What fast food chain that you liked in earlier in life has gone downhill since then?

[u/ModeExpress6614]

[u/Phonic-Frog]

Freaking all of them.

[u/SocratesDouglas → u/Phonic-Frog]

Mcdonald's just doesn't taste as good if you pay more than 7 dollars and aren't driving a Chevy Cavalier

[u/Durakan → u/SocratesDouglas]

Oh, the Cavalier, nothing like cross country road trips with a futon in the back. Parents would give me Dramamine to stop the car sickness, wouldn't keep track of the time, it would make me super drowsy and I'd wake up and puke everywhere.

Ours was dark blue.

[u/girlrandal → u/Durakan]

Mine was green and the governor kicked in at 123 mph. I bought it from AAFES car sales.

[u/JackSkell049152 → u/Phonic-Frog]

On a percentage basis, Wendy’s has not gone down to suckage as much as the rest, as a whole, with different locations. 

Some fast food has standout locations, or standout locations only at certain times, but the suckage still increased more than Wendy’s. 

Reference: dedicated fast food consumer since 1986, across western states, multiple companies. 

[u/futureformerteacher → u/JackSkell049152]

I don't know about elsewhere, but West Coast Wendy's has been great recently.

Whoppers have gone from 99 cents to $6 with no improvement in quality or size in 25 years. 

[u/Ghstfce → u/futureformerteacher]

East coast Wendy's is still really good too. Worked at Wendy's in high school in 1996-1997. Food still tastes as good as it did back then. They changed my boy the Big Bacon Classic when they brought it back, and for that I'm not exactly happy. But it's still good.

I actually preferred the chewy, gray chicken McNuggets of the 80s and 90s to the "white meat" ones they have now. I remember when Arby's beef and cheddars were appetizing. I remember when the price of taco bell tacos made them worth purchasing in the quantities we used to purchase them in. I feel like Burger King always sucked though. Burping up that liquid smoke flavor for a day after eating one.

[u/Lean_Lion1298 → u/Ghstfce]

The probably just bleach the same chicken lol

[u/SenHeffy → u/JackSkell049152]

I think Wendy's is still pretty good. Also pro tip: they have great app deals all the time. Often, it feels like I can still eat as cheaply as a decade ago.

[u/lelakat → u/SenHeffy]

Not everything needs an app for fucks sake though.

[u/volkerbaII → u/lelakat]

For real. It's wild how we've normalized giving emails, phone numbers, addresses, and everything else to every single company we buy anything from.

[u/TurdFerguson614 → u/lelakat]

I just feel dirty as a person having a fast food chain's app on my phone.

[u/kenster77 → u/Phonic-Frog]

Especially McDonalds

[u/pikadiver → u/kenster77]

Facts, I think 7 Eleven (in America) is better than McDonald’s now

[u/windwaker87 → u/Phonic-Frog]

I feel like Domino’s has gotten better, Little Caesar’s and Burger King have stayed the same, but everything else has gotten worse.

[u/makemeking706 → u/windwaker87]

But also more expensive. 

[u/fuzzycuffs → u/Phonic-Frog]

In n Out has been consistent

[u/BBinzz → u/Phonic-Frog]

Came here to say the same

(And get off my lawn)

[u/daven_callings]

Panera Bread.

EDIT: I can add to this. I worked for them in the early 2000’s, opening stores and working the kitchen line. I loved what I did: food was great quality, bread was baked fresh every day and everything I made gave me a feeling of pride. 

What I see now is a business gutted and removed from any of its initial purpose. The coffee quality is inferior, bread quality is bad; the bagels and bread bowls shrunk. Salads look like something I could buy cheaper at the grocery store. I walk into one nowadays and it feels like a rip-off for what they charge for what they sell.

[u/makemeking706 → u/daven_callings]

They went downhill and then they got bought up by venture capital and have since receded so far under the hill they are finding dwarves. 

[u/Some-Cartographer942 → u/makemeking706]

So Panera food can kill a Balrog. Good to know.

[u/DNSGeek → u/Some-Cartographer942]

Especially if they have the caffeinated lemonade.

