US Fast Food Restaurants as Rated by Customers

Onebadhawk
Advertise with us
eggtimer rocketry
The Rocketry Forum

Help Support The Rocketry Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Winston said:
I've always wondered how their ads aren't considered false advertising. Imagine if new car ads were as inaccurate:

https://www.alphaila.com/articles/failure/fast-food-false-advertising-vs-reality/

Examples from the web page linked to above:

10%20Burger%20King%20-%20Whopper%20Jr%201.jpg


02%20Jack%20-%20Tacos%201.jpg
Click to expand...

Yeah... it's like that movie scene in "Falling Down" where he orders a "Whammy Burger" with the picture looking like #1 and what he gets is #2... LMAO...

I DESPISE Jack in the Box tacos... admittedly I used to eat them when I was like five years old, but then five year olds eat a lot of stupid stuff...

The JIB tacos aren't made like Taco Bell tacos (or any taco worthy of the name...) The JIB tacos are actually made from a half-cooked (still soft) corn tortilla on an assembly line, where "automated guns" squirt the meat paste into them like caulk, then a bit of finely shredded lettuce is rained down on them, and some sort of cheese product is dispensed over them, then they're mechanically folded in half and then flash frozen at like 50 below or whatever... they're then packaged in boxes for distribution to the stores (restaurants).

When you order one, they pull these frozen things out, line them up in a basket that keeps them up on edge (like big patty hash browns at McD's) and then drop the basket into the hot oil fryer and fry the things up. This crisps up the tortilla "shell" into a semi-hard "taco shell" and heats the frozen meat, cheese, and lettuce to the point that it's edible and 'cooked'. When the buzzer goes off, they fish them out of the fryer, let them sit a bit to drain off the excess oil, and put them in the paper sleeve and call your number.

Sorry, that's not a taco... that's some sort of an abomination. A taco should be made at least the way Taco Bell makes them-- from a cooked ground beef product put into cooked (at least heated) pre-made shells, then fresh lettuce and tomatoes (if so desired-- I don't care for uncooked veggies myself so I have them hold the lettuce/toms), and then shredded cheese on top.

Those JIB tacos are disgusting...

Later! OL JR :)
 
My favourite has to be Zaxby's! Stopped at a couple on our family trip to Florida last Christmas. Wow! Incredible! None up here in Canada though. There are a couple Five Guys in London about an hour from here which I will have to try--loved it when I was at NARAM-50. Unfortunately, they use peanut oil and my daughter is allergic.
 
Very Sad McDonald's even mad the list at all. YUK
the Mystery Meat Emporium. The fish in the filet o fish was considered a Garbage fish until McD's started selling it.
 
Interesting. A&W isn't listed as a "Chicken" confectionary.

Up here bucket chicken is either A&W's "Chubby Chicken" or KFC. A&W wins hands down. KFC tastes like synthetic chicken, or some somewhat close facsimile of chicken.

EXCEPT their gravy. KFC wins.
 
Portillo's :cheers: :cheers: :headbang: :w:
THE BEST Italian beef sammiches. The burgers are pretty good too. Great shakes and they actually still make "malts" if ya want.

Adrian
 
jd2cylman said:
Portillo's :cheers: :cheers: :headbang: :w:
THE BEST Italian beef sammiches. The burgers are pretty good too. Great shakes and they actually still make "malts" if ya want.

Adrian
Click to expand...
Good to know...

Malts beat shakes all to pieces... Love me a good malt, don't even care to waste my time with a shake...

Later! OL JR :)
 
wclune said:
Very Sad McDonald's even mad the list at all. YUK
the Mystery Meat Emporium. The fish in the filet o fish was considered a Garbage fish until McD's started selling it.
Click to expand...

Let's not forget the McRib sandwich... was around until whatever animal they press it out of went extinct. Every now and then they find a new pocket of the beast in some tucked away ecosystem and put out some more sandwiches. The animals are fragile, having no actual bones in their ribs...
 
Marc_G said:
Let's not forget the McRib sandwich... was around until whatever animal they press it out of went extinct. Every now and then they find a new pocket of the beast in some tucked away ecosystem and put out some more sandwiches. The animals are fragile, having no actual bones in their ribs...
Click to expand...

