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The Cities With the Worst Fast Food

The Cities With the Worst Fast Food

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40. Fort Worth, TX

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39. Anaheim, CA

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38. Honolulu, HI

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37. Warren, MI

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36. Sparks, NV

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35. Paradise, NV

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34. Chula Vista, CA

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33. Greeley, CO

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32. New York, NY

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31. Carson, CA

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30. Norfolk, VA

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29. Perry Hall, MD

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28. Modesto, CA

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27. Philadelphia, PA

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26. Ontario, CA

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25. Lubbock, TX

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24. Independence, MO

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23. Montgomery, AL

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22. Augusta, GA

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21. San Bernardino, CA

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20. Aurora, CO

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19. Carrollton, TX

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18. Corpus Christi, TX

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17. Memphis, TN

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16. Flint, MI

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15. Brownsville, TX

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14. San Antonio, TX

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13. El Paso, TX

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12. Stockton, CA

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11. San Jose, CA

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10. Pooler, GA

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9. Pueblo, CO

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8. Fayetteville, NC

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7. Garland, TX

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6. Concord, NC

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5. Grand Prairie, TX

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4. Jersey City, NJ

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3. Detroit, MI

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2. Odessa, TX

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1. Irving, TX

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40. Fort Worth, TX
39. Anaheim, CA
38. Honolulu, HI
37. Warren, MI
36. Sparks, NV
35. Paradise, NV
34. Chula Vista, CA
33. Greeley, CO
32. New York, NY
31. Carson, CA
30. Norfolk, VA
29. Perry Hall, MD
28. Modesto, CA
27. Philadelphia, PA
26. Ontario, CA
25. Lubbock, TX
24. Independence, MO
23. Montgomery, AL
22. Augusta, GA
21. San Bernardino, CA
20. Aurora, CO
19. Carrollton, TX
18. Corpus Christi, TX
17. Memphis, TN
16. Flint, MI
15. Brownsville, TX
14. San Antonio, TX
13. El Paso, TX
12. Stockton, CA
11. San Jose, CA
10. Pooler, GA
9. Pueblo, CO
8. Fayetteville, NC
7. Garland, TX
6. Concord, NC
5. Grand Prairie, TX
4. Jersey City, NJ
3. Detroit, MI
2. Odessa, TX
1. Irving, TX

When hunger strikes, we often crave the simplicity and guilty pleasure of a quick fast food stop. From hamburgers to chicken, pizza, and sandwiches, there are often many restaurants nearby to choose from.

Not every fast-food dining experience is alike, however. While it might seem simple and easy to grab a burger and fries, that doesn't mean you won't occasionally experience poor customer service, an unclean restroom, or longer-than-expected wait times. In fact, many fast-food restaurants throughout the country have received their share of poor reviews.

Thanks to Google and Yelp, consumers can also easily see just how great or poor a restaurant ranks based on customer reviews and experiences. Many on our list below received subpar rankings due to everything from rude employees to burned hamburgers and incorrect orders. Keep in mind, however, that these reviews are based on personal experiences and may not reflect the views of every customer. While there are more negative reviews than positive for most of the restaurants on our list, there are still customers who reported pleasant experiences.

Additionally, most of the lowest-ranking restaurants on our list are also some of the largest in the country. For example, McDonald's showed up frequently on our list. According to an article from USA Today, 13,438 McDonald's existed in the United States at the end of 2021. This makes it the largest fast-food restaurant chain in the country. Other popular fast-food restaurants you'll find on our list include Taco Bell, Subway, and Burger King. Many menu items from these restaurants also make our list of fast foods to avoid due to excessive plastic content.

To determine the cities with the worst fast food, 24/7 Tempo reviewed data on restaurant user ratings from Google Places for over 300,000 establishments. Cities were ranked based on the average weighted user rating across 15 fast food chains: Subway, McDonald's, Taco Bell, Domino's Pizza, Wendy's, Burger King, Dunkin', Pizza Hut, Little Caesars Pizza, Chick-fil-A, Jack in the Box, KFC, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Sonic Drive-In, and Papa Johns Pizza. Restaurant locations were aggregated from coordinates to cities using boundary definitions from the U.S. Census Bureau. Only cities with at least 50 geolocated fast food locations were considered. Google Places ratings are current as of April 2024.

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