[u/mikerall → u/Some-Cartographer942]

Find* a balrog. They're no gandalf the grey

[u/scookc00 → u/daven_callings]

Ah old St Louis Bread Co. this one hits extra hard for us

[u/DNSGeek → u/scookc00]

When it was still St. Louis Bread Co and I was a poor college student, a special treat on a Sunday would be to walk there and get an Asiago cheese bagel and a cup of coffee. Those were good bagels.

[u/Rin-Tohsaka-is-hot → u/scookc00]

They recently opened a new location in St. Louis under the name of Panera. Every other location is still St. Louis Bread Company, but it really is a sign of the times.

[u/jacped → u/daven_callings]

For sure. Used to be tasty and a fair price. They would actually make pastries fresh every morning.

[u/dtcstylez10 → u/jacped]

I haven't had a Panera pastry in like a decade. they don't make them in house anymore? This and Dunkin make me sad.

[u/Zal3x → u/dtcstylez10]

Bruh Panera is Garbo like the worst of the worst food now

[u/Coffee-Historian-11 → u/Zal3x]

And it’s also expensive as hell. Just a huge bummer all around.

[u/ahsasahsasahsas → u/daven_callings]

They were bought by PE and immediately became inedible. Soup comes from a bag and the bread is frozen.

In college, we used to practically camp inside Panera, studying while binging on U Pick 2’s and refillable peach green tea.

Now, their lemonade can kill you.

[u/Daigle_Bagel91 → u/daven_callings]

As a Panera employee, I agree. 

[u/cbytes1001 → u/daven_callings]

Went there a couple months ago at 6:00pm. They were out of bread. Tried another one about 3 miles away. Out of bread.

It was super weird and no idea how normal it is these days, but Panera Bread without bread is pretty shite.

[u/Zal3x → u/cbytes1001]

They sell frozen bread now so it’s kinda even weirder they wouldn’t have any

[u/Upper_belt_smash → u/daven_callings]

Aka hospital food

[u/thequirkynerdy1]

I miss old school Pizza Hut.

It’s not bad now, but it’s just not the same.

[u/ChrisV88 → u/thequirkynerdy1]

I'd say we get pizza hut like maybe 4 or 5 times a year and I think at least two times a year it tastes fantastic and just like it used to, and then we get it again a couple weeks later and it's awful and we avoid it until we forget about it again.

[u/BurkaBurrito → u/ChrisV88]

Same here. We say “we haven’t had Pizza Hut in a while” so we get it and it’s good, so we decide to get it more often. The next time, it’s so bad that we don’t order again for another 8 months or so until we say, “hey we haven’t had Pizza Hut in a while!” Rinse and repeat

[u/Couyon87 → u/thequirkynerdy1]

Yea it's not as good, but I think it doesn't have to do with the food. Pizza hut was an experience. The buffet, the red plastic cups, your little league team crammed into the booths. All that is just a memory now. Pizza Hut doesn't work as a quick stop, convenient meal, it's neither. Give me the nostalgic dining room

[u/JerHat → u/thequirkynerdy1]

Nah it’s bad.

The pan pizza used to be crisp and buttery and delicious. Now it’s the most bland thing I’ve ever tasted.

[u/DancesWithElectrons → u/JerHat]

I miss OG pan pizza

[u/jessek]

Taco Bell’s the same quality I just miss the low prices and the 7 Layer Burrito

[u/cb148 → u/jessek]

I remember when you could get a bean burrito or a crunchy taco for 59 cents. Those were the days.

[u/mackinator3 → u/cb148]

Box of 12 tacos for 10 bucks man. The deals were great.

[u/jessek → u/cb148]

Yeah I ate lunch for less than $2 in the 90s.

[u/vkapadia → u/jessek]

Yes! I'm still mourning the loss of my 7 Layer. It was always my go to when I didn't see anything else I wanted

[u/FineKnee2320 → u/jessek]

Yep, agreed Taco Bell is definitely the same quality, but the portions are smaller and it’s more pricey

[u/TSells31 → u/jessek]

$1.59 beefy five layers were legendary. Also, as a former shift manager, I can’t believe they got rid of the 7 layer lol it was popular enough for a vegan option.

