c/fast-food-failures

Serious question, when did the McRib start tasting like sweetened cardboard?

I swear the one I got in Fresno last Tuesday was a totally different texture and flavor than the ones I remember from a decade ago. Has anyone else noticed a specific chain's 'iconic' item just getting worse over time?

My taco bell order in phoenix came with a single, perfect jalapeno slice placed on top like a tiny green hat.

I stared at it for a full minute before my friend said, 'guess they ran out of the good stuff' and we just started laughing.

My friend said my go-to burger order was 'sad and dry' after we hit the drive-thru

I always get the same double cheeseburger with just ketchup, but she pointed out it looked like a hockey puck and told me to add pickles and onion. Now I can't decide if I like the old simple way or if the extra stuff actually makes it a real meal. What's a menu item you only started liking after someone told you to change it up?

I had to pick between the new spicy chicken sandwich or the classic burger at that drive-thru in Springfield

The line was long, so I had time to debate. I went with the spicy chicken because the ad made it look huge and crispy. What I got was a sad, soggy patty smaller than my palm, with zero heat. Should I have just stuck with the basic burger, or is that a letdown too?

Got a burger from the new drive-thru on Elm Street and it was a total mess

I swung by that new burger spot on Elm Street last Friday, the one with the big neon sign. I ordered their double cheeseburger combo, which was almost $14. When I got home and opened the box, the whole thing was just smashed. The top bun was soggy and stuck to the wrapper, the patties were cold and grey, and there was maybe a teaspoon of sauce. It looked like someone sat on it. I took one bite and it was just bland and sad, like eating wet cardboard. For that price, I expected something at least warm and put together right. Has anyone else tried that place and had a better experience, or was I just unlucky?

The 'fresh' burger lie is the biggest scam in fast food

I ordered a 'fresh, never frozen' burger from a major chain in Toledo last Thursday. The patty was so thin I could see the outline of the wrapper through it, and it was cold in the middle. They charge you a premium for that 'fresh' label, but it's just a way to sell you a worse product for more money. Has anyone else noticed the 'fresh' stuff is always the most disappointing?

Rant: I thought the McRib was a decent sandwich for years because I never got it fresh

I grabbed one at a drive-thru in Toledo last month and it was actually hot, with the sauce still bubbling. That's when I realized every other McRib I'd ever eaten was a cold, congealed mess that had been sitting under a heat lamp for an hour. The texture difference was night and day. Has anyone else had a fast food item completely change based on how fresh it was?

Showerthought: I used to think the Taco Bell breakfast crunchwrap was a solid choice

My buddy Mark in Sacramento got one last month and the inside was completely cold, like the cheese hadn't even started to melt. He said, 'This feels like they built it yesterday and forgot to turn the grill on.' That one bad experience, seeing it right there, totally changed my mind. Has anyone else had a fast food breakfast item that was just shockingly unprepared?

Got a burger at the new drive-thru on Elm Street that was somehow both cold and soggy

I swung by the new burger spot on Elm Street last Friday, and my double cheeseburger was a total mess. The bun was so wet it fell apart in my hands, but the patty itself was ice cold in the middle. I'm talking maybe 45 seconds in the microwave cold. What's the most disappointing menu item you've tried recently that just missed the mark completely?

I finally stopped ordering the 'spicy' chicken sandwich after a friend called it 'ketchup with commitment issues'.

Got one last week and the sauce was just sweet, no heat at all, like they forgot the peppers. My buddy said it tasted like they were afraid of flavor, so now I just get the regular and add my own hot sauce from home. Anyone have a fast food spicy item that actually brings the heat?

The time I got a burger that was somehow both burnt and cold

This was at a drive-thru in Springfield last month, and I'm still confused. I ordered their double bacon cheeseburger, and when I got home, the bun was black on the edges (like, seriously charred) but the patty inside was barely warm and the cheese wasn't even melted. It felt like they cooked the bun separately and forgot to heat the actual burger. Has a chain ever messed up your order in two opposite ways like that?

I had to pick between the new spicy chicken sandwich or the classic burger at a drive-thru yesterday. Went with the sandwich and it was a cold, soggy mess.

TIL the secret to not getting a soggy burger is to ask for the lettuce on the side. I've watched people complain for years about limp buns.

I finally tried the new chicken sandwich at Burger Palace and it was a total mess

I was at the drive-thru yesterday and had to pick between their new 'Crispy Supreme' chicken sandwich or just getting my usual double cheeseburger. I went for the new one, hoping for something good. It cost $8.50 and looked okay in the wrapper, but the first bite was just soggy breading and a weird, sweet sauce that got everywhere. My hands were sticky for the whole drive home. Honestly, I wish I'd just gotten the burger. Has anyone else tried this thing, or did I just get a really bad one?

