These 15 Favorite Restaurant Chains Might Be the Dirtiest in America
We all have a go-to chain when we’re tired of cooking or just want something familiar. But comfort food doesn’t always come with clean kitchens. Over the years, some of America’s biggest names in casual dining have turned up in health inspection reports for food safety lapses, poor sanitation, and even full-blown outbreaks.
Not every location in these chains is dirty. But when the same brand shows up repeatedly in hygiene reports, you should take note. Here are 15 popular chains that, at one point, had hygiene or safety troubles.
Chipotle Mexican Grill
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Between 2015 and 2018, Chipotle struggled to contain a string of foodborne illness outbreaks. More than 1,100 people got sick from E. coli and norovirus linked to its locations. The fallout included a record-setting $25 million federal fine, and the company faced intense scrutiny over its kitchen safety policies.
Denny’s
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Denny’s has received numerous negative reports, including grease-coated floors, pest activity, and improper food storage. In a Dateline NBC survey of family-dining chains, Denny’s was among restaurants with multiple critical violations tied to cleanliness and handling failures.
Taco Bell
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Two different outbreaks, both involving fresh produce, put Taco Bell in hot water. Contaminated lettuce was linked to an E. coli scare in 2006 that sickened dozens, followed by a Salmonella issue in 2010. The incidents raised bigger questions about how produce was sourced, handled, and distributed across locations.
McDonald’s
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In 2018, McDonald’s was linked to a cyclospora outbreak traced to contaminated salad mixes that sickened more than 500 people in multiple states. The incident drew national attention and renewed scrutiny of the chain’s food safety practices. Around the same period, inspectors in Massachusetts reported repeat sanitation issues at several McDonald’s locations, underscoring uneven hygiene oversight.
Burger King
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Burger King’s inspection history reads like a checklist of what not to do. Some locations were cited for dirty equipment and food stored at unsafe temperatures. One store in Massachusetts was cited for nine major violations during a single visit, prompting a broader review of the chain’s kitchen standards.
Wendy’s
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A Wendy’s in Florida was forced to close temporarily after inspectors found insects near food prep areas. In another case, a separate location tallied 27 violations in a single inspection, including filthy drink machines and poor handwashing habits. For a chain that promotes fresh, made-to-order food, those kinds of lapses drew sharp local criticism.
Applebee’s
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Applebee’s doesn’t have a major nationwide outbreak on its record, but its restaurants have still drawn attention for cleanliness problems. A national survey by the food-safety law firm Marler Clark recorded Applebee’s with the highest number of critical health violations among major casual-dining chains in its sample. Local inspection reports back that trend.
Jack in the Box
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The fast-food chain was the focus of one of the worst food-borne illness outbreaks in U.S. history (over 700 sickened, four children died) after under-cooked hamburgers contaminated with E. coli. Court records indicate the company was aware of safe-cooking standards but chose not to comply. In more recent inspections, some locations continue to receive violations for food-contact and surface cleanliness issues.
Cracker Barrel
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Home-style food hasn’t shielded Cracker Barrel from sanitation problems. Reports from Buncombe County, North Carolina, show recurring problems, including dirty food-contact surfaces, improper handwashing, and poorly cleaned equipment. Several inspections over multiple years documented repeated lapses in basic kitchen hygiene.
The Cheesecake Factory
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With big crowds and even bigger menus, it can be challenging to keep every Cheesecake Factory spotless. Some locations have drawn complaints and even citations for issues like dusty fixtures, dirty utensils, and pest activity. For a chain that markets itself as upscale casual, lapses in sanitation stand out quickly when they occur.
Buffalo Wild Wings
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Buffalo Wild Wings has earned an average 2.2-star rating from over 216,000 Yelp reviews, with many customers citing sticky tables, unclean dining areas, and slow cleanup. Health inspections have mirrored those complaints, noting issues like unsafe food temperatures and dirty prep stations. In a busy sports bar setting, those recurring lapses point to uneven attention to basic hygiene.
Red Lobster
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Seafood comes with its own safety risks, and Red Lobster hasn’t always managed them well. A Florida location had to discard over 100 pounds of shrimp and crab during an inspection due to improper storage temperatures. Improper thawing and cross-contamination issues have been documented elsewhere, too.
IHOP
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Pancakes aside, IHOP has been cited for repeat sanitation issues in health inspections, including unsafe food-holding temperatures and improperly cleaned prep areas. In the Dateline NBC survey of family-dining chains, IHOP appeared among restaurants with critical violations that could lead to food-borne illness. While not all locations are problematic, inspection records show recurring cleanliness and storage issues at some stores.
Chili’s
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Chili’s has faced cross-contamination issues in past inspections. In a well-documented outbreak linked to a Chili’s in Illinois, poor food-handling practices led to hundreds of illnesses. Some inspections have also flagged dirty cooking stations and expired ingredients, and revealed inconsistent back-of-house training from store to store.
Golden Corral
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Buffet-style dining requires constant monitoring, and Golden Corral hasn’t always stayed on top of it. A now-infamous 2013 video showed raw meat being staged near a dumpster outside the building, allegedly due to a health inspection. The incident sparked widespread criticism of how the chain handles food.