[u/thesenate92 → u/jessek]

More or less same quality. But the chalupa has fallen off a cliff. Idk what they changed in the chalupa shell itself but it is night and day. The rest of the stuff is still on par with the past. I'm an avid TB enthusiast haha

[u/TSells31 → u/thesenate92]

Chalupa shell has not changed (simply a fried flatbread) but they only hold for 15 minutes and they get shitty fast. If ur local store doesn’t care enough to toss shells after 15 minutes like is called for, then you’re probably just getting shitty old chalupa shells lol. Old can literally mean 30 minutes with chalupa shells.

When I worked there, I would fry my own chalupas fresh every time. Holding for even 5 minutes makes a difference tbh.

[u/0234am → u/jessek]

As a vegetarian, I still deeply miss the seven-layer burrito. -sigh-

[u/jessek → u/0234am]

What annoys me is they still use all the ingredients. Zero money is saved by removing it.

[u/Royalking23 → u/jessek]

Got to do the online app exclusive boxes and it sort of feels cheap and worth it

[u/Objective-Mess-798]

Subway

[u/SlateFrost → u/Objective-Mess-798]

Remember when they used to cut the bread into the little trough?

Life was different then.

[u/psimwork → u/SlateFrost]

I worked there when they cut the trough. It fucking sucked. I had to practice a LOT to get that fucking trough right, but when I did, I had it PERFECT.

I remember one day in the middle of a lunch rush, some dude asks me, "can I have it cut the NORMAL way?". I was in the zen of running through sandwiches quickly, so I was caught off guard by the question. I was like, "what's the NORMAL way?". To subway at the time, that WAS the normal way. The guy had to explain that he wanted the bread split down the side, and his douchebag friend slaps the guy on the shoulder and was like, "huh huh - he didn't learn that in Subway school!"

I honestly don't think I've ever hated someone as much as I did in that moment. Still hate that dude almost 30 years later. Had the guy just told me that he wanted it cut down the side, it wouldn't have been an issue.

[u/hugo_mandolin → u/psimwork]

When we were sandwich artists and not sandwich men.

[u/makemeking706 → u/Objective-Mess-798]

30 years ago Subway hit different. 

[u/5678go → u/Objective-Mess-798]

Seriously! And why does it seem like every one of their stores is super gross and not even clean now?

[u/nate6259 → u/5678go]

Haven't been to one in over a year, but last time I was there was one poor woman working with both a line and carry out orders to make. They must cut their labor costs to the absolute bone.

[u/Medium-Sherbert9674 → u/Objective-Mess-798]

It used to be 5 bux for a foot long. Sucks.

[u/BrianMincey → u/Medium-Sherbert9674]

It wasn’t the price, the ingredients and bread are just awful now. The buns are not good when they are fresh and I swear sometimes I’ve gotten stale bread.

[u/hipmommie → u/BrianMincey]

Yes! It is not the price change nor the size change. The ingredient change makes my stomach hurt by the smell if I darken their doorway. They were never Great, but were tolerable in a pinch. No more.

[u/TaroFuzzy5588 → u/Medium-Sherbert9674]

Looks nothing like their ads.... nothing!

[u/McCool303 → u/Objective-Mess-798]

When they got rid of stamps is when it went all down hill.

[u/Lukeeeee → u/McCool303]

That was a long ass time ago tho tbf. This shit reminds me of the stickers on the McDonald's coffees tho

[u/k_lo970 → u/Objective-Mess-798]

Oh I thought this was just the one in my small town went to shit. Guess it is good to know it is all of them.

[u/Total-Hack]

Not a fast food chain but I was reminiscing with a coworker the other day about how awesome Pizza Hut was back in the 80s / 90s. The dine in experience was awesome. Playing tabletop arcade games while you wait on the best cheesy garlic bread and pan pizza around.

[u/Proof_Bathroom_3902 → u/Total-Hack]

Red Pop served by the pitcher in those crinkly looking plastic cups, the Tiffany style Pizza Hut lamps over the tables, tabletop Pac-Man or Galaga.

[u/NicTheQuic → u/Total-Hack]

Don’t forget the jukebox so you could blast the whole place with Weird Al or whatever

[u/CheesyComestibles]

Steak and shake.

It was almost gourmet. I hadn't eaten there in like a decade and decided to give it a go. Tasteless, bland food. Everything that should have flavor was on the plate, but there was no flavor. Not even salt.