I looked up the calorie count on that new breakfast sandwich and my jaw dropped

Grabbed one from the drive-thru this morning and felt off after. Checked their website and it's over 800 calories, which is more than some of their burgers. Has anyone else been shocked by the numbers on what seems like a simple menu item?

The new 'spicy' chicken sandwich at my local Burger Barn was a total joke

I ordered it last Tuesday because the poster made it look amazing, but it had ZERO heat, just a weird orange sauce. The chicken itself was so thin I could see through parts of the bun. I learned that 'spicy' on a menu can sometimes just mean 'a different color'. Has anyone else tried a 'spicy' item that was just plain sad?

My brother-in-law just described the new 'premium' chicken sandwich as 'a sad, lukewarm sponge'

He got one from the drive-thru on Elm Avenue yesterday and said the bun was soggy, the pickles were missing, and the whole thing cost him over eight dollars. It got me thinking about how many 'limited time' menu items are just worse versions of old favorites. What's the most overpriced letdown you've ordered recently?

My local burger joint's 'secret sauce' was just watered-down ketchup

I was at a place called Big Al's Burger Barn in Springfield last Friday, super excited to try their famous 'Al's Special Sauce' everyone online raves about. I ordered the deluxe double cheeseburger, paid $14.50, and took a huge bite expecting something amazing. It tasted... weirdly familiar and thin. I actually opened the burger up and dipped my finger in the sauce to taste it alone. I swear on my life, it was just regular ketchup that someone had clearly added water or maybe vinegar to, to make it runnier and look like more. The whole experience was such a letdown, especially for the price. It completely changed how I view those 'house special' sauces now. I'm always suspicious. Has anyone else had a fast food 'secret' ingredient turn out to be something totally basic and cheap?

Got a burger in St. Louis last week that was somehow still frozen in the middle

I was at a drive-thru off I-44 and ordered their double cheeseburger. When I bit into it, the center was totally cold and hard, like they just threw a frozen patty on the grill for 30 seconds. The cashier just shrugged and said 'sometimes the grill is busy.' Has anyone else had a fast food place just give up on cooking the food all the way?

Got a breakfast burrito in Denver that was somehow both cold and soggy

I opened it in the car and the eggs were ice-cold, but the tortilla was a wet mess. Has anyone else had a morning completely ruined by a bad drive-thru order?

I used to think the fish sandwich at that one big chain was fine until I got one that tasted like freezer burn

About three months ago I grabbed lunch at the location on Oak Street and the filet was straight up gray and chewy, like it had been in the back since last winter. Now I just skip it completely and get the basic chicken sandwich instead, it's way more reliable. Has anyone else had a fish sandwich that just ruined the whole meal for you?

The time a fast food burger cost me more than a steak dinner

About three years ago, I was driving through Boise and stopped at a well known burger chain for a quick bite. I ordered their new 'double deluxe' with bacon and a shake, which came to just over $18. When I got the bag, the burger was a total mess. The bottom bun was soaked through with grease and fell apart in my hand before I could even take a bite. The bacon was cold and rubbery, like it had been sitting out for hours. The shake was so thick the straw just bent, and it tasted like plain ice milk. I ended up throwing most of it away and just felt ripped off. For that price, I could have gotten a decent sit-down meal. Has anyone else had a simple burger order go that wrong for that much cash?

Showerthought: Remember when a fast food burger was a simple, decent meal?

I heard a guy at the hardware store say he'd rather pay $12 for a good local burger than $9 for the sad, soggy thing he got from a big chain last week, and it hit me how much the quality has dropped while the prices have gone way up.

The day I learned I'd been eating my chicken nuggets wrong for 30 years

Last Tuesday at the drive-thru, I got a 10-piece nugget box and my usual two sauces. My buddy in the passenger seat watched me dip a nugget, take a bite, then dip the same nugget again. He just stared and said, 'You know you're double-dipping your own food, right? That's gross even for you.' I never thought about it, but I've been doing that my whole life, contaminating my own sauce with half-eaten chicken. I felt like a total fool. Has anyone else had a weird fast food habit they didn't realize was wrong until someone pointed it out?

My local burger place keeps messing up the 'no onions' request and I finally asked why

The manager told me their new system flags it but the kitchen crew just grabs the pre-made patties anyway. Has anyone else's go-to spot gotten worse with custom orders lately?