but a sort-of onion-flavored paste instead. There's probably a good reason for that: It's easier to make them all the same size, they're more stable during transportation, and they can be cooked the same across every store (well, that's probably the hope, anyway). But for some, the paste just doesn't work. In fact, one Redditor compared it to "onion ring throw up" in the r/BurgerKing subreddit. Nice.

There might be hope on the horizon for some Burger King onion ring haters, though. In the spring of 2026, Canadian customers noticed that the fast-food chain had ditched the questionable paste for actual rings of onion. Could the U.S. be next?

From Olive Garden and NADC Burger to Red Lobster, price is an issue that comes up time and time again when we talk about restaurant chain complaints. And while you might hope you'd be safer with fast-food giants, that's unfortunately not the case. In fact, many people say that Burger King is one of the most overpriced chains in the industry. "My mind can't process how expensive [Burger King] is," one Redditor wrote in the r/BurgerKing subreddit under a screenshot of the app showing a medium Bacon King Meal for $18.99.

Of course, prices vary from location to location and from state to state. If you're ordering at an airport, for example, the chances are that chains like Burger King are going to be more expensive. But that said, complaints about prices at the chain aren't limited to one location. They're not even limited to one country. In the r/AskUK subreddit, for example, one post asks why Burger King's prices are so "outrageously expensive."

It's hard to believe now, but there was a time when Burger King offered a Bacon Cheeseburger for just $0.99. In fact, you could get onion rings, a soft drink, fries, chicken tenders, or a burger for less than $5. How times have changed since 2002.

Unfortunately, in the current economy, shrinkflation seems to go hand in hand with soaring prices. The tragic truth is that, while prices are rising, the amount of food people are getting is being reduced. It's unfair and frustrating. So, it's no surprise that a common complaint from Burger King customers is its portion sizes are shrinking.

"This looks like a kids sandwich now," one Redditor posted underneath a picture of a small-looking Burger King burger in r/shrinkflation. Another chimed in, saying that it looked like "one of those dog squeak toys." Another called it a "Burger Prince." Others have also noticed that the chicken sandwiches have also gotten smaller and that the chicken fries are all breading.

According to one alleged Burger King employee, customers aren't imagining things. They explained that workers are actually encouraged to decrease portion sizes. They said in r/shrinkflation: "The amount of times I've been yelled at for 'overfilling' the fries and being told to fill it up with minimal fries is absurd."

What's worse than eating a small portion of overpriced fast food? Eating a small portion of overpriced fast food in a dirty environment, of course. Unfortunately, many customers have issues with Burger King's standards of cleanliness.

"The locations are always so filthy," wrote one Redditor in the r/BurgerKing subreddit. "Not just dirty tables but actually filthy and smelly stores." Other people have complained about dirty bathrooms, dirty ordering areas in the drive-thru, and overflowing trash cans. "Nothing says [Burger King like] I've never taken the trash out," said another Redditor in r/BurgerKing. Their post had received nearly 250 upvotes at the time of writing.

Some Burger King restaurants are so dirty that they've been forced to close. In August 2026, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene actually temporarily shut down one location on Astoria Boulevard for several sanitary violations, including a lack of adequate hand-washing facilities and evidence of filth flies. In 2021, there was even a mass employee walkout from a location in Springfield, Missouri due to alleged hygiene issues like black mold and backed-up sewage.

Another common complaint about fast food chains is the quality of service. In fact, we even compiled a list of the worst offenders based on customer reviews, and as you probably won't be surprised to learn, Burger King was on there. Complaints about the service include: Long wait times without any apology or acknowledgement; stores that close at random times; and frequently incorrect orders. Many customers also note that, when there is a big issue, it's often hard to resolve it through Burger King's customer service department.

On Reddit, several users speculate the issue is likely that employees are overworked and underpaid, so they struggle to care enough to give quality service. And some workers have confirmed that the situation is indeed bleak in some stores. In r/BurgerKing, one employee said that they and all of their colleagues had even staged a walkout over a lack of resources and staffing issues. "[Burger King doesn't] care about us, so why should we continue to care?" they asked.

Burgers usually taste best when they're fresh and hot off the grill. When they've been sitting around in the kitchen waiting to be ordered, the quality can drop significantly. Let's be honest, nobody wants a cold, stale burger. But, unfortunately, many customers say that old burgers are a common occurrence at Burger King. "I usually don't go to BK, but sometimes I'll stop by to randomly try it again. Every time no matter the location it's cold and dry," said one Redditor in r/BurgerKing.

Some have even questioned whether any customer has ever had a fresh, hot Burger King because in their experience, it's such a rare occurrence. "Have it your way, unless your way is hot," commented one person in the r/fastfood subreddit.

Fortunately, there are some hacks for getting a fresher burger. Some customers swear that if you order the bun untoasted, for example, you'll end up with much softer, fresher bread. To ensure your burger is hot, you can also ask for it "hot off the broiler." You might need to wait a little longer, but it'll be worth it. And no, employees won't be annoyed with you. Well, most won't anyway. "As long as you're nice about it and aren't annoyed when your food takes longer to come out than others, it's totally fine," confirmed one employee in r/BurgerKing.