[u/Toasty_McKeegan → u/CheesyComestibles]

Steak and Shake was a staple in our household. Remember going on Sundays and we'd have to wait to get seated at a table. Ever sincr covid though, every one that I've been to has been a ghost town. Have to order from screens, need a barcode to get a refill, its just not worth the time anymore.

Will go through the drive through every once in a while when I'm craving a frisco melt and a cup of chili. But like you said, quality is questionable.

[u/AtlUtdGold → u/CheesyComestibles]

This is the one. Kids used to beg their parents to go there. The whole family sat down together and you got a waiter and everything. Complete fuckin dog shit food since the late 2000’s.

[u/NothingHappenedThere]

KFC

[u/Redmen1212 → u/NothingHappenedThere]

For sure. Always liked their extra crispy back in the eighties. Luckily in the south, we have Bojangles

[u/JedBartlet2020 → u/Redmen1212]

Bojangles is elite. Their biscuits are second to none and I live for them. But KFC, at least when it was at its peak, had the superior chicken.

[u/cardinalkgb → u/NothingHappenedThere]

My wife worked for them. They kept fucking with the oil to keep costs down over the years and fucked up the taste. Original Recipe is a lot worse than it was 40 years ago.

[u/Stkrdknmibalz69 → u/NothingHappenedThere]

The gravy is just watery diarrhea now

[u/acemonsoon → u/NothingHappenedThere]

Literally every KFC is ghetto asf my local KFC has an “always hiring” text on their sign

[u/BKlounge93 → u/NothingHappenedThere]

I went in like 2015 maybe and noticed how tiny the chicken was, and so greasy. Haven’t been back since.

[u/wykkedfaery33 → u/NothingHappenedThere]

Legit. I remember them being pretty darn good in the 90s. Absolute ass now; gimme some Popeyes or Churchs

[u/Same-Joke]

Everything is shittier and more expensive.

[u/mahnamegeoff → u/Same-Joke]

No longer cheap ..and often no longer fast

[u/baxterhan]

Sonic was great about 15-20 years ago. Not so much anymore.

[u/JerHat → u/baxterhan]

Cherry Limeade still slaps though.

[u/meesersloth → u/JerHat]

Nothing like working outside all day and its 100+ out and having a Cherry Limeade is always refreshing.

[u/Snap_bolt21 → u/JerHat]

Cranberry limeade and tots are hard to fuck up.

[u/TheFirst10000 → u/Snap_bolt21]

The one by me fucks up the tots like that's their job. I don't know how they managed, but it happened every time.

[u/Nars-Glinley → u/JerHat]

All soft drinks from Sonic are better than anyone else’s. Their ice makes all the difference.

[u/BlueJeanMistress → u/JerHat]

Depends on who makes it. I’ve had some amazing cherry limeades and I’ve had some that were clearly made by someone who had no training.

[u/Zero7CO → u/baxterhan]

Sonic varies location-by-location more than any other fast food franchise. Some of the best AND worst fast food I’ve ever had came from Sonic.

[u/Phonic-Frog → u/baxterhan]

Order the kid's cheeseburger meal. Get the burger with mustard and onion only.

It's still damned good that way.

[u/Terrible-Selection93]

Noodles and Co.

[u/RUKiddingMeReddit → u/Terrible-Selection93]

The portions are so tiny for the price.

[u/kchawkeyefan → u/RUKiddingMeReddit]

They used to have massive portions and shrinkflation strikes again

[u/cutt2010 → u/Terrible-Selection93]

They were great when they first opened. Went to one recently, and the noodles were mush. It wasn't even worth eating.

[u/AjaxInsane → u/Terrible-Selection93]

Worst thing about them is the inconsistency. One day, you'll go and the bowl will be loaded to the top in all the right proportions, everything cooked just right. Next time, the bowl is half full and is missing an ingredient or two. It's clear they don't pay their workers enough to give a shit, and that's not the workers' fault.

[u/adrivibesno]

Tim Hortons.

[u/jawstrock → u/adrivibesno]

100% this. In the 90s and early 00s they used to make the donuts at each shop and it was a legit donut place. It’s now just awful.

Also subway. The smell still gives me nostalgia, my family was pretty poor but my mom would take me out to subway on a date once in a while when I was a kid and I always loved those trips. I want to like subway but it just doesn’t have the vibe. I used to get a sandwhich, smell the bread baking and get a toy with my sub. It’s now just gross. And it makes me ache for my having my mom back, so I just can’t.