LOL!😋
 
Marc_G said:
Let's not forget the McRib sandwich... was around until whatever animal they press it out of went extinct. Every now and then they find a new pocket of the beast in some tucked away ecosystem and put out some more sandwiches. The animals are fragile, having no actual bones in their ribs...
Click to expand...

The McRib comes around about every time they can get a huge shipment of pork trimmings cleaned out of the machines in the processing plants... then they fire up the "waffle presses" that crank out those rib-shaped patties of mystery meat...

That said, I DO enjoy one once in awhile...

Later! OL JR :)
 
I like to have BOGO breakfast each weekend at McD's and use the free WiFi. Also make use of the coupon deals whenever I can. They match competitor's coupons at many area stores. Fill out the online customer survey and get a code number to validate a coupon for BOGO Egg McMuffin or Quarter-Pounder. Some McDs are better set up to accommodate web-surfers than others though.

The DQ in Midland, MI has a Happy Hour each day 2-4 PM where everything is half-off. So I may get a treat from them once a month.
 
luke strawwalker said:
The McRib comes around about every time they can get a huge shipment of pork trimmings cleaned out of the machines in the processing plants... then they fire up the "waffle presses" that crank out those rib-shaped patties of mystery meat...

That said, I DO enjoy one once in awhile...

Later! OL JR :)
Click to expand...
Same here. Remember the (beef) "pink slime" thing:

msm.jpg


No one complained until it was made public.

So, when it comes to what we eat, it's often a case of "you don't want to see how the sausage is made."
 
wclune said:
Very Sad McDonald's even mad the list at all. YUK
the Mystery Meat Emporium. The fish in the filet o fish was considered a Garbage fish until McD's started selling it.
Click to expand...
My main "beef" with them is their stiff, "just defrosted" buns which they no longer toast (which greatly softens them up) because the "customers no longer wanted that." Boring menu, too.
 
Winston said:
Same here. Remember the (beef) "pink slime" thing:

msm.jpg


No one complained until it was made public.

So, when it comes to what we eat, it's often a case of "you don't want to see how the sausage is made."
Click to expand...

Exactly...

Love the "don't want to see how sausage is made" comment... EXTREMELY true, especially in today's lilly-livered culture... "Pink slime" has been around a LONG time... in the beginning, it was called GROUND BEEF... LOL:) Just another way to use an otherwise unusable by-product...

Those "egg-beaters" that MOST fast-food restaurants use nowdays in their egg recipes are probably the next thing folks will have a fit about... if they really knew how they were made and what of... basically they're made from eggs that are cracked or too small, off color, odd-shaped, have blood spots, or otherwise are unsuitable for "table eggs" that you get in the dozens or flats in the store, in the shell. Of course you can't heat-pasteurize eggs (or you'll cook them) so they irradiate the stuff or use other methods to kill off any pathogens that might have infected the eggs through cracked shells.

What REALLY cracks me up nowdays is all this "gourmet dog food" crap... I just have to laugh and laugh at those stupid commercials... they're a symptom of a society that has too much money and not enough common sense or knowledge, and NO connection to reality. In the wild, carnivores eat the organs first, because they have the greatest concentration of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals. In pack hunters, the alpha animal that leads the pride or pack usually gets first dibs on the kill, and eats the most valuable parts (the organs) first. The "choice cuts" (to human thinking) of meat and fat go to the next lowest ranking animals, and the remaining tatters of meat and bone are left to the lowest ranking members, or to scavengers. Given a choice, ALL of the animals will eat the organs before they'll touch the "choice cuts of meat" if food is plentiful enough, and leave the "choice cuts" to scavengers... So while these "gourmet dog food" companies tout their "not using meat and bone meal or meat by-products" (mostly offal, or organs removed from the livestock during processing) and using "only choice cuts of meat" this is actually the part that the lowest ranking dogs in a pack would ever see... LOL:) Then they launch into all the BS about "fresh grains and vegetables" used to make their gourmet dog food... Yes, because packs of wolves and prides of lions always seek out the choicest grains and freshest vegetables to supplement their diet... ROFL...

