The Absolute Worst Chain Restaurants To Order Takeout From

While many of us maintain fond memories of sitting down at a buffet-style eatery back in the '80s or '90s, this antiquated business model seems to be slowly fading from existence when it comes to enjoying casual restaurant fare. The new, overwhelmingly preferred method for indulging in a fast food meal out seems to be ... well, a meal in.

Takeout meals for enjoying at home, at work, or in another location of choice are becoming increasingly popular in today's modern world, with drive-thru, pick-up counters, and delivery services like UberEats or DoorDash more prevalent than ever in the restaurant industry. But just because there's a takeout option available from nearly every one of our favorite chains, it doesn't mean the experience of actually using it may be a particularly enjoyable experience. Between slow preparation, incorrect orders, greasy bags, glitchy apps and more, there are a few restaurants with takeout services that seem to be consistently lacking in the eyes of consumers and delivery drivers alike — and some of these complaints may just give you pause before you next press 'order now.' Here are some of the absolute worst chain restaurants to order takeout from.

Ever since its very first location opened up in 1987, Panera Bread has been serving up sourdough, soups, bagels, sandwiches, and other breakfast-and-lunch favorites to its hungry patrons. As one of the pioneer chain restaurants in mobile order and pick-up only locations, the company's emphasis on takeout is well-established. Thus, if you need your to-go order quick, you'd likely assume there's nowhere better to stop than the well-practiced Panera.

According to delivery drivers and customers alike, however, Panera may not be the chain to place a takeout order from if you're in a hurry. Long wait times are pointed out frequently in online forums, with some DoorDash drivers admitting to denying a Panera request on sight unless it's an order large enough to make up for the time (and subsequent deliveries) they will lose waiting. We can't say we blame them for this; however, we do find it rather surprising that a company as takeout-forward as Panera could struggle with pushing out to-go orders in a timely fashion. Oh, well — we suppose we can give the chain's employees a bit of grace. After all, no restaurant is immune to the lunch rush, at the end of the day.

Steak 'n Shake's popular milkshakes and epic beef burgers have made it a major contender in the fast food industry, with 406 locations across the U.S. serving up fries, franks, salads, and more. But let's be honest: with great amounts of burgers and French fries, often comes great amounts of grease. And according to the testimonies of eaters and delivery drivers, Steak 'n Shake's to-go bags show some major evidence of the slimy stuff.

"Mine is Steak 'n Shake," answered an alleged DoorDasher on Reddit, discussing their least favorite restaurant from which to pick up takeout orders. "Their bags are always full of grease and I can barely stand the smell of the food. It's so greasy my car smells like grease for an hour after I deliver it." Unfortunately, this single user is not alone in their musings. Complaints of greasy entrées and soaked-through carryout bags spread across online platforms like TikTok and Tripadvisor, as well. This may not be a major problem if the sight or smell of greasy paper doesn't cause your stomach to flip. If it does, however, you may want to consider either eating at a different chain, or otherwise, opting to eat your order in-restaurant, where the grease won't have as much time or opportunity to coagulate. We wish you a happy, grease-free meal from Steak 'n Shake, in any case. 

There's nothing worse than hungrily peeling open a steaming bag of takeout to find that the sandwich, burrito, or quesadilla you requested is incorrect. But if you want to avoid the sinking feeling in your stomach that accompanies a messed-up order, you may want to reconsider placing your next takeout order with industry giant Taco Bell. The Southwestern fast food chain is notorious among the consumer crowd for consistent order errors ... and this feels especially true of the takeout ones.

Taco Bell's official Reddit thread is littered with posts, complaints, and questions regarding incorrect or absent items emerging from their to-go bags. According to comments made by supposed employees, an official ticket can allegedly be placed on the company's official website after an order mishap which may result in a refund or complementary coupons. But, if you don't want to escalate it to that level, the majority of Taco Bell locations should make it right with a simple phone call. Despite these makeup attempts, however, you should be prepared for the possibility of a mistake going into your next takeout order off the chain's new Cantina Chicken menu.

There's nothing on the planet less appetizing than a cold fast food burger, so keeping your beefy, cheesy, condiment-loaded entrée warm is of paramount importance if you want to enjoy it to its fullest when you finally peel open your takeout bag. According to the consumer oracle, however, the chances of a McDonald's burger order surviving the drive home without getting chilly often feels like an impossible feat.