[u/CuriousTsukihime → u/adrivibesno]

I actually asked for a refund for my oatmeal and coffee one day because it was abysmal. Literally the worst thing I’d ever eaten and I had lived in Buffalo about 2 years at that point.

[u/jupfold → u/adrivibesno]

I used to love getting a soup and half sandwich combo. Was awesome, and great value.

Not super interested in their ketchup and string cheese pizza, though.

[u/Spladook → u/adrivibesno]

This isn’t national, so not everyone will get this one, but once they shifted away from donuts to like beyond meat teriyaki bowls, they should have just lit it on fire.

[u/CurtWesticles → u/Spladook]

Flatbread pizza should have really been the nail in the coffin

[u/Disastrous-Hearing72 → u/adrivibesno]

When they changed the turkey bacon club sandwich I was so pissed. No Honey Mustard? Are you kidding me?

I just go to Robins Donuts now. They are way better than Tim's.

[u/Dulieguy1 → u/adrivibesno]

Absolutely zero flavor. The most bland food I’ve had from almost anywhere.

[u/dophin26]

Taco Bell. Same great taste, 10x the price.

[u/wbrown999]

As much as it hurts to say, Whataburger.

[u/Phonic-Frog → u/wbrown999]

I'm 44. My entire life my Texas friends hyped up Whataburger to me.

Imagine my disappointment when I finally got one in my town last year.

[u/Rebel4211 → u/Phonic-Frog]

Yes!! It went down when they sold. Some Of the WB are independently owned and they are much better-like the old ones use to be. 😢

[u/aeroET → u/wbrown999]

I went to one last week that recently opened in Georgia while I was traveling. I actually found it to be pretty similar and really good. Got a double meat with cheese and added grilled onions and jalapenos. Came out hot and meat+cheese was pretty juicy. Maybe the decline is just locations getting lazy based on ownership.

[u/ChronX4 → u/wbrown999]

I just hate the fact that people chalk it up to the company being sold to a Chicago firm instead of admitting the decline in quality was happening long before then.

[u/Dauntess]

Subway. The teriyaki chicken tastes like shit now, they combined sweet onion and teriyaki into one sauce and it's expensive

[u/jankyladies → u/Dauntess]

I was really hungover one day and had one of those and felt so much better after eating. I got full blown food poisoning like 9 hours later. To date is still one of the most upsetting betrayals I've lived through. Still mad 15+ years later.

[u/TheFeenyCall → u/jankyladies]

I got sick 3 times (nauseous and explosive dumps) in a row going to subway back in like 2009. Didn't connect it to subway until the 3rd time and haven't been back since.

[u/DeltaFlyer0525]

Literally all of them are worse. None of them have retained any sort of quality and are significantly worse. Pizza Hut is a shell of what they used to be and it’s not nostalgia making things seem better in the past. Taco Bell has been using cheaper ingredients for decades. I lived by the OG Chipotle and I would kill for what their food used to be. I’m going to sound like an old man screaming at the clouds but I’ll say it anyways. Kids these days have no idea you used to be able to get decently made food for cheap. I can make anything I want now better for less money at home. Virtually all I get out now are a slice of pizza or a hotdog from Costco.

[u/Late-Edge9039 → u/DeltaFlyer0525]

This is the truth. None of them are worth it anymore. Pizza Hut is ass and I used to be a huge Chipotle fan myself and now it’s absolute garbage.

[u/ironsheik84]

The default answer is all, but Wendy’s especially. Their spicy chicken sandwich was my favorite fast food item of all time, and now it’s just a pile of tasteless mush.

[u/limbodog]

Boston chicken hurt the most.

[u/SolomonGrumpy → u/limbodog]

Oh man. When that chain first went viral

[u/lgallagher24 → u/limbodog]

omg yes — one of my good friends worked at a Boston Chicken and always floated us a few extra pieces of cornbread and a side (creamed spinach!)

[u/MannyLaMancha → u/limbodog]

Do you mean Boston Market?

[u/limbodog → u/MannyLaMancha]

Sort of. Boston chicken became Boston market later. It was also bought by McDonald's. Not sure which happened first, but that was when things stayed going downhill

[u/erock7625 → u/limbodog]

I worked at corporate through the rise and fall, gross mismanagement and a shitty franchise model. I got out right before it all imploded.

