Ah, the good old Colonel. Delivering their famously herbed and spiced chicken since 1952, KFC now has over 22,000 locations worldwide. The fourth-largest fast-food restaurant chain (off locations alone), KFC is just quintessentially American. But despite its strong branding and reputation across the globe, KFC has experienced a bit of a slump in recent years.
From rumors they use steroids to make their chickens grow larger and faster than ever (they’ve been called “Frankenchickens” – geez, we certainly feel like PETA needs to get on this), to poor food quality (slimy chicken…eep!) and just bad customer service, KFC isn’t so finger-lickin’ good! We’ll let you decide if you chance upon a KFC restaurant soon. Consumer Score: 40%
Taco John’s
Consumer Reports came back and showed that 41% of diners returned for more at Taco John’s. It seems the irresistible Potato Olés saw customers coming back, but it seems that that’s about as far as it goes. If you look at the rest of the menu, it’s really not coming up, Milhouse. Salad tacos are glorified lettuce bowls, and burritos are haphazardly wrapped – not like the beautifully tucked-in baby you might be expecting.
Presentation is certainly lackluster, but that is almost a side dish to the main event: the food is extremely salty and greasy. With oil splitting the seams of the taco and “fake cheese,”… god, our stomachs are turning. Thank u, next. Consumer Score: 41%
Wienerschnitzel
Hallo and welcome to Wienerschnitzel. As quickly as we’re saying hello, we’re just as quickly saying Auf Wiedersehen to the world’s largest hot dog chain. Sure, it was established back in 1961 and serves over 120 million hot dogs a year (yeah, that’s a real number, folks!), but the company just doesn’t quite get the return business like some other fast-food chains. And the reason? Poor quality food.
Whether it's undercooked or overcooked, or a bun that swallows the filling, Wienerschnitzel just isn’t hitting the mark. Any mark, really. Look, if you’re desperate for a snack, sure, it’s food. But if you want to feel good about it, move along. Consumer Score: 41%
Cinnabon
Mmm.. nothing like a fresh hot pastry from Cinnabon, eh? Unfortunately, it seems that all the good stuff stops after the smell lures you in. With its warm, sticky-sweet cinnamon buns, the look and aroma are extremely enticing. But it seems that Cinnabon, despite their offerings of sweet pastries and coffee (it seems like there isn’t much to get wrong here!), has been in a bit of a sticky situation of late. With a return customer rate of 40%, it seems they can’t get consumers to... well, stick.
Okay, enough with the sugary sweet puns! Cinnabon needs to, first of all, amp up the customer service and second of all, not serve reheated and stale cinnamon buns – and maybe then they’ll start seeing more customers and more dollars! That’s some advice fresh out the oven. Consumer Score: 40%
Del Taco
Specializing in American-style Mexican cuisine as well as American-style burgers, fries, and shakes, Del Taco does a heck of a lot! But hey, this may be problematic – ever heard the saying “don’t bite off more than you can chew?” From taco combos to cinnamon churros.. and their “carnitas,” Del Taco has quite a varied menu. Sure there’s a Mexican flavor to things, and sadly, it seems that it’s not enough to keep customers coming back. Guests are kept waiting to receive their food, and when said food arrives, it’s usually pretty lackluster.
In terms of flavor and also have a little too much rice in their burritos, Del Taco has been disappointing to customers. But with the rise of vegetarian and vegan options, it seems it’s breathed new life into the business. If you’re feeling vego, why not give it a go? Consumer Score: 40%