McDonald's may be the largest fast food chain in the world, but its packaged-to-go food often leaves a lot to be desired in the way of temperature. Delivery and takeout orders from the restaurant giant are frequently called out for being cold on arrival across online platforms — and speculation as to the 'why' of it abounds. One alleged DoorDash driver claims this phenomenon stems from the corporation's tendency to package hot food in the same vessel as accompanying cold drinks — thus, bringing the temperature of the food down considerably. Another self-professed delivery person divulged that there is often a huge delay in the handing over of prepared bags from across the counter, and that this lengthy rest time contributes to an ultimately lukewarm cheeseburger by the time it reaches the home in question. Whatever the truth, McDonald's may be a place you want to order in-house and sit down at a table the old fashioned way to enjoy if you want to maintain the heat.

One of the major appeals of ordering takeout is convenience, but having to park and walk inside anyway for pick-up may defeat the purpose in the eyes of some consumers. If you're specifically seeking a spot where you'll be handed your packaged meal directly from a drive-thru or pick-up window, according to the testimonies of eaters online, Wendy's may not be the place for your up-and-coming to-go order.

According to alleged Wendy's workers, delivery drivers, and consumers on Reddit, many of the fast food chain's locations require that takeout orders be picked up inside, directly off the counter; rather than be handed off via the drive-thru or a curbside parking space. While this unofficial store-dependent policy annoys many customers, it is allegedly upheld in an attempt to keep customer traffic and order back-up to a minimum for kitchen employees — especially during the busiest hours of the day. According to workers, customers who order in-store are given priority; mobile take-out orders — and the comforts of the people who place them — come second. Love it or hate it, you should go into your Wendy's mobile order prepared for this reality.

All of us can appreciate a good estimated wait time after pressing 'order' on an app. A countdown-till-ready gives us better planning ability, and helps us in determining when we should start heading over to the restaurant in question. But what happens when that accurate wait time isn't accurate? Potentially, a whole lot of frustration as we wait much longer than expected in the parking lot.

Starbucks is one of those restaurant chains that graciously provides mobile app users with an estimated wait time ... but there's just one problem. According to the consumers who've used the coffee chain's takeout ordering system, these approximations often feel painfully inaccurate — a fact which has been confirmed by the admission of numerous alleged employees online. "We can sometimes have your order ready in 90 seconds, or it may take 20 minutes," explained one worker on Reddit under r/starbucks. "I don't think the app really adjusts realistically." Another self-professed barista expressed that workers are clueless as to what factors the app actually takes into account to generate wait times, as the technology is not able to detect things like store busyness. All in all, we'd suggest taking your Starbucks wait time with a grain of salt, and building in some extra time for delays.

Whether it's a post-party craving or a simple case of the evening munchies, ordering takeout in the PM hours can certainly cure a case of late-night hunger. Unless, apparently, you're ordering from chicken-focused fast food powerhouse, KFC. A certain strange recurring incident brought to light by disappointed consumers on online platforms regarding the company's entrée selection in the evenings may just have you searching for hunger satisfaction in the arms of another chain's menu.

KFC locations running completely out of chicken in the latter hours of the day is a relatively frequent occurrence, according to the reports of irate delivery drivers and consumers alike. Perhaps even more frustrating than these shortages themselves, however, is the fact that they are often not advertised up-front. Unfortunate DoorDashers have reported incidents in which a KFC location's poultry shortage is not announced until after they have entered into the store to pick up a doomed takeout order — which, naturally, ends in disappointment, wasted time, and irritation all around. The next time a late-night hankering for fried chicken comes knocking, you may just want to settle for the old fashioned method of calling your location to place an order — that way, you can have someone confirm whether or not there's still some chicken in the ice box.

Delivery boxes can be a slippery slope — literally. The combination of cardboard and pent-up steam can have unfortunate consequences for crust, which can go soggy quickly in the recesses of a delivery van. A well-vented box, a timely delivery window post-preparation, and an appropriate amount of sauce, oily cheeses, and other moisture-inducing elements can all influence whether your pie will be sloppy or firm by the time it gets to your plate. But while the celebrated pizza chain Papa John's may be meeting at least the first two of these conditions in regard to its takeout delivery orders, it doesn't appear to be meeting the third. This is evidenced by the numerous reports of soggy pizzas by consumers online — all of which seem to have their origins in the ingredients from which the pizzas are created.

Complaints of wet pizzas abound when it comes to Papa John's pies, which don't appear to survive boxed takeout journeys well. Based on comments made by alleged employees, this appears to be caused, in part, by canned toppings. Some workers divulge that they are instructed against the draining of things like tomatoes, jalapeños, and olives prior to use on pizzas. In other instances, over-saucing appears to play a role. While we're confident these slippery method aren't employed at every Papa John's location, the potentiality is certainly enough to make us question our order plans for our next pizza night.

