11 Chain Restaurant Salads You Should Skip, According To Reviews

A great salad can be the perfect start to a meal (or even the meal itself). Getting one that's convenient and doesn't require any prep or cleanup is even better. You can always put together a quick dish at home using a store-bought bagged salad, but a familiar and reliable chain can take the prep work off your plate, so to speak.

But not all chain restaurants hit it out of the park when it comes to a fresh salad. Some skimp on tasty ingredients, while others are just not a great value. Even though you may think that salads are the healthier alternative to greasy fast food, some versions are actually higher in calories and additives than the sandwiches and burgers on the same menu.

We scoured reviews to see which chain restaurant salads we shouldn't bother ordering. The biggest culprits were those that we expected, including fast food chains and restaurants known for other dishes like all-day breakfast favorites or fried chicken. These chains didn't have great salad offerings because it's just not a dish that the customers want. Fortunately, there were other menu items that hit the mark for fresh taste and nutrition, but it wasn't always the salad. Whether it was due to nutrition, value, or just plain bad taste, these are the salads you should skip the next time you swing by one of your favorite chains.

If you're going fast food, McDonald's has some lackluster salad options. While there are plenty of hacks to make the most of your McDonald's order, getting a good salad isn't one of them. The menu only features a side salad, grilled chicken salad, and crispy chicken salad. The last two also come with bacon if you want to add it. But these salads are only available in certain countries and not offered at the Golden Arches in the United States. 

Some reports say that the salads ended due to food safety concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic. But other comments from customers pointed to a lack of interest as the explanation for the decision. After all, if no one is ordering the salads, it doesn't make a lot of sense to keep them on the menu. 

The crispy chicken salad is the one that customers say has the best taste and was always my go-to McD's order back when it had salads available. But it's not great on the nutrition side and is still high on the calorie count. It just has plain iceberg lettuce, sliced tomatoes, and red onions. The crispy chicken and dressing add the most flavor and texture but also the most calories. Even when it was on the stateside McDonald's menu, it wasn't anything special. Now that you may have to get an international plane ticket to even try them, the McDonald's salads are a definite no on our list.

There are some really tasty salads at Applebee's, but you should definitely look closer at the nutrition facts before ordering. Some of the most popular options are also some of the least nutritious. Many have around 1,000 calories and a few are even higher. These are large entree salads, which means you probably won't need to order anything else. But considering the classic burger has fewer calories than some of the salads, it's not exactly the lean, fresh meal that you pictured. If you're interested in keeping flavor high and calories low, look at the Applebee's bowls instead. These have plenty of protein, plus greens and toppings like guacamole and salsa to add flavor in place of dressing.

One thing that Applebee's has going for it is the number of salads on the menu. The chain has one of the larger salad sections of its menu of those on our list. You can pick from a savory option like the quesadilla chicken salad, which comes with hot quesadillas included, or the refreshing and slightly sweet strawberry balsamic chicken salad. But when there are quesadillas alongside the salad, it becomes more about the fried cheese and tortilla than the leafy greens. Look closely at the nutrition facts if you're ordering a salad specifically for a lower-calorie menu option. The side salads are a little better for nutrition, but they may be too small for an entree and only come in Caesar and house varieties. 

You would think that a chain that includes so many veggie toppings would know how to do salads. But customers say that the Subway salads are basically the sandwich without the bread. The salads are not crafted to take advantage of fresh flavors and textures that complement each other. Instead, Subway employees put cold cuts, sliced tomatoes, cheese, and even the same condiments as dressings over lettuce. Mayo may work well on a sub, but it's pretty heavy for a salad. If you're looking for something lighter, you can get a vinaigrette, but you're still left with the cold cuts conundrum.

