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11 Annoying Things About Fast Food Apps We Just Can’t Stand

Fast food restaurant apps aren’t always friendly when it comes to saving you money.

american fast food restaurant apps are seen on an iPhone
Updated Sept. 26, 2024
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Fast food apps can keep you connected to your favorite places, allowing you to save money on dining out or earn rewards for your loyalty.

The apps can also be frustrating or annoying when it comes to actually using them as a customer, making you less likely to take advantage of the deals and discounts you can get.

Know that you’re not alone with these issues with fast food apps that are just so annoying for users.

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The displays are bad

eshana_blue/Adobe senior person using mobile phone

You might be excited to check your fast food app and find out what deals or discounts are available. Perhaps you want to save time and order with the app’s menu options.

So it can be annoying when the app’s display is a mess, making it hard to find things or take advantage of the best deals.

The rules are confusing

Yuliia/Adobe looking at mobile phone

One great thing about an app is that it can track your spending and give you rewards you can cash in for discounts and deals.

However, the rules for each discount may not be straightforward, and it can be more of a hassle than it’s worth when you can’t figure out how to use your big pile of loyalty points.

The type is too small

Liubomir/Adobe shocked senior business woman using smartphone

Fast food restaurants try to pack a lot of information onto a small screen without much consideration for the user’s experience.

You’ve probably had to search for your reading glasses just to order some food and maybe even give up trying instead of checking out the app for options.

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Policies vary by location

Tetiana/Adobe Woman shocked using smartphone

Many fast food restaurants aren’t owned by the company but rather by franchisees who operate each location.

Some franchisees may decide not to honor the points you’ve picked up or the rewards you’ve earned, so it can be frustrating when you’re finally ready to use your accumulated rewards only to get rejected by a particular location.

There aren’t many rewards

fizkes/Adobe confused african woman holding cellphone

You may have signed up for an app for a fast food restaurant that you go to all the time thinking that you can start earning loyalty points and rewards.

Then you look to see what you can use all those points for and find there’s not much.

Check the app before you start earning points to see if the annoyance of using the app is worth it or just a waste of your time with no payoff.

You can’t speak with a person

9nong/Adobe upset traveler using smartphone

More restaurants are ditching their cashiers in favor of touchscreens for customers to order when they walk inside, but at least there’s still a real person to talk to sometimes.

The fast food restaurant apps take it a step further by making it almost impossible for you to talk to a real person when you have questions, frustrating users who just have a simple question.

The rewards system is complicated

Muhammad/Adobe upset woman looking at her phone

It’s nice to check the app for rewards, see what you have, and decide if you want to use any of them.

But some apps try too hard to be cute and end up being too complicated by naming their reward levels after different types of hot sauce when you just want an easy-to-understand interface.

There are too many choices

Krakenimages.com/Adobe nervous man holding smartphone at work

One good thing about fast food restaurant apps is they have several choices that you can click on like ordering, collecting rewards, or managing your profile.

But sometimes, they can give you too many choices, and you end up confused, clicking from one screen to another and another, trying to find the one thing you need that’s buried somewhere in your app.

They change the rewards

Prostock-studio/Adobe frustrated woman using smartphone

You may have downloaded a restaurant app and used it for a few years already, cashing in your rewards when they add up or even remembering to check in on your birthday for a special deal.

So, it can be frustrating when restaurant chains suddenly change their policies without notice, leaving customers in the lurch when they’re trying to cash in points for lunch as usual.

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It’s not about the money spent

Yauhen/Adobe credit card typing on smartphone

You may like using a fast food app because you’re responsible for putting in a big order at work, or you’re picking up dinner for family and can earn the extra rewards of a large transaction.

But be careful. Some fast food restaurant apps only give you points per transaction and not per dollar spent, making it smarter to go somewhere else to save.

You don’t have choices for rewards

kleberpicui/Adobe sad man checking smartphone

You’ve collected all your points and are finally ready to cash them in for something you want.

Then you find out that your app has tight restrictions on what you can use your rewards for, giving you a choice between two little items after you spent plenty of money building up those points.

Bottom line

ltyuan/Adobe smartphone browsing McDonald's application

Fast food restaurant apps can be a good option if you frequent a particular location or have your favorite restaurants you like to visit. So, making your apps work for you may be a good idea.

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Author Details

Jenny Cohen

Jenny Cohen is a freelance writer who has covered a bit of everything, from finance to sports to her favorite TV shows. Her work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and FoxSports.com.