All this for a critter that goes out and eats cat turds at the first opportunity...:rofl:ROFLMAO... :rofl:

Later! OL JR :)

PS. enjoyed reading the thing about "false advertising"... spot on.

We don't do Carl's Junior... we FINALLY got one and I tried it one time-- eminently forgettable... and since Betty doesn't like them at all, well, it's an easy one to pass by. Not particularly fond of their advertising either... Don't know how widely this commercial ran, since it was for some sort of "Texas Cheeseburger" or something last year, but they had these two oiled up half-naked chicks washing a Jeep in a barn or something and hosing each other down, and then one opening her mouth and making a move for her "friends" cheeseburger... It was practically PORN...

If you have to resort to porn to sell your cheeseburger, that pretty much tells me all I need to know about how good it REALLY is...
 
Winston said:
My main "beef" with them is their stiff, "just defrosted" buns which they no longer toast (which greatly softens them up) because the "customers no longer wanted that." Boring menu, too.
Click to expand...

Sounds like you've got some sorry local operators... They still toast the buns around here... I agree that untoasted buns of the raw white bleached flour that McD's uses would be simply awful...

Like farm equipment and car dealerships, more and more they're going to a "chain store" type arrangement where one "company" owns most of the stores in a particular area... which of course means your stuck with whatever crappy service or bad pricing or service policies that the "mother store" sets for all the other stores in that area. Either that or refuse to patronize them, and LET THEM KNOW WHY.

If *I* got a burger without the bun being toasted, I'd promptly return to the counter and ask them to toast it, and if I got the "five-n-dime" story that "we don't do that anymore because our customer's don't want it" I'd tell them outright, "Well, THIS customer does... so please toast the bun or just refund my money, and I'll go somewhere that values their customers!" I wouldn't be none too quiet about it either...

A few well-placed vocal complaints that spread will do more into "shaming" them into doing it right than anything else, or just plain losing business for no known reason...

Later! OL JR :)
 
I won't eat at McDonalds, but I also find it strange to compare McDonalds to Five Guys and Fuddruckers. Totally different birds.

I'll go with Arby's, Chick-Fil-A, and Wendy's in that order when in a hurry for something to eat.
 
Big fan of Five Guys. It is a serious burger, with real potato fries. Heart attack special, not for every day though!
 
Big fan of Five Guys +1 there. However down in Florida we have BurgerFi which is spreading fast all over the country. They have a better burger and fries are comparable. I am also surprised that Shake Shack is not on this list.

On another note, I never really considered Fuddruckers Fast Food.
 
luke strawwalker said:
Sounds like you've got some sorry local operators...
Click to expand...

I think you're right. I researched this after I got a Quarter Pounder with cold patty, unmelted cheese slice, and stiff bun. Due to past issues, I complained at the main McD site and got a follow-up call from the particular franchise manager (or representative) with a voice tone like I was the problem. From just a quick Google search, I found various former McD employees responding to the same complaint stating that they had officially discontinued toasting buns (as far back as 1996 from the date of one post) while others say they still do. This question on the McD site indicates that others are having the same problem:

https://yourquestions.mcdonalds.ca/questions/12655

Q: Why are the hamburger buns not toasted?
A: Hi Penny. They actually are toasted. But it's toasted lightly to keep the texture of the bun soft but warm.

Yeah, due to apparent widespread lack of franchise quality control, "lightly toasted" by briefly passing them by a sunlit window.

Like farm equipment and car dealerships, more and more they're going to a "chain store" type arrangement where one "company" owns most of the stores in a particular area... which of course means your stuck with whatever crappy service or bad pricing or service policies that the "mother store" sets for all the other stores in that area. Either that or refuse to patronize them, and LET THEM KNOW WHY.
Click to expand...
And that is exactly the situation around here. My fix: I just don't patronize them. I don't like their menu anyway. And as I pointed out earlier in this thread, from my first-time-in-many-years purchase, $3.69 for an Egg McMuffin (not a combo) is insane.

