Worst fast food joints
 

With most of us probably due for a driving vacation, lets list the worst particular fast food joints we've stopped at. I'll go first. The worst I've ever experienced is the Emporia, VA McDonald's--practically had to beg the staff to serve us. A Hardees in Kinston, NC is none too good either.

McDonald's in Lynchburg, Virginia for many reasons but primarily because the female server was three quarters of the way through giving us our food when the manager told her to cook some more fries - she took it literally and put out food down, out of reach of us, and proceeded to go and get some frozen fries from the freezer. Bad.

The worst fast food place we've ever been to is every single McDonald's we stopped at driving through Florida, that didn't have an indoor air conditioned playland! This may seem a minor point to some of you, but to parents of small, antsy children on a long car trip, those indoor playgrounds are a blessing, especially in Florida in the summer.

Isn't it a little unfair to single out a specific fast food restaurant, especially when the problem has to do with the service? The turnover at these places is constant and the chances are that little high schooler who didn't give you your food in 3.5 seconds will be gone.

I won't name the franchise (because it's not a national but a local issue, as "al" stated) but I went to a fast food burger place in the tenderloin area of SF and was totally disgusted. A used condom hanging over the edge of the toilet bowl, dry feces inside the bowl, live bugs in the corner of the bathroom, grime on the floor....no way was I about to test the food.

I wouldn't let my children anywhere near those McDonald's play places. When was the last time one was cleaned out? Blood, urine, spit, snot, and worse. How much e-coli is in those play balls, huh?

In Gatlinburg they have a hard time keeping those play balls in stock. They started charging entry into the Playplace, or kids can just pay-by-the-lick.<BR>And just try to find a urinal that still has the mint in it!

"Icky", BELIEVE me, I don't let my kids play in the ball pit! I've seen McDonald's workers go around sweeping the balls that are scattered around the play area into the same dustpans they've already swept who knows what, and then toss the balls back into the pit. Gross!

My husband was in line for a morning biscuit, lazily watching the activities behind the counter in the cooking area. A laaarge woman was kneading the biscuit dough, when she suddenly stopped. Her floured hand went digging into her blouse to scratch an apparent armpit itch. Once relieved, she went right back to kneading that dough. "So," my husband thought as he turned on his heels to leave, "that's what they mean by "made from scratch biscuits"!

Two words: White Castle. <BR><BR>Anywhere. They're STEAMED fer cryin' out loud! Blech.

My vote goes for Wendy's and McDonald's located on Prince William Parkway in Virginia. Dairy Queen and even IHOP IMO have both lost their flavor. Some of these fast food restaurants wouldn't be so bad if management would just see that they are thouroughly cleaned.

Any Kentucky Fried Chicken Anywhere

Al, I was answering the question, it was the worst fast food place BECAUSE of the service, Teddy didn't specify it had to be the worst food etc.

Hello?! The absolute worst has GOT to be WHITECASTLE!!! Everyone I know who craves Whitecastle knows full well they'll regret it the next day. Oddly enough there seems to be some unwritten rule that the subsequent, inevitable gastro-intestinal disturbance is just part of the experience. I can't understand it but I know my fellow NYers will back me up! LOL

ttt

Kentucky Fried Chicken, it is a mystery to me why they have to use gallons of lard to cook that chicken. When the chicken gets cold......YUK

Personally I find all fast-food totally vile. Anyone who reads "Fast Food Nation" is going to have a very different opinion about these places afterwards and will definitely think twice about ever eating this crap again. I like a nice crispy french fry as much as anyone -- but I'm making my own now.

I can't believe that no one has mentioned Arby's yet. I don't know what type of meat they put on those buns (I suspect their actually skin-grafts) but it sure isn't beef.<BR><BR>Tom

White Castle

Glad to know the what the meat at Arby's is, now what does Hardees make their burgers from.........no wait don't tell me I don't eat there anyway.

