Foods You Should Avoid Ordering At Wendy's, According To Customers

Wendy's has established itself as one of the most popular fast-food chains in the world, serving loads of burgers, fries, and Frostys every single day. But just because a menu is packed with options doesn't mean every food is worth your money. The smartest way to pinpoint the worst menu items isn't gambling and potentially regretting your order; it's learning from the wisdom of past customers. And luckily, we've done this research for you.

The chain's menu spans all the fast-food classics: hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, fries, chili, salads, breakfast fare, and even Wendy's secret menu items we'd encourage you to order. However, not everything hits the spot. Across countless customer reviews, 12 items kept popping up for all the wrong reasons, whether it was skimpy portion sizes that left diners feeling ripped off, flavors that fell flat, or once-great recipes that seemed to have been downgraded over the years. So before heading to Wendy's, hear what previous customers had to say, and consider avoiding the following foods.

We're happy to see a fast food joint with salad options. But while Wendy's Cobb, Apple Pecan, and Parmesan Caesar salads are fine, we'd steer clear of the Taco Salad. This option comes with romaine lettuce, shredded cheese, tomatoes, corn, and chili-lime taco strips, and is topped with the chain's chili and creamy salsa dressing. Customers take issue with the fact that this salad uses chili rather than standard taco salad toppings like beef, chicken, or steak. It does feel like the chain is cutting corners — and it results in a meal that's soggy from the second it's prepared. You're essentially getting a hot bean soup over lettuce.

This taco salad also doesn't arrive in a crispy tortilla bowl, but a plastic container. When ordering to go, you'll get the dressing, tortilla strips, and chili on the side, which can prolong the actual crispiness of the salad (but not for very long). And with a cold salad and hot chili, diners say it's hard to achieve a perfectly balanced bite. Finally, thanks to containing a full gram of trans fat, this option also made our list of the unhealthiest chain restaurant salads.

Wendy's offers five types of baked potatoes: plain, cheese, chili cheese, bacon cheese, and sour cream and chive. The potato alone received multiple complaints from customers on social media. Some potatoes were so small, customers felt shortchanged. Others shared that you never know how long the cooking process will take, with one customer waiting 30 minutes for a simple spud.

Making matters worse, diners say the potatoes lack flavor, meaning they rely heavily on toppings to deliver any kind of satisfaction. Unfortunately, these toppings don't always cut it, particularly the sour cream and chive. The sour cream packet served alongside the potato is reportedly too watery (and occasionally even spoiled).

We respect that Wendy's potato is literally just a plain baked potato — no salt, pepper, or even butter. What you see is what you get. But who wants to eat something so bland? If you're craving potatoes, go for Wendy's Hot & Crispy Fries, which the company claims people prefer 2:1 over McDonald's. When we put McDonald's versus Wendy's fries to the test, we actually agreed that Wendy's fries were indeed superior. They were hotter, crisper, and overall more satisfying.

In 2023, Wendy's removed the Grilled Chicken Sandwich from its menu, replacing it with the Grilled Chicken Ranch Wrap. At this point, diners were already noticing that the chicken filets didn't taste like normal poultry, and had an "artificial and processed" flavor (via Reddit). Based on taste alone, customers unfortunately believe this same chicken meat is used in the wraps – and the complaints don't end there.

This wrap is made with herb-marinated grilled chicken breast, shredded cheddar cheese, romaine lettuce, and ranch sauce in a flour tortilla. The "grilled" in its name is simply due to the grilled chicken — not the wrap itself. This is misleading for customers, who feel that without the grilled exterior, the tortillas lack a satisfying texture. Despite the promise of a warm (albeit not grilled) tortilla, diners also say the cheese wasn't melted. Let's be honest — hard shredded cheese just doesn't hit the same, especially in a chicken ranch wrap.

By the time the wrap reached customers' mouths, many said the whole thing was cold and dry. But if you still insist on trying one for yourself, customers recommend ordering extra ranch to make up for the lack of flavor and moisture. Better yet, skip this item altogether and opt for the Cobb Salad. In our review of Wendy's Grilled Chicken Wrap versus its Cobb Salad, we highly preferred the salad for its satisfying crunch and flavorful ingredients.

When choosing from Wendy's burger lineup, avoid the Junior Hamburger. It may only have 240 calories, but there's a reason it's not as heavy as other options: it's disappointingly small. It comes with a single patty, pickles, onion, ketchup, and mustard on a bun — no cheese, tomato, or lettuce. Sometimes there's beauty in simplicity, but this burger leaves most diners craving more flavor and substance.

Wendy's doesn't freeze its beef, but reviewers still say the beef patties taste dry, underseasoned, and flavorless. Even more concerning is the size of the beef patty. Customers have turned to social media in disbelief of the paper-thin patties, with several others commiserating over the same experience.  Employees blame the grilling method, which they say requires hammering the patties into crepes. However, loyal diners believe the patties are simply smaller than they used to be, hinting at the burger's shrinkflation.

