9 Frequent Customer Complaints About McDonald's

If you could change one thing about McDonald's, what would it be? If you need inspiration, one of our writers recently named eight things they would change about the Golden Arches, including bringing back all-day breakfast menus, making deep-fried apple pies permanent, and introducing more budget pricing. You're probably nodding your head, right? On that last point, at least, we can confidently say we know that many people agree. Rising menu prices at McDonald's is a frequent customer complaint.

But it's not just the cost that has people annoyed at McDonald's. Despite its widespread popularity, there are actually many things that people don't like about this iconic fast food giant. We scoured social media and review platforms to find out some of the most common, and you can check out our findings below. If you've ever been served cold fries and cursed a broken ice cream machine, you're very much not alone.

High up on the list of complaints from McDonald's customers is an apparent lack of good quality food. "When did McDonald's get so bad?," asked one Redditor in r/fastfood, before going on to complain that since the COVID-19 pandemic, the quality of the food from the Golden Arches just hasn't been up to scratch. "Surely I'm not the only one who feels strongly about this," they added. They were right; they're certainly not alone.

The post received more than 200 upvotes, and many agreed that the food at McDonald's has left a lot to be desired in the 2020s. Others, however, maintain that the fast food giant has never offered anything particularly high quality. "It's been like this for 30 years where I live," wrote another Redditor. "Easily the blandest, most boring food of any fast food chain." In a separate thread in the same subreddit, another person compared McDonald's meat to "greasy cardboard, at best."

We have to admit, we haven't been all that impressed with McDonald's lately, either. In June 2026, our taste-tester declared the McDonald's double cheeseburger as the worst on the market. In fact, in a scathing review, they called the burger "very sad" and "surprisingly dry."

One factor that will make a "very sad" burger worse? If it arrives cold, of course. Unfortunately, many customers have complained over the years that the fast food chain just isn't very good at delivering hot food. "I think it has been years since I have had freshly piping hot McDonald's," griped one Redditor in r/McDonalds. They added: "Most of the time I feel the food is under temperature and shouldn't really be giving it out to the general public."

Many people have noticed the same issue, and some say the constant lukewarm food has stopped them from visiting the fast food chain completely. It seems the issue has been going on for a while (no, we can't blame COVID-19 on this one); "why is cold food acceptable?" asked another Redditor in r/McDonalds 11 years ago.

Interestingly, some people actually prefer cold McDonald's. "I love McDonald's a lot but honestly I usually wait a bit for it to cool down," said another Redditor in r/TrueUnpopularOpinion. "I think the nuggets and fries are super tasty when they are slightly cold and don't taste as good when they are hot." Don't agree? Don't worry if you end up with chilly fries: You can actually reheat them at home, using an air fryer or a skillet.

In 2015, McDonald's joined the modern world and launched its very first app. The company had high hopes that the mobile feature would improve many people's McDonald's experience, but more than a decade later, that doesn't seem to be the case for many people.

In fact, the McDonald's app seems to be a frequent source of frustration for customers. Many say it's hard to use, it doesn't allow them to upload their receipts (an essential action to receive My McDonald's Rewards Points), and its ordering system is unreliable. A number of people have claimed that the app hasn't allowed them to cancel orders or receive refunds, for example, while others say it frequently crashes or logs them out.

Some have even speculated if the McDonald's app is the worst in the fast food industry. "How is the app so bad?" questioned one Redditor in r/McDonalds. They added: "Today I tried and just ended up going somewhere else because the app is so annoying to use."

McDonald's employees can get pretty frustrated with customers sometimes. In fact, some of their biggest gripes include customers who don't listen, are rude, and leave a big mess in their wake. Well, it turns out, the irritation goes both ways; customers can also get pretty annoyed with McDonald's employees, too.

Some people say they have noticed a significant downturn in the quality of McDonald's service recently, noting that orders are often incorrect and they are ignored when they try to order at the counter. Others say they have witnessed a general lack of overall effort, and many say that it gets worse every time they visit.

Some have speculated that the poor customer service is associated with low pay, while others say that McDonald's has deliberately cultivated the situation by introducing high numbers of kiosks in stores and over-prioritizing drive-thru orders and deliveries. "I think delivery apps have done a great disservice to pretty much every restaurant's experience," said one Redditor in r/McDonalds.

