Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Fast Food Chains That Are Grossly Overrated

Hamburger
photo of burger with tomato and cheese
Photo by aliet kitchen on Unsplash

Much as we may try to deny it, everyone enjoys indulging in some fast food now and then.

Sometimes we need a little pick-me-up when all we can think of are greasy burgers, salty french fries, and cheesy pizza.

In some cases, one needn't be ashamed of indulging in fast food, as some might say that In-N-Out Burger or Shake Shack is as good as anything you might find at a restaurant.

In some cases, however, seeing the appeal of certain fast food chains can be a little baffling.

Particularly as more and more of our old favorites become obsolete (oh to have a neighborhood Friendly's again), while others open more franchises less than a mile apart from one another.

Despite the fact that there is little to nothing of merit on the menu.


Redditor c0rdl was curious to hear the fast food chains which people genuinely couldn't understand the appeal of, leading them to ask:

If You Like Bread...

"Panera."

"Food tastes like literally nothing."

"Like there is a department dedicated to removing flavor."

"It’s the food equivalent of Hint water."- My_browsing

"Panera bread."

"And I don't think it's close at all."

"They charge ten dollars and nineteen cents plus tax for a mac and cheese."

"It's good but I know how to make my own."- ooooooooooooolivia

"Panera bread."

"Overpriced, undersized, underseasoned."- makinbaconCR

Mac And Cheese Want GIF by Panera BreadGiphy

Hence Why It Never Caught On South Of The Border...

"Tim Hortons."

"It's an absolute travesty that they've literally advertised their way into Canadian identity while cutting costs in every way possible."

"Their coffee is at the absolute bottom of the barrel, and I genuinely can't think of a major chain that serves worse food."

"It's awful."

"Nothing is made in house, and simple basics, like toasting bagels, something that's been an issue for fifteen years remains unaddressed."

"They're still somehow always cold AND burnt."

"Not to even touch on their abuse of temporary foreign workers, abysmal pay, and awful work culture."

"Easiest boycott you'll ever make."

"After only a few weeks of working at Tims, a girl ate something she was allergic to and nearly died."

"The management tried to get staff to sign a waiver taking personal responsibility for any fallout."

"Absolute f*cked."- NeoPossum

"Canadian here."

"At the risk of being tried for treason, Tim Horton’s is way overrated."

"They’ve lost their identity, which once was a solid coffee and donut, fresh, from scratch, baked on site, shop that was never a letdown."

"Now it tries to be, on one hand, a hip cafe a la budget Starbucks, and is selling all sorts of fast food items it has no business selling."

"And on the hand it wants you to believe it’s still a coffee and donuts place."

"The fast food sucks, the donuts all taste the same, slathered in glaze, and are baked off site and trucked in."

"And the coffee? "

"Meh."

"Most people I know would rather hit McDonald's for their morning coffee."

"Tim’s is a national institution but needs to get its act together and go back to simplicity."

"In my opinion, of course."

"Sorry."- RS724

canada GIFGiphy

"NOT Everybody Needs A Little KFC..."

"Honestly KFC."

"Literally just get served a bucket of grease and bones and is stupidly expensive."- THENOCAPGENIE

"KFC."

"You see it on TV and are like, "f*ck I haven't had kfc in ages."

"You order it, it takes an age to make, and you eat it."

"The feeling afterward of self-loathing and disgust is the reason you haven't had KFC in ages."- Mcfozzle

"KFC."

"I can go to any grocery store and pick up an 8 piece bucket of fried chicken from the deli for like $6-$8."

"Grab a side of mac and cheese, a small coleslaw and a pack of Kings Hawaiian rolls and I spent an extra five bucks."

"Maybe. KFC is like $30 for an 8 piece bucket and sides and I'll take grocery store chicken over KFC any day."

"It's bigger, juicier, crispier and tastes less salty."- PunchBeard

kentucky fried chicken 80s GIFGiphy

Take Your Pick...

"Correct answer is....all of them."

"The prices have gone up so much it's not worth it."

"The fast food empire is built upon being cheap and fast."