When beef is the only major ingredient between those buns, you expect much more. To avoid paying for overpriced buns and a sliver of meat, choose a heartier burger. Even opting for the Junior Cheeseburger or the Double Stack adds slightly more substance, although you'll get the same beef patties. Instead, we recommend upgrading to one of Dave's Classic Burgers, which boasts a much better reputation.

The Takis Fuego Meal is a collaboration with Takis, the spicy corn tortilla chip brand. It comes with Fuego Fries, a Takis Fuego Chicken Sandwich, a medium soft drink, and a bag of Takis (while supplies last). If you love Takis, you may be tempted to sample this limited-time meal. But if you do, we recommend lowering your expectations — at least when it comes to the sandwich.

The Takis Chicken Sandwich comes with a Spicy Chicken filet topped with crushed Takis Fuego chips and three sauces: Chili Lime Sauce, creamy corn spread, and cheddar cheese sauce. It sounds like a delightfully spicy, crispy, saucy sammie. But unfortunately, the sauces don't deliver. In our Wendy's Takis collab review, our taste tester loved the spicy-coated fries, but wasn't keen on the sandwich, sharing that the sauces were too thick and plopped right in the center — meaning you can't taste the condiments until you reach the middle of the sandwich, resulting in a predominantly dry filet. And truthfully, once you bite into the sauces, all that stands out is the Chili Lime's acidity.

While it's a unique idea, it's not working for most. Customers have described it as nauseating and gross, oversharing that it didn't exactly go down well. Even fans of Takis aren't loving this sandwich. So if you love these chips and crave a fiery crunch in your chicken sandwich, we suggest adding your own Takis to a different sandwich altogether.

Wendy's Chicken Nuggets are sold in boxes of four, six, and 10 as well as a giant party pack. But honestly, zero might be the magic number here. Customers claim the nuggets' quality has gone down over the years and is no longer worth the purchase. As one Redditor shares, "I don't know when Wendy's made this change, but their chicken [nuggets] used to be my favorite fast-food item. Now it sucks," describing that "they're so dry and have no flavor." Rumor has it this issue is only exacerbated late-night, when nuggets are more likely to have sat under the heat lamp too long.

On another Reddit thread, customers debated whether Wendy's Chicken Nuggets are the same as they used to be, with the majority claiming they've changed for the worse. "I've eaten hundreds, maybe even thousands of Wendy's nuggets in my lifetime," shares one disgruntled customer, "They are absolutely not the same as they were 5-10 years ago. They're smaller, less juicy, and the breading feels and tastes different, too." If you crave a crispy exterior from chicken nuggets, reviewers recommend avoiding Wendy's Chicken Nuggets and opting for the spicy ones, which reportedly have a fresher, crunchier coating.

In our research, Wendy's Chili proved divisive, with some customers loving this fast food item and others criticizing it. The majority, however, veered towards the latter, leading us to believe it's best avoided. One recurring complaint was that the chili meat is far from fresh. As a previous employee explains on Reddit, "The chili meat was hamburger meat that didn't get made into a sandwich in a certain amount of time, like 15-20 minutes-ish." They explained that the meat is stored in a warming drawer for a while, then chopped up and frozen for the following day.

Although the hamburger meat is advertised as "never frozen," we now know what the staff does with the leftovers. And while we hate food waste, the chili's freshness and quality take a hit. Sadly, this wasn't the only customer complaint we noticed. A reviewer on Reddit also felt Wendy's Chili had become "sweeter and saltier" over time. Instead of that quintessential chili flavor, they're picking up on sugar and oodles of sodium. And while the recipe seems thicker, diners don't notice more meat and beans, believing it's thickening agents or starch at play.

Mind you, people still love topping their Wendy's burgers with the chili, and the combination of the two may make up for their downfalls. So if you love chili, but want the freshness of a real burger, add Wendy's chili, sloppy-Joe style. Just make sure you've got a solid bowl to capture the mess.

The Junior Bacon Cheeseburger seems like a step up from the Junior Hamburger, namely because it has more goodies. It comes with a single beef patty, American cheese, Applewood smoked bacon, lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise on a bun. Sadly, not all those goodies are worth the extra fee, particularly the bacon. Although Wendy's bacon was once delicious, customers claim it's no longer grilled in-house, resulting in less crispiness and flavor. Cold, pre-cooked bacon on a burger doesn't exactly whet our appetites, and we even noticed Wendy's employees agreeing with this sentiment on Reddit.