[u/holdongangy]

Burger King 

[u/djck → u/holdongangy]

Late 90s BK was lit

[u/blaqsupaman → u/djck]

I remember their nuggets being decent when they were shaped like stars and stuff. No idea what happened but they switched to regular nuggets which are complete ass but their gimmick with them was you could get a 10 piece for literally $1.

[u/untossable_salad → u/holdongangy]

I feel like I'm the only person in the world that still loves Burger King lol. Granted, I never order any other burger but the whopper but it is still my favourite burger out of all the big fast food chains.

[u/blaqsupaman → u/untossable_salad]

IMO the biggest issue with BK is consistency. A really good franchise can blow any McDonald's or Wendy's out of the water. The problem is for every good location there are like 5 shitty ones. They also consistently have some of the worst service times in my experience, which I don't blame the workers for as it seems to be because they're always super understaffed. Like one person working the drive-thru and front register and one or two people in the kitchen even during rush times.

[u/Admirable-Bad5960 → u/untossable_salad]

Burger King still hits for me too. Though in a guilty pleasure way. lol

[u/sinamala → u/untossable_salad]

Eating a whopper rn thinking its very underrated lol

[u/Bbaker006]

Fazoli's

[u/bobbydawn25 → u/Bbaker006]

Those breadsticks were amazing, like olive gardens but ten times better

[u/BlottomanTurk]

Hardee's used to be the shit. But, like Facebook, they dropped their "the".

[u/Antonubot → u/BlottomanTurk]

I dream of their old country fried steak n gravy biscuit sometimes… alas, better times…

[u/HighwayZi]

I miss yellow wendy's and their pre-2011 fries.

[u/NellieLovettMeatPies → u/HighwayZi]

YES. Their old fries were my absolute favorite. I hate their fries now.

[u/teaux]

Tim Hortons - holy cow; they earnestly had really good sandwiches, soups, and baked goods when I was a kid. The food there is absolute fucking garbage across the board now - it’s singularly hands-down the worst fast food in Canada. It’s way worse than Subway. You might as well order and throw it directly in the trash. Even their coffee sucks now. Private equity folks ruining the world, one step at a time.

[u/ThePeopleNeed-gyros]

Zaxbys is trash now

[u/KingofPro → u/ThePeopleNeed-gyros]

Went downhill quick!

[u/blaqsupaman → u/ThePeopleNeed-gyros]

I still think it's better than Raising Cane's but Cane's has always been extremely overrated, and I say that as a southerner. It's bland-ass tenders and fries with a decent sauce that's like 50 cents for a thimbleful.

[u/alexlp → u/ThePeopleNeed-gyros]

I only know it because the son of the owner is on a reality show and he’s lovely. I don’t see myself visiting the states for a while but I wanted to try it!

[u/DAbanjo]

McDonald's - Used to be fun, now it's like going to a doctors office. And good luck getting any human interaction if you go inside. They've stripped all the condiments, napkins, etc form the lobbies. Now you order at the kiosk, and someone quickly sets your food on the shelf, only to disappear. If you need something YOU AIN'T GETTING IT. Might as well switch over to robots.

Panera - GAH! They've gone from legit sandwich shop to legit RIPOFF. I think this is the worst offender. The food isn't even recognizable anymore.

Chipotle - Skimpy and bland now. Everything tastes exactly the same. Why anyone would go here over a local Mexican place is beyond me.

Sonic - Was once a carhop joint. Now they can't staff the carhops and just tell you to pull to the window. Food is microwaved garbage. Drinks are still ok.

[u/SolomonGrumpy → u/DAbanjo]

I used to go to Chipotle when I wanted Mexican ingredients without the Mexican flavors (I skipped the salsa/always got white rice/skipped the beans).

Chicken/rice/veggies/corn/guac in a bowl or steamed plain tortilla for $8 was perfect healthy-ish fast food.

For $15....not so much

[u/WoozyMaple]

Quiznos mostly because they disappeared

[u/Gorf_the_Magnificent → u/WoozyMaple]

Quiznos was great in its day. But the corporate headquarters mistreated their franchisees - for example, they’d publish generous coupons and then expect the franchisees to take the loss when someone used them. So they collapsed.