The proportions can also be a little off, leading to salads with not enough of a green leafy base and too much meat or cheese. If you get bacon on your salad, it may even come in large strips rather than chopped and incorporated throughout. The nice thing about the Subway salads is that they're super customizable. But when the ingredients list is better suited to sandwiches, it's hard to find a combo that works well. We'd recommend sticking with a classic sub and asking for pieces of lettuce to use as a wrap if you want the same flavors.

If you're at Jack in the Box and want a salad, there aren't a lot of options. You'll start with a simple mixed greens salad and then add crispy chicken or grilled chicken. If it comes with croutons and ranch dressing, it's a garden salad, while the Southwest salad replaces that with tortilla chips and Southwest dressing. The base is heavy on simple iceberg lettuce and the toppings are pretty generic.

These salads aren't anything special and some customers say that they didn't even come out as advertised. When you're already starting with a less-than-impressive list of ingredients, it's hard to justify leaving anything off. But that's what happened in some cases and the salad hopeful was left with just a few wilted pieces of lettuce and some chopped up chicken. We generally don't have super high hopes for fast food salads, but these options are definitely ones we'll skip ordering in the future.

The next time you go by Jack in the Box, forgo the salad and try a taco instead, which earned the top spot on our taste-tested list of Jack in the Box menu items. It has a cult following of people who love it and those who hate it. But at least if you're trying that dish, you get to weigh in on the timeless debate yourself. The salad? No one is paying any attention to that.

At a restaurant known for its pancakes, it shouldn't be surprising that the salads aren't great. There also aren't many choices when it comes to leafy greens and toppings. IHOP may have 16 different pancake options, but there are only two salads to choose from on the menu. The chopped chicken salad comes with bacon, red onion, avocado, tomatoes, and a four-cheese blend and the fresh berry salad has strawberries, red onion, and avocado. Both have the option to add grilled or crispy chicken.

There are three dressing options: balsamic vinaigrette, honey mustard, and ranch, which all tend toward classics with widespread appeal. But all of these ingredients together create a salad that is pretty forgettable, especially when it's on the table next to a fluffy omelet made with a touch of pancake batter or a full stack of sweet buttermilk pancakes.

Health experts also weighed in, putting the IHOP salads at the top of the list of options that are high in calories, saturated fat, sodium, and cholesterol. IHOP may not have a ton of lighter fare, but if you're going to get something that's less than healthy, at least make sure it tastes good.

We're big fans of the blizzards and sweet treats, but we didn't even know that Dairy Queen had salads on the menu. After taking a look through the lineup and reading reviews, it was easy to see why these hadn't crossed our radar as order-worthy. The chicken strip salad from Dairy Queen consistently ranked at the bottom of lists from people who tried a lot of salads. Not only were the ingredients just meh, but they were also not well mixed in the container.

If you're hoping to have another option or two to consider, unfortunately DQ disappoints on that as well. The crispy chicken strip salad is the only salad on the menu. It has lettuce, small pieces of diced tomato, bacon, and cheddar cheese shreds as the base. Chopped up crispy chicken strips provide the protein. The salad comes with ranch or you can swap out bleu cheese instead. Both are pretty heavy and there aren't any options that are lighter, such as a vinaigrette.

Overall, this salad doesn't have any special ingredients, customization, or unique flavors. You're better off sticking with a burger or dessert option when you go by DQ. Keep the salad off of your order and go with one of our favorite Dairy Queen blizzard flavors instead. 

On this list, Chipotle stands out as a chain that boasts some seriously fresh and tasty ingredients. We like all of them in a salad, plus the fact that we get to customize our order with just what we want. But the layering of the ingredients is key when building a salad and Chipotle's version misses the mark slightly. It uses lettuce as a base, then piles on plenty of hot ingredients, including rice and protein. The result is a wilted bed of greens. 

We like all of the flavor combinations, and fortunately, there is an easy solution. Go with a burrito bowl, which starts with the rice and protein. You can pile on as much lettuce blend as you want, plus all of the other flavorful toppings like pico de gallo, corn salsa, and guac. The lifestyle bowls cater to those looking for high protein, plant-based, or other specific dietary needs. If you don't want soggy greens but still want a ton of fresh flavor, just stick with a bowl.