At this point, heading to McDonald's with your heart set on a McFlurry, only to be turned away over a broken ice cream machine, is a universal experience. But while it might be expected, it's still irritating for many customers. "It's great to debut a new burger but how about we fix a real issue that continues to get overlooked," stated one customer in r/McDonalds. "Yes I am referring to the ice cream machine. We have a brand new McDonald's nearby and the ice cream machine has not worked in months." This is such a big issue that there is even a website, mcbroken.com, that helps customers identify if the machine is down before they head out for a shake or an ice cream.

But why does this keep happening? Well, according to McDonald's employees, the machines often break during their cleaning cycles, and they can be difficult and complicated to fix, often requiring a specialist. But even if the machine isn't actually broken, sometimes, employees will just say it is. When that happens, it's probably because the machine is going through a deep clean, which is a vital, yet lengthy procedure that helps to keep bacteria at bay.

It seems that the temperamental ice cream machines aren't alone. Many customers have also complained that the various drinks machines at McDonald's are also pretty unreliable. Some say that they have arrived at McDonald's eager for a sweet tea, only to find that the machine responsible for the teas and espressos is broken, too, for example. In fact, some say that broken coffee machines have become as common for them as broken ice cream machines.

Others claim they have been served Coke from a bottle due to problems with the soda machines. "[McDonald's has] the best drive thru Coke you can get. But today? No. The Coke machine was down," said one frustrated Redditor in r/McDonalds. They added that to make matters worse, the Coke they did receive was flat. As a result, they swore off the fast food chain for good. "Typical McDonald's experience in 2026," another Redditor replied. "Good on you for no longer going."

It probably won't surprise most people to learn that one of the biggest complaints customers have about McDonald's is the price. It's not a problem unique to McDonald's. Per WalletHub, prices across the fast food industry have consistently increased at a rate higher than overall inflation. In a nutshell: It's more expensive than ever to grab a burger and fries.

Many McDonald's customers have had enough of the constant price increases. "When I saw $4 for a single hash brown I stopped going to McDonalds," said one Redditor in r/McDonalds. Another frustrated customer declared in r/mildlyinfuriating: "McDonald's prices are ridiculous." In the post, which has garnered more than 550 upvotes, they clarified that they had paid $18 for two shakes and some fries.

It's hard to believe, but back in 2016, a Quarter Pounder with Cheese cost less than $5, while you could grab a Big Mac Extra Value Meal for under $8. It gets more painful. In the 1990s, you could grab a Double Quarter Pounder Meal for $3.99. Does anyone have a spare time machine?

To add insult to injury, not only are the prices rising, but the portions at McDonald's appear to be shrinking, too, according to customers. This is an unfortunately common phenomenon known as shrinkflation, and, again, it has been observed on multiple occasions across the restaurant industry.

At McDonald's, customers have noticed that many items appear smaller in size, from the McFlurries to the breakfast sandwiches to the burgers, filet-o-fish sandwiches and the McNuggets. In fact, in one post with 16,000 upvotes in r/StupidFood, one customer observed that "McDonald's meat is now thinner than its cheese."

Many people are saying that it's time to send a message to McDonald's, and stop buying its food, at least until the portions return to a normal size. "We all have to stop going," said one Redditor in r/fastfood. "[It's] only going to keep getting worse." Another added in r/StupidFood: "Can we please just collectively stop eating McDonalds until they get their sh*t together?"

As if overpriced, shrinking portions weren't bad enough, some customers say that they have to eat them in a dirty restaurant, too. Many people have noticed that McDonald's locations have gotten dirtier in recent years, with tables frequently covered in the remnants of food, messy floors, and smelly bathrooms. In fact, some say they have taken their complaints to corporate and even the local health department in a bid to encourage their local McDonald's to clean up their act.

Many say that the cleanliness of a McDonald's is location dependent, and that they try to avoid the McDonald's restaurants that have earned a bad reputation— even if it means it takes them longer to get their food. "In my city there is a certain McDonalds that is the "good" McDonalds," explained one person in r/McDonalds. "It's not close to my home, there are several closer, but they are substandard."