In terms of consumer satisfaction, McDonald's has had a difficult year. The American Customer Satisfaction Index shows that McDonald's lost 2 points from its total score in the previous year.
McDonald's
Customers are rejecting the chain's bad marketing efforts, such as the McRib "Farewell Tour," to generate interest in the new menu items, which have been criticized as being "lazy."
Fast-food burgers compete continuously to be the finest, but Five Guys is one in particular that has slowly drawn more and more ire from customers.
Five Guys
The burger chain is criticized for its high costs in relation to the product quality that customers ultimately receive; some even call it a "absolute rip-off."
Popeyes made headlines in 2021 after a viral video showed a rat infestation in D.C. Popeyes subreddit complaints include dry chicken tenders, dishwater-tasting gravy, and chicken sandwiches with screws.
Popeyes
Taco Bell had a rocky 2021 and a lackluster 2022. To rather mixed reviews, the taco company introduced its own, limited-edition Crispy Chicken Sandwich Taco in an attempt to join the Chicken Sandwich Wars.
Taco Bell
The hybrid menu item received favorable reviews from the food press, however Reddit users who are fans of Taco Bell voted 2:1 against the Sandwich Taco in a vote that included 1,300 participants. They described it as "small" and "disappointing" as well.
In terms of customer satisfaction, Wendy's now falls among the bottom five fast food chains.
Wendy's
Fans of Wendy's seem to be less than enamored with the chain's new Hot & Crispy fries, which debuted in September of last year. Additionally, Wendy's drive-thru received subpar ratings for order accuracy this year, completing only 79% of drive-thru orders correctly.