If *I* got a burger without the bun being toasted, I'd promptly return to the counter and ask them to toast it, and if I got the "five-n-dime" story that "we don't do that anymore because our customer's don't want it" I'd tell them outright, "Well, THIS customer does... so please toast the bun or just refund my money, and I'll go somewhere that values their customers!" I wouldn't be none too quiet about it either...
Click to expand...
If I'd been inside, I would have. Unfortunately, this purchase was from the drive-through.
 
Last edited:
matthewdlaudato said:
Big fan of Five Guys. It is a serious burger, with real potato fries. Heart attack special, not for every day though!
Click to expand...
Exactly. Their fries are rated the most unhealthy of all of the chains... which is why they're so good. But NOT an everyday meal if you want to live.
 
There's a Popeye's Chicken in Sherman, Texas that used to have the best tasting yard bird ever. The former owner was almost always there, riding herd on his staff. The place was always spotless and the service was great all things considered. Then the owner sold his franchise and the place went straight to hell. It is now just another filthy fast food outlet staffed by people that would otherwise be unemployable.
I suppose this is just a natural progression.
 
jd2cylman said:
Portillo's :cheers: :cheers: :headbang: :w:
THE BEST Italian beef sammiches. The burgers are pretty good too. Great shakes and they actually still make "malts" if ya want.

Adrian
Click to expand...

Portillo's is good, but Buona Beef is better IMO. If you have not had Buona yet, you gotta give one a try... :grin:



Justin
 
I am surprised Jersey Mikes didn't rank higher. They are tops in the cold sammich category. Love me some Jersey Mikes.
 
rfjustin said:
Portillo's is good, but Buona Beef is better IMO. If you have not had Buona yet, you gotta give one a try... :grin:



Justin
Click to expand...

I agree, but was sticking to the list (and what's close by).
There's a little place on Rte 59 south of Stearns called The Dogfather. I think their Italian Beef sammich is better than Portillo's most days and cheaper than both Portillo's and Buona. I think they're building a new Buona Beef in St Charles west of Randall where the old Deck Yard building was. I'll give it a try, but the Portillo's is closer to the GF's house.

Adrian
 
tmacklin said:
There's a Popeye's Chicken in Sherman, Texas that used to have the best tasting yard bird ever. The former owner was almost always there, riding herd on his staff. The place was always spotless and the service was great all things considered. Then the owner sold his franchise and the place went straight to hell. It is now just another filthy fast food outlet staffed by people that would otherwise be unemployable.
I suppose this is just a natural progression.
Click to expand...

That's just unfair... Hey, they're ENTITLED to $10-12 bucks an hour, just like everybody else, right!!??

Don't be hatin'... LOL:)

Geez just how far can things sink?? :eyepop:

Later! OL JR :)
 
Chipotle's and Baja Fresh are ok with me. Most of those places I can't eat anything there since going vegetarian about ten years ago for health reasons. Should have bought stock in Chipotle's years ago, lord knows I eat enough of it.
 
luke strawwalker said:
What REALLY cracks me up nowdays is all this "gourmet dog food" crap... I just have to laugh and laugh at those stupid commercials... they're a symptom of a society that has too much money and not enough common sense or knowledge, and NO connection to reality.
Click to expand...
That sums up my opinion, too. From a comedy film that explains a factor involved:

[video=youtube;icmRCixQrx8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icmRCixQrx8[/video]

We don't do Carl's Junior... we FINALLY got one and I tried it one time-- eminently forgettable... and since Betty doesn't like them at all, well, it's an easy one to pass by. Not particularly fond of their advertising either...
Click to expand...
I like them most for their fresh, on-site baked buns and biscuits, the Six Dollar burger and its spinoffs and their breakfast burritos. I have never liked their ads, either, which at least used to be mostly hedonistic pig-out food orgy scenes with some rugged, handsome guy taking huge bites out of a huge, sloppy burger. But I enjoyed their sponsorship mentioned many times in the above mentioned film:

[video=youtube;wW-4LU79qbU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wW-4LU79qbU[/video]
 

Latest posts

Back
Top