Top 10 Restaurant Chains That Keep Getting Worse

#10: Boston Market

Established in 1985, Boston Market took the tasty charm of New England casual eateries across the U.S. It's even credited with popularizing pre-made rotisserie chickens. Nonetheless, the ambitious business filed for bankruptcy in ‘98, and was later purchased by McDonald's Corporation. Boston Market continued to change hands as it struggled to maintain consistent expansion. It didn't help that the brand couldn't maintain the authentic cuisine that initially made it special, as it relied more on mass-produced ingredients. Customers were further disappointed by the scandalous lawsuits and financial struggles, leading to withheld payments for rent, suppliers and even staff. Boston Market is hanging on as narrowly as ever, but its food now offers little comfort, while its practices offer none.

#9: IHOP

The International House of Pancakes was founded in 1958 to turn breakfast into a family experience. True to its name, it’s become a comfort food hotspot around the world. With the strain of franchising, however, the “freshly made” label has had to loosen. It still holds true for the pancakes themselves, but other menu items have gotten cheaper in preparation only. Such corporate cynicism was cemented by the brief rebrand to “International House of Burgers,” or IHOb. But customers with far-reaching nostalgia for IHOP have noticed the downsizing of menu and portions, as well as the selectiveness in pancake promos. The brand remains a phenomenon, but older visitors are having a harder time pardoning the lack of heart and dependable quality.

#8: Ruby Tuesday

The casual American restaurant Ruby Tuesday didn’t take long to franchise after first opening in 1972. On top of the cozy cuisine, including the groundbreaking “Endless Garden Bar,” the chain was celebrated for its dedication to hospitality. That integrity has slowly been compromised by the brand’s scale. Ruby Tuesday has been criticized for downplaying menu staples for new additions of inconsistent quality. Even the revamped salad bar is said to have sacrificed quality for quantity. Service is also getting less reliable, which is easier to forgive based on the restaurant’s working conditions and legal issues over treatment of staff. Ultimately, COVID-19 hit this lofty brand particularly hard. As it struggles to recoup its losses, many customers are simply saying goodbye, Ruby Tuesday.

#7: Chili’s

What the Tex-Mex chain Chili’s intentionally lacked in pretense was made up for in high-quality food at reasonable prices. This was a groundbreaking casual dining experience in 1975, which famously overcame struggles in competition through the iconic “Baby Back Ribs” jingle. But hard times kept coming, resulting in inconsistent prices and offerings. It’s just as well, since the menu got so convoluted and uneven that it had to be reduced by 40% in 2017. Miraculously, Chili’s found another renaissance in the 2020s, thanks to social media and a meticulous turnaround strategy. This controversially entailed cutting more popular dishes. The franchise’s marketing skills are still top-notch, but it remains to be seen if the value can bounce back.

#6: TGI Fridays

Food and fun was no longer just for the weekends after TGI Fridays opened in 1965. The high-quality bar food franchise was a great place for young people to mingle. By the ‘90s, it was even popular among families. But with unstable brand shifts and labor strikes even before the COVID-19 pandemic, more than half of all locations have shut down since 2008. Finally, TGI Fridays filed for bankruptcy in 2024. This has led to massive menu overhauls that were met with mixed reactions. And still, debt continues to climb as locations keep shutting down. TGI Fridays’ revival may depend on a considerable rebrand, though it’s not like customers are digging the vibe like they used to.

#5: Olive Garden

“When you’re here, you’re family,” used to mean something. Since 1982, Olive Garden has turned the tasteful aesthetic and tasty food of Italian-American dining into a mainstream treat. Over time, though, customers felt less comfortable with the restaurant’s expanding menu, inconsistent quality, and aversion to competitive prices. The investment firm Starboard Value boldly gave a public presentation of parent company Darden Restaurants’ many problems in 2014. The difficult turnaround paid off, but consumer trust has never fully recovered. Olive Garden’s once-signature service quality has also become so uneven that staff complaints and incidents have gone viral. Whether you can still depend on the food, that homey feel has been mostly lost to corporate cynicism.

#4: Pizza Hut

For many, that iconic red roof didn’t just represent a place to eat. Ever since it opened in 1958, Pizza Hut has distinguished itself by experimenting with recipes and giving families a unique hangout experience. Arcades and buffets have been a staple since the ‘80s. And promotional stunts like the 2001 delivery to the International Space Station affirmed the company’s seriousness about pizza. Unfortunately, many say the food suggests otherwise. Pizza Hut has regularly changed its recipes over the years, forgoing fresh ingredients for inconsistent quality and gimmicks. The arcades and buffets have even become a rarity out of financial concerns. Though it remains a casual staple, picky eaters feel that Pizza Hut exemplifies corporate pizza at its ugliest.

#3: Applebee’s

Few casual dining brands have lived up to that category like Applebee’s Grill + Bar. It’s been a go-to “folksy” eatery since 1980, with an emphasis on atmosphere to make up for the lack of outstanding cuisine. Now, it stands out for poor quality, made worse by failures to adapt to new technology. Applebee’s instead notoriously attempted to rebrand itself for more health-conscious millennials in 2015. The results were not only underwhelming, but alienated the key demographic of families. Menu cuts and location closures reflect that nostalgia is not enough, no matter how much tacky memorabilia there is on the wall. Whether further rebrands will save Applebee’s, the “old-fashioned” brand is feeling less genuine and more like an insult.

#2: Red Lobster

Market price controversies aside, lobster is meant to be a special meal. Red Lobster was founded in 1968 with respect for that, buying in bulk and regulating quality to turn luxury seafood into a casual, middle-class experience. Even that quality has become difficult to maintain in the long-term. As the COVID-19 pandemic compounded financial struggles, Red Lobster gambled on making its promotional all-you-can-eat shrimp deal a permanent menu item in 2023. This baffling shift lost the company around $11 million. Since declaring bankruptcy the following year, Red Lobster continues to flounder in quality and the middle-class seafood market it founded. How much longer before the reliable Cheddar Bay Biscuits aren’t even worth the trip?

#1: McDonald’s

What started as a productive, high-quality burger joint in 1940 has become synonymous with fast food. McDonald’s has effectively taken over the world, despite the common knowledge that their food is unhealthy. But you may not have noticed the continued decline in quality and proportions, curiously coupled with rising prices. Recent efforts to increase health standards haven’t been good enough to make up for that. McDonald’s has historically been responsive to complaints about food quality, but has made little effort to address controversies surrounding business ethics and environmental impact. Still, they remain one of the most popular brands in the world. This goes to show that consumers stick to old favorites, but that doesn’t mean restaurants should lower their standards.

What restaurants have you lost your appetite for? Order up in the comments.