Many loyal Potbelly customers have noted that the quality of the chain's ingredients seems to have gone down in recent years. The restaurant also doesn't offer as many items as it used to. So, should you order a Potbelly's salad? Maybe, if you don't have much to compare it to. But if you've been frequenting the sandwich chain for a while, you might end up disappointed with the quality of your dish. Many customers who frequented the original locations in the Chicago area say that as the chain expanded, quality and unique menu items were sacrificed to make room for basic bread and things that would appeal to a wider audience.

There are salads for group orders served family-style or you can get a customized salad order for one. There are a few combinations, such as the apple walnut salad or powerhouse salad, but you can also pick your own toppings and dressing. The customization is good and even the ingredients list is a step above other chains on our list. But the ratio of ingredients and the quirky touch that came with the original Potbelly's isn't quite there anymore. Plus, Potbelly's is first and foremost a sandwich shop, so why not go with the Mama's meatball sub, which ended up as one of only a few chain options on our list of best meatball subs in the U.S.

LongHorn Steakhouse is known for its tasty steaks, so our main issue with ordering a salad is that it's just the specialty of the chain. The chain does its best, but the salads are pretty basic and boring, while the steaks are downright mouthwatering. The other issue with some of the salads at LongHorn is in the high calorie and fat content. You'll often end up with a lighter meal, going with one of the entrees and fresh sides like steamed broccoli or asparagus.

If you're diligent in looking at the menu and nutrition content, you can find tasty and healthy salads in the entree section. The grilled chicken and strawberry salad and farm fresh field greens with grilled salmon are both good examples, coming in at around 500 calories apiece and loaded with fresh vegetables, fruit, and lean protein. But when you can have the flavorful Outlaw ribeye, which earned the top spot on our comparison of LongHorn steaks, it's hard to order anything other than a steak at this chain. We'd recommend going with a side salad if you really want something crispy and fresh alongside your savory steak.

If you want a salad at Kentucky Fried Chicken, all you can get is a bland garden side salad. It has basic lettuce, a few tomatoes, sweet corn, and buttermilk ranch. Even that isn't available at all locations, so check with your local KFC before heading there specifically for a salad. Not that we would recommend doing that in the first place since this salad is just like one you could get just about anywhere. The lettuce is lackluster and nothing special, with toppings that seem like they're leftovers from other KFC menu items.

Some customers are able to doctor it up with the chain's coleslaw, but that adds a different flavor and creaminess that not everyone loves on a salad. It adds more veggies, including cabbage, carrots, and onion, to your dish, but it also has a lot of extra dressing. If you top your salad with some of the famous fried chicken nuggets or tenders, it adds protein but also quite a bit of extra fat and calories. In the end, you have to add so many extras to make this salad into a satisfying dish that you may as well just go with a different menu item completely.

There aren't a lot of veggie-rich options on the menu, but we'd go with the pot pie, which has potatoes, peas, and carrots alongside the chicken in the filling. Other than that, you can expect more of your standard fried fare on the KFC menu.

Another chain that has salads as an afterthought is Burger King. You can only get a side salad that is bland in taste but high in calories and sodium and that's only available at international locations. In the United States, the menu is notably salad-free. This gets extra attention since the chain used to have a salad bar with fresh veggies and pitas to hold them. Some customers are asking for BK salads to return, but for now you'll have to travel overseas if you even want to try one.

We recommend saving the airfare, however, since the Burger King salad isn't anything special. The veggies are pretty basic and the only unique flavor comes from the BK special sauce. For something lighter on the Burger King menu, look at the royal crispy wraps instead. They are smaller portions and have fresh veggies included alongside crispy chicken in a tortilla wrap. Plus, you can get them at BK without booking an international trip. If you want to go the other direction and get a massive sandwich, check out one of the secret menu items instead.