It is what it is: in the 21st century, we consumers use our phones for everything. From taking pictures to sending emails to — you guessed it — ordering takeout, our mobile devices run the show. Thus, having a working mobile application has become incredibly important for modern restaurants, whose total number of daily orders often depend heavily on the ease and workability of their apps.

But in the case of Crumbl Cookies, the franchised bakery chain, a seriously lacking mobile app has likely led to its locations missing out on an undetermined number of orders over the years. Serious issues and confusion surrounding the company's allegedly faulty ordering app, which has resulted in many not receiving their takeout cookies despite a successful delivery notification, has caused a string of angry consumer threads to spring up online. So frequent are problems with signing in, website cookies (pun intended), and deliveries, it has resulted in the development of multiple YouTube troubleshooting videos promising help for a successful takeout order from Crumbl. Yikes. We think we'll stick to walking inside our local store and selecting a treat from the bakery window in person, in this case.

It seems inconceivable that any modern-day restaurant would disable its mobile order option, but according to the admission of alleged employees online, the Burger King chain can — and often will — opt to do just that. "'Mobile ordering is currently unavailable,'" reads the title of a Reddit thread posted by a confused, frustrated customer. "Why has mobile ordering in my area suddenly just disappeared? It started 2 weeks ago and it's every BK that shows up within 25 miles (10 locations). Is this a common thing? [...] I've checked the app on friends phones and it's the same story."

Complaints about inconsistency surrounding Burger King's seemingly half-on, half-off mobile ordering system abound on online forums — a disconcerting occurrence that has thrown a wrench in the takeout plans of many. Per the admission of alleged workers, app shut-offs of certain franchised Burger King locations are often performed intentionally ... usually, in an effort to slow down order traffic on the basis of staffing shortages or other operational issues. While we can certainly empathize with trying to avoid a backed-up kitchen, these inconsistencies could make your local Burger King a less-than-convenient takeout spot if the app on your phone is your preferred method for placing an order.

When it comes to ordering takeout from build-it-yourself style eateries, you inherently take on a bit more risk. Since you won't be there to monitor the scoops of various entrées and sides offered up by your chain-of-choice, there's no way to control exactly how much of each will end up in your to-go box. Oftentimes, you won't see any order mistakes (or worse: ingredient-skimping) until you're at home, when it's too late to change anything.

Sadly, the disappointing scenario that is takeout ingredient-skimping allegedly applies to the celebrated Southwestern chain, Chipotle. Customers consistently litter online threads with claims that workers at the company frequently dish out noticeably smaller scoops and minute portions for delivery and takeout orders. "Yeah u absolutely cannot order chipotle online," stated a user decisively on a Reddit thread discussing the issue under the chain's official subreddit. "You need to go in and literally tell them can I get more of that lol for each ingredient." If you're concerned about getting the most bang for your buck, you might want to consider heeding this particular user's words and walking up to the counter the next time you want to build a Chipotle bowl. 

There can be a number of possible issues for takeout orders; a mistake on an entrée, a cold side dish, a ripped bag resulting in a waterfall of French fries. Any of these might be a one-time occurrence, however, and thus forgivable, when it comes to placing a takeout order with your favorite restaurant. But what if the off-putting occurrence in question is not a mistake, but a permanent policy affecting your pocket book?

Waffle House, the 24-hour breakfast-focused chain restaurant, has always upheld an automatic 10% upcharge on all of its takeout orders. This, according to alleged employees, is to make up for the lack of tips that the servers assigned to these contactless orders will receive. More recently, however, it appears that a second, double charge — one amassing a whopping 20% in total — has been tacked onto takeout at many locations in a reported breakdown of 10% for supplies, and 10% for service. Whether or not you're comfortable consistently forking up this extra cash in the name of convenience is up to you, but one thing's for sure: when it comes to Waffle House, you'd better be ready to spend in the name of takeout.

To determine some of the worst chains from which to order takeout, online forums, photos, videos, and discussions on sites such as Reddit, Facebook, and YouTube were all taken into account. Qualities that consumers found communally unattractive — such as cold food, slow preparation times, or extra charges — assisted in the development of a list of restaurants with the greatest amount of discontent associated with their takeout services. That being said, not every franchised location may experience all or any of these problems, and individual experiences may vary.