While bacon is an ingredient in several of Wendy's menu items, including the Baconator, the Big Bacon Cheeseburger, the Baconator Fries, and the Cobb Salad, it feels most disappointing on the Junior Bacon Cheeseburger. As mentioned, these Junior burgers are small, and customers already complain about the measly portioned meat patty. Overall, they don't have tons going for them, and getting less meat, along with subpar bacon, only adds insult to injury. So if you're searching for a more satisfying option, check out our ranking of the best and worst burgers from chain restaurants. 

Wendy's is famous for its Frosty – or should we say infamous? Rumor has it that the quality has been steadily declining, with temperature and texture being primary concerns. Many people say the Frosty is nowhere near as thick and flavorful as it once was and is now thin and foamy. One customer claimed they were handed a half-melted Frosty. A Redditor with strong opinions on the matter painted quite the picture: "It's like they went to 7-11 bought five of those cheap no-name brand chocolate popsicles and melted them into a cup."

Another startling concern is the cleanliness of the Frosty machines. Customers don't trust that the equipment is properly sanitized, and unfortunately, their fears aren't unfounded. On Reddit, a former employee urged consumers to "Never order Frostys at Wendy's. Most employees don't care to properly clean out the frosty machine correctly." They explained that "The leftover Frosty is poured into buckets and left in the fridge overnight. Sometimes [the staff are] even too lazy to wrap the top of the bucket." Who knows what's brewing in that bucket overnight — but once the morning shift takes over, they pour it straight back into the Frosty machine. Yum...

The individual ingredients of the Maple Bacon Chicken Croissant sound super tasty. Who doesn't love crispy fried chicken and bacon drizzled in maple syrup and sandwiched between a freshly-baked croissant? It's a mouthwatering morning meal. But when it comes to Wendy's rendition, those high expectations will suffer a rough landing.

Reviews have described the Maple Bacon Chicken Croissaint as absolutely nauseating. According to these customers, the bread is a sad excuse for a croissant and manages to be both overly sweet and stale. Some diners even wonder if it's left out overnight to achieve its impressively rock-hard status. Meanwhile, the maple syrup tasted more like artificial pancake syrup than the real thing, and the chicken lacked flavor. We've already discussed how the bacon is typically cold and pre-cooked, so you can imagine how all these ingredients come together.

Luckily, skipping the Maple Bacon Chicken Croissant doesn't mean you have to avoid Wendy's breakfast altogether. According to fellow Takeout journalists, Wendy's has the best fast-food egg breakfast sandwich: the Breakfast Baconator. This morning meal comes with sausage, an egg, and as much bacon and cheese as can fit between two buns. Despite criticism of the chain's bacon, our taste tester loved this sandwich because the eggs are cracked and cooked fresh, the sausage is flavorful, and the bun is warm and toasted.

Cinnabon Pull-Aparts are doughy cinnamon-roll bites that have been baked together and topped with Cinnabon's sweet cream cheese. Again, this is another Wendy's menu item that sounds spectacular — until you read enough customer reviews to think otherwise. Basically, forget everything you know about Cinnabon's delicious cinnamon rolls and desserts. This collaboration falls short in many ways, with diners saying the dough tastes flavorless and the frosting is completely different from what you'd get at Cinnabon.

Nothing is worse than craving dessert only to be disappointed. Yet, customers have admitted to throwing this item away half-finished, it's that bad. Normally, tossing half-eaten dessert would be blasphemy, but this option has been described as a complete waste of calories. Instead of throwing away your money and appetite, we'd head to Cinnabon and order a proper cinnamon roll, or try White Castle's Gooey Buttercake-on-a-Stick (our favorite of the chain's sweet options).

Does Wendy's serve coffee? Yes. Should you order it? Not according to customers. The majority of reviews we came across spoke negatively of Wendy's coffee, regardless of whether it was ordered hot or cold. Some said it was just okay, while others went as far as describing it as barely drinkable. An employee even admitted it was of very poor quality and considered it the worst item on the menu. Considering the breakfast staff likely drink it daily, we'd take their word for it.

So what makes Wendy's coffee so bad? People feel it's very light compared to other fast food joints like McDonald's, which is a huge downer when expecting a strong morning fix. Others have said that, while staff members are reportedly supposed to dress the coffee with cream for you, they're slacking on this service. But if you want a flavorful coffee at this fast food joint, you'll need all the cream and sugar you can get. If you take your coffee cold, consider mixing it into a Frosty for a more powerful flavor boost — because although customers complain about Wendy's Frosty and coffee separately, the majority seem to welcome the combo.

To decide which Wendy's menu items to avoid, we combed through social media, Reddit threads, and food review sites to find the items customers complained about most often. While opinions naturally differ, we looked for consistent patterns across platforms. Then, we dug into the details of those complaints — portion size, flavor, or quality — before sharing our findings, so you can order wisely.