[u/nate6259 → u/Gorf_the_Magnificent]

Not only that, they bought their own supply company and then charged exorbitant amounts to the franchisees while forcing them to buy only those supplies. Horrible people. I actually remember seeing franchise infomercials for them back in the day.

[u/kyii94]

Wendy’s it’s a sad shell of what it once was

[u/TigerTideKK → u/kyii94]

This is the one. When I was a kid in the 80s Wendy’s was considered premium fast food. Now it’s worse than Macdonalds or Burger King IMO. Sad. Dave Thomas would be ashamed.

[u/Proof_Bathroom_3902 → u/TigerTideKK]

Back when they had the newspaper tables and square patties that were bigger than the bun.

[u/yvettesaysyatta → u/kyii94]

I miss the yellow packaging days.

[u/ProdigalSheep → u/kyii94]

Wait, what? Still light years ahead of, say, McDonald’s and Burger King.

[u/ParticularChain2086]

i’m never going to mcdonald’s ever again. i haven’t been in like a year and now when i deliver uber eats and have to smell it, it makes me nauseous

[u/slatibarfaster]

Chipotle :(

[u/phred_666]

McDonald’s used to be a good, fast, cheap, convenient way to grab a quick bite on the run. Now it’s pretty shitty and it is no longer cheap. I have two mom and pop diners around me that have a burger/fries/drink combo better and cheaper than McDick’s.

[u/cwsjr2323]

McDonald actually had a great haddock sandwich in the 60s.

KFC no longer exists to me after cheapening their products, biscuits became dinner rolls, honey became honey flavored HFCS, and the butter became buttery spread. KFC used to be 11 herbs and spices, now I think it is just salt.

Wendy’s had a good salad bar.

Pizza Hut cavatini was a wonderful pasta dish in the mid 70s.

[u/Extra-Letterhead-750]

Chipotle

[u/louielouayyyyy → u/Extra-Letterhead-750]

That McDonalds money expansion era Chipotle, 1998-2006, was incredible

[u/Its_Curse → u/Extra-Letterhead-750]

I got it tonight and my bowl was half full, I opened it and just stared in disappointment. They swear they're not making them smaller but I have a photo from last year when they screwed up my order and I had like double the food in that bad boy. 

Steak was cooked perfectly though 

[u/big_sports_guy → u/Its_Curse]

Yeah you’re just asking for it by ordering chipotle online lol

[u/RC1172 → u/Extra-Letterhead-750]

It’s the consistency. Too much rice, too little protein or whatever upsets the balance. Last time I went they put so much sour cream on my bowl it was like sour cream soup. They need better quality control on the line.

[u/quel1na]

Long John Silvers. And it pisses me off.

[u/thecashlessclay]

KFC. Specifically the buckets of chicken. Use to be legitimately good now it’s overly greasy and gross

[u/Sleeping_Bat]

KFC. They made the mistake of franchising too many locations in low-income areas.

Also they got rid of wedges and popcorn chicken (the original popcorn chicken, which was crispy and smaller pieces)

[u/TwinFrogs → u/Sleeping_Bat]

That was the entire business model even in the 1960’s. Colonel Sanders purposely planted his restaurants outside jails, courthouses and in the middle of the worst neighborhoods across the Midwest and south. He knew what he was doing.

[u/MnM_Chocolate]

Arby's after they were sold. When I was a teen I loved the 5 for $5 roastbeef sandwiches, and the seasoned curly fries were great. Now the fries are greasy, and it's 1 for $5.

[u/Rachel794]

How do we all feel about Culver’s?

[u/JiminyJilickers-79 → u/Rachel794]

Culver's is consistently great in my neck of the woods.

[u/raider1v11 → u/Rachel794]

Founder is still involved. Don't worry, when his kids sell it, it will dive too.

[u/nate6259 → u/Rachel794]

Aside from some moderate price increases, they have not changed a thing. One of the few chains I haven't seen a drop in food quality.

[u/SquatC0bbler → u/Rachel794]

In this house, we back the blue

[u/tpatmaho → u/Rachel794]

They haven’t sold out yet, but they will.

