5 times fast-food chains were stuck in huge controversies: McDonald's, KFC, and more

Our favorite fast-food chains did not always have a seamless order of business. While some were affected by bacterial outbreaks, others became a target of unhealthy advertisements. Over the years, scandals affected several major brands leading to public outrage and legal battles.

For instance, KFC took legal action against another food chain for allegedly using its copyright. At times, certain controversies can affect customer behavior. Hence, it becomes important to be well-informed about the issues at hand.

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Here are the 5 big controversies that fast-food chains have encountered

From misleading advertisements to trademark disputes and ethical concerns, here are five controversies that brought fast-food chains under scrutiny.

1) McDonald’s

The Golden Arches came under scrutiny after an E. Coli outbreak was linked to the slivered onions used in its Quarter Pounders. This led to a CDC investigation and a temporary recall of the burgers, which was eventually lifted.

The contaminated onions were traced back to its supplier prompting the fast-food chain to switch to a new source. The outbreak affected customers in multiple states, including Colorado, Michigan, and Oregon. It resulted in several hospitalizations and the death of a man in Colorado.

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2) Burger King

This fast-food chain came under attack for its alleged unhealthy ad promotion. Burger King released an advertisement in October 2024 showing a woman having a burger after giving birth. Some criticized the ad for promoting junk food as a mother’s first post-birth meal.

While some defended a mother’s right to choose her food after childbirth, others found the campaign “irresponsible” and “gross.” Many noted that the ad’s intended audience responded positively and supportively, with most criticism from men.

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3) KFC

KFC filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court against Georgia-based Church's Texas Chicken on November 8, 2024. The latter allegedly infringed on KFC's trademark by using "Original Recipe" in its advertisement.

According to the complaint, Church's Texas Chicken used the term in September 2024 with the tagline "Our original recipe is back" in various promotional materials.

KFC argued that this usage could cause consumer confusion and weaken its Original Recipe trademark. The fast-food chain sent a formal objection to the Church on October 24, 2024.

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Subway

This fast-food chain came under the limelight after a customer named Anna Tollison claimed to have been allegedly duped. She ordered a Steak & Cheese sandwich via the restaurant's official app.

After paying $7.61, she found the sandwich she received differed from the advertised one, with mostly bread and minimal meat. A lawsuit was filed claiming the sandwich had over 200% less meat than shown in the app's photo.

This wasn’t the first controversy for the chain, as it previously faced criticism over its bread’s high sugar content in 2020 and allegations about its tuna products in 2021.

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Wendy’s

Wendy’s planned to close 140 underperforming locations by the end of 2024 to refine its restaurant footprint and improve system health. The company aimed to replace them with new outlets to boost sales and profitability. The low-performing restaurants with margins below average became the target of closures.

Despite this, the fast-food chain expects new openings in 2024 to balance the closures, keeping net unit growth flat for the year. Wendy's projects accelerated growth of 3% to 4% by 2025, with over 500 new restaurants opened in the past two years.