The Arby's roast beef is actually comprised of a beef extract paste that is discharged from a large foil sack, similar to birthday cake icing. <BR><BR>Clearly, Yack In The Box is the worst-- I was once sick for nine days after eating a double cheeseburger with mayonnaise.<BR>

We stopped at a Pizza Hut somewhere near Orlando. After sitting down, we were given silverware that looked like it had never been washed.The whole place was pretty grubby. We recluctantly (the kids were starving) ordered a pizza and a pitcher of soda. The waitress said - 'I wouldn't order the soda if I were you'.<BR>She woudn't give any details. We were out of there!

Any one who dises White Castle is doomed to eat every meal at Wall Mart for eternity.

Leon,<BR><BR>What is "dises"? And is "Wall Mart" related to Walmart? Time to repeat the third grade...again.

Pat, you got a problem, "dises" is simply a typo, Leon meant to type dines. As for the spelling of Walmart, lots of people can't spell, I can live with it and figure out what they are saying, why can't you. You don't have to get nasty mean.

No, I think Leon meant "disses" as in insults, not dines. No one "dines" at White Castle, for cryin' out loud. Truly it's one of those places you only go when you're rip-roaring drunk and don't give a damn, or you're just crazy/stupid.

Notpat, perhaps you are correct, I wouldn't eat at White Castle let alone dine. After reading Leon again, I agree he meant disses. But still feel the same on misspelling of Wall Mart.

It Is WAL-MART.now eat that Pat.

To the person who was whining about the "italian" food at Epcot: For crying out loud, why on earth would you expect fine cuisine at Disney? It's a plastic world, which is great for fantasy. Grab something to keep from starving - but expect high quality dining OUTSIDE Disney.<BR><BR>To the author and posters of this line: there is (almost) always a trade-off between quality and price. You expect fast food to be relatively cheap. You get what you pay for. Why on earth would you expect anything else?

Krystal is the nastiest thing I have every attempted to eat. After looking at it, I could not bear to put it in my mouth.

Oh No. I have you all beat. The Wendy's on Rt. 50 West out of Ocean City, Maryland. Complete with more flys than you can count, horrible service including 3 batches of burned fries by a half brain dead youngster, pox-marked workers who looked like they did not know the meaning of "staff washes their hands" and lines of people all waiting because they already paid for their stuff. I was going to write to Wendy's but Dave is dead and I never get a response from them anyway. The floors were sticky, the tables dirty and even our receipt was greasy and had smears of cheese on it. GROSS and should be investigated by the Health Dept.! Don't go there!

Taco Bell!!!Their ground beef<BR>( if that's what it really is)tastes like cat food looks like it would taste. YUK, YUK!!

My cat disagrees about the Taco Bell meat resembling cat food. My son is accustomed to sharing a small morsel of food with his cat, and the never-turn-down-food feline refused the filling from a Taco Bell taco a few weeks ago.

Oh funny, Gail! My dogs recently turned down a Taco Bell taco that my son brought home. I wouldn't touch it with a stick.

White Castles where they serve "slide burgers?" Think about the concept and the day after.

Elfie-if you'd ever worked at any restaurant, whether fast food or fine dining, you'd never eat out again. Or if you watched what goes on behind the scenes at any food distributor wharehouse or food processing plant, you'd never eat anything that you didn't grow yourself again.

Jamie you need serious help for your paranoia.

ooooohhh Jamie, don't tell me that! LOL I love eating out ... I don't WANT to know how gross the kitchen is in my favorite restaurants!

I have to agree with Brenda, Gail, and Kam . . .Taco Bell truly SUCKS!!!<BR><BR>They should do their customers a favor and give them a map to the nearest emergency room and directions for surviving food poisoning with every purchase . . .

My mom is a high school principal. We NEVER eat at fast food restaruants. We know which families have repeated lice infestations, have alchohol/drug problems...etc. They are all working in the fast food chains. My advice, go home and make your own hamburger.