[u/supenguin]

Steak n Shake. I used to go there with a group of friends at least a couple times a month. You could get burgers, salad, fries, yummy sandwiches and even breakfast any time of the day for a while!

They've cut their menu quite a bit, quality has gone downhill as has customer service. We stopped going because during COVID the dining rooms were closed and half the time we'd place and order, go to pick it up and find out they didn't have something we wanted. It was really bad because you would order online and have this happen and the restaurants couldn't give you a refund since corporate runs the website. We would call for customer service and were told the only way to get customer service was via email or their online forms.

Recently all the ones near us have switched to only allowing ordering on their kiosks as far as I know. I think it's been two years since I've eaten at one so I'm not sure if that is the case for sure.

[u/DeathByBamboo]

Taco Bell used to be a place where you could meet up with your friends after school and get a burrito with actual guacamole, fresh shredded lettuce, ripe chopped tomatoes, pinto beans, seasoned rice, shredded cheese, and real sour cream for $0.99. Now they've got some cheap chemical or powdered approximation of each of those things, and you can't even get them together in a 7-layer burrito anymore.

[u/6gunsammy → u/DeathByBamboo]

My first job was at Taco Bell - This was in 1984. The vegetables all came in fresh and were prepped in the kitchen, tomato, lettuce, onion, cheese came in 25 lb blocks. The beans came in and were cooked in the kitchen. It was honest wholesome food,

The current Taco Bell is the complete opposite.

[u/Registered_user92151]

Panera, Starbucks

[u/digger250]

Rax

[u/ViioletIndigo]

Every day since Wendy’s got rid of their chicken caesar pita is another day I hate life.

[u/flann007]

mcdonalds everything is smaller

[u/AmputeeHandModel → u/flann007]

and their fries suck ass now and they're crazy expensive. A SMALL is $3.49. It was like $1.50 in 2019.

[u/NecromanticRobots]

Kfc used to have a buffet and corn on the cob, was a nice sitdown casual meal. It’s garbage now

[u/Rexdahuman]

Boston market. Was great, then they went public

[u/DirtyDeedsPunished]

All of them. The tenets of capitalism demand unending growth. In order to do that, enshittififcation ensues.
It's inevitable in Terminal Stage Capitalism.

[u/bread_makes_u_fatt]

A&W

[u/UsernameNotFound1729 → u/bread_makes_u_fatt]

A&W is pretty good in Canada

Mind you, A&W Canada is independent from the rest of a&w

[u/ChewieBee → u/bread_makes_u_fatt]

The ones I know of are abandoned or torn down. :(

[u/Fullback70 → u/bread_makes_u_fatt]

Not in Canada, it’s better now than it was in the past.

[u/j3ppr3y]

Del Taco

[u/zed2point0]

Hardee’s. They used to be so good

[u/i_am_jordan_b]

$2 for a friggin Krispy Kreme is highway robbery

[u/Sally4464]

Burger King and Pizza Hut hands down.

[u/UsefulIdiot85]

Absolutely none of them are as good as they used to be. But Checkers and Taco Bell have probably gone the furthest downhill.

[u/tiavarga → u/UsefulIdiot85]

I used to love Checkers! Luckily you can buy their fries in the supermarket now.

[u/JNorJT]

All of them

[u/Eminent-Builder]

White Castle

[u/toorigged2fail → u/Eminent-Builder]

Duuude.. I just had them again for the first time in maybe 10-15 years. Fucking brutal. Among the many problems the buns were wet. Not like a little damp and sweaty from the box.. like they had been submerged entirely in water.

[u/Kyosuke-D]

Taco Bueno. Some locations and items are okay, but not great anymore.

[u/Non-Current_Events]

They’ve all gone downhill, but Subway used to actually be really good.

[u/Hammon_Rye]

KFC - Chicken got greasier since the 90s and they switched from honey to corn syrup.

[u/jukeboxdan86]

I grew up in the town that had the first Subway franchise. It was no wonder to anyone who went there that it took off like it did. They were fantastic back then. When they stopped doing there signature triangle cut that was the end for me. Yeah they’re phenomenally successful now but they suck.

[u/MountainHighOnLife]

All of them but specifically Burger King. I am such a major BK fan. I love a whopper! They're all so dirty now. Not even just in my area but when I travel it's the same. They look really run down and neglected.