So we’re not sure if the fact Arby’s has a repeat customer rate of 44% is owing to the incident that happened back in 2005, where an Ohio man filed a lawsuit against the fast-food operator for more than $50,000. And for what? Well, he alleged that he found a slice of human SKIN on his chicken sandwich. Yeah, digest that! It turns out that an employee had sliced skin whilst shredding lettuce…and the accuser’s sandwich contained lettuce, so… ewww!
Maybe he would’ve had better luck with roast beef. Anywho, customers have also made claims that their roast beef isn’t well… roast beef. We’ll let you decide on that one – just don’t order the salad! Consumer Score: 44%
Chipotle Mexican Grill
A generous splash of creamy guac, some corn for color, and maybe some rice and beans mixed in for bulk – your Chipotle burrito bowl is looking scrumptiously...healthy? We regret to inform you that in fact, no, your lunch is not very healthy. Whilst there are certain menu options that are on the healthy side of the spectrum, a data crunch by the New York Times revealed that the majority of people’s orders at the Mexican grill are actually not too healthy!
A typical order contains in excess of 1000 calories, which is again half the total number of calories for a DAY. Not to mention the sodium – sure, sodium isn’t totally bad for you, but with meals containing 2400mg a pop, coupled with what’s equivalent to 75% of your saturated fat intake, we’re rethinking Chipotle and considering staying in for dinner. Consumer Score: 45%
Whataburger
According to a recent national survey of regional burgers by USA Today, it seems that Whataburger emerged victorious against its competitor In-and-Out Burger. We’re pretty serious about our burgers, and so are Texans. Folks from Texas seem to prefer Whataburger, whilst those out West tend to prefer In-and-Out. In any case, the burger joint, whilst it may have won over the people, certainly hasn’t won over health experts and dietitians.
Sure, you can get a Whataburger Jr. with Bacon and Cheese for 400 calories, but remember, that’s for a child. And a child’s daily caloric intake is a heck of a lot less than an adult’s! So you do the math. Consumer Score: 44%
Starbucks
Sure, Starbucks may be somewhat struggling to get people through their doors for coffee, but um, surely, you’ve seen the memes about basic girls ordering their pumpkin-spiced lattes like they’re going out of style? Yah. We’re starting to think, though, that Starbucks isn’t exactly a place you go to because you LOVE it; it’s more about the sheer convenience of it! And also the fact that some of their holiday seasonal stuff is pretty neat.
We’re not sure it’s really a competitor to the likes of McDonald's or KFC, but all the same, it technically IS fast food. Also, they tried to hush up a case of mistreating two African-American customers just last year – it makes sense why they’re on our list now!
Wingstop
A recent consumer report found that about 44% of customers do make the return trip for their chicken wings when it comes to Wingstop’s performance. Famous for its house-made ranch sauce and hand-cut sweet fries, this is certainly a highlight for the majority of diners. But regardless – Wingstop isn’t totally free from criticism! Customers have two major complaints: saltiness and BONELESS “wings.” Yeah, go figure that one out. Sure, if they called them nuggets, we’d be kinda okay (though what’s in the nuggets is somewhat worrying), but not WINGS with no bones.
Maybe we missed the point – but at least they haven’t been criticised for poor quality or freshness, hence why it takes the #33 spot on our list! Consumer Score: 44%