"They really are not either these days."- FilledwithTegridy

Five Guys, But Definitely Not Five Stars

"Five Guys is ok for three times what it should cost."- Sarged117

It's Not The Chain, But The Franchise...

"Everyone is going to have different answers and they're all going to come down to the fact that the quality of fast food is extremely dependent on the state of the particular restaurant you go to."

"I have a McDonald's by me where the McNuggets are always inedible, but another where they're pretty good."

"The Popeyes near me is always terrible, but anywhere else I've been, it's amazing, but still overpriced."- Deressi

onion rings spit in food GIFGiphy

Eat Fresh?

"Can't believe it's not on the list yet but ... Subway."

"Bland cold cuts on cardboard bread."- Slowcow7

It's all about the logo...

"Starbucks."

"Their percolator coffee tastes like cigarette butts with way too much caffeine in it."

"The food ok, but costs three times more than it should."

"Starbucks is just bougie McDonalds."- Ganglebot

Taste is a personal trait, and one man's misery could be another man's ambrosia.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Miriam Margolyes
David Levenson/Getty Images

'Harry Potter' Star Miriam Margolyes Offers Mic Drop Explanation For Why Respecting Pronouns Matters

Sometimes it is just that easy to make people happy. This is a lesson learned over and over in our lives, but that's because it's an important one.

Actor Miriam Margolyes shared how she learned to change her behavior to make others happier. Margolyes appeared on The Graham Norton Show recently and brought up a fairly polarizing subject in the United Kingdom: trans people.

Keep ReadingShow less
Elon Musk looks on during a public appearance, as the billionaire once again turns a newsroom style decision into a culture-war grievance broadcast to millions on X.
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images

Elon Musk Cries Racism After Associated Press Explains Why They Capitalize 'Black' But Not 'White'

Elon Musk has spent the year picking fights, from health research funding to imagined productivity crises among federal workers and whether DOGE accomplished anything at all besides leaving chaos in its wake.

His latest grievance, however, is thinly disguised as grammatical. Specifically, he is once again furious that the Associated Press (AP) capitalizes “Black” while keeping “white” lowercase.

Keep ReadingShow less
Elon Musk; Yale University School of Engineering and Applied Science
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images; Plexi Images/GHI/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Elon Musk Gets Brutal Wakeup Call After Claiming That Yale's Lack Of Republican Faculty Is 'Outrageous Bigotry'

Elon Musk—who has repeatedly whined about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)—took to his social media platform to whine about a lack of conservative faculty at Yale University.

Musk shared data compiled by The Buckley Institute (TBI), a conservative-leaning organization founded at Yale in 2010. TBI found 82.3% of faculty self-identified as Democrats or primarily supporting Democratic candidates, 15% identified as independents, while only 2.3% identified as Republicans.

Keep ReadingShow less
Barry Manilow
Mat Hayward/Getty Images

Barry Manilow Speaks Out After Postponing Farewell Tour Dates Due To Lung Cancer Scare

"Looks Like We Made It" singer Barry Manilow is in the process of saying goodbye to the stage and meeting his fans in-person, but he has to press pause for a few months after receiving a jarring diagnosis.

On December 22, 2025, the "Mandy" singer posted on Facebook, explaining that a "cancerous spot" had been discovered on his left lung.

Keep ReadingShow less
Chris Evans as Steve Rogers in Avengers: Endgame, the last time audiences saw Captain America before his unexpected return was teased for Avengers: Doomsday.
Disney/Marvel Studios

Marvel Just Confirmed That Chris Evans Is Returning For 'Avengers: Doomsday'—And Fans Have Mixed Feelings

Folks, once again, continuity is more of a suggestion than a rule in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Marvel has officially confirmed that Chris Evans is returning as Steve Rogers in Avengers: Doomsday, and the internet has responded exactly how you’d expect: screaming, celebrating, arguing, and a very justified side-eye toward how Sam Wilson keeps getting treated.

The confirmation comes via a teaser now playing exclusively in theaters ahead of Avatar: Fire and Ash. There is no official online release, despite leaks circulating. If you didn’t catch it on the big screen, Marvel’s response is essentially: sorry, guess you had to be there.

Keep ReadingShow less