5 Hardee's Menu Items You Should Avoid Buying

Hardee's is a fast food restaurant that specializes in burgers, but it also has a wide variety of other items on its menu. Founded in North Carolina over six decades ago, Hardee's is owned by CKE restaurants, the company that also owns Carl's Jr. If you've never been to Hardee's or Carl's Jr., you can expect a large menu with everything from shakes to fish sandwiches. While some people love Hardee's food, it's often dependent on the location itself, and there are some menu items that are generally considered to be better than others.

However, there's also a pretty strong consensus around what the worst menu items are. We put together a list of the five food items from Hardee's that you should avoid buying, based on reviews from social media sites and review websites across the Internet. If you're keen on trying out Hardee's for your next fast food fix, this list will help you know what to steer clear of.

One of the things Hardee's used to be known for was its burgers. The chain started out selling 15-cent burgers along with 10-cent fries and 20-cent milkshakes back in the 1960s. As time has passed, however, so, apparently, has the restaurant's ability to make a quality hamburger. It's even become widely known that Hardee's and Carl's Jr. use frozen burger patties. Quite a fall from grace for a chain that garnered its entire reputation from its premium thickburgers and classic fast food fare. 

So, what do customers think of the chain's burgers these days? Hardee's burgers, according to reviews, used to taste better than they do, and are now just flat out unpleasant. One Redditor called them "meh," while another commenter agreed that the burgers "taste terrible now." Another Reddit user in the same thread even admitted that they almost puked their food out after getting a burger at the long-running restaurant. If you're looking for a good, fast casual burger, avoid Hardee's and try somewhere else. 

Fast food restaurants and eggs are a dicey combination, no matter where you go. Some restaurants do it surprisingly well, like McDonald's, which uses real eggs in some sandwiches. Others, however, use egg mixtures and questionable egg products to construct the breakfast sandwiches and egg-based items. When it comes to Hardee's, customers simply do not like what it has to offer when it comes to eggs.

The chain's eggs consistently get panned for their taste and quality. One Instagram reviewer said their Hardee's breakfast was "terrible" and that they couldn't even eat their meal. A Facebook reviewer called the egg on their sandwich "rotten" and "stinking," while another commenter questioned the use of fried eggs over scrambled on the breakfast biscuits. On Reddit, one user called the eggs "tasteless," which certainly says a lot about the overall quality of egg-based items from the restaurant. 

Who doesn't love a good milkshake? When it's done right, a milkshake is the ultimate treat, especially in the summertime. Thick, creamy, and full of flavor, there's nothing like a classic chocolate or vanilla drink to accompany a great fast-food meal. Plenty of chain restaurants make a solid milkshake, which is good because it's pretty hard to screw up something so simple. Or so you'd think.

Hardee's, as it turns out, doesn't get a lot of love for its shakes. But there's one new shake in particular that customers just can't get behind: The Sweet Cherry shake. One TikTok review said the shake "tasted like medicine" and was a waste of money, while a Redditor said it tasted like "liquid Tylenol." A YouTube reviewer also noted that they were disappointed with the cherry flavor in the shake, which was ultimately underwhelming. Avoid this shake if you're looking for a decent fast-food dessert. 

Ah, chicken tenders. If you've ever had a great chicken tender, you know what a delicious and satisfying experience it can be. And there are plenty of reliably great fast food options out there if you're looking for something tasty, like Zaxby's. Now that's a chain with reliably good chicken tenders. Hardee's, on the other hand? You might want to avoid it. 

One TrustPilot reviewer was extremely disappointed with this option from Hardee's, saying that "the chicken tender was so small it was the size of your pinky." Another scathing TrustPilot review said the chicken was overcooked and dried out, and that they felt ill after consuming it: "My husband and I started getting stomach flu symptoms within 20 minutes of eating. I called the general manager, and he said he would check the oil. About a half hour later, I started feeling super sick. I called the manager again, and his response was, "I checked the oil and chicken, what else do you want me to do?""

Have you ever tried Nashville Hot Chicken? If not, you're in for a real treat. When it's done right, it's one of the most satisfying and irresistible kinds of fried chicken you can get. Try it on a sandwich, bone-in, or in tender form. And there's no mistaking it for Buffalo chicken, either. It's truly a flavor and experience all its own. Just don't get it from Hardee's.

This writer can attest, from personal experience, that Hardee's Nashville chicken is just plain bad in any form, from the tenders to the sandwich. Not only is there not a lot of heat the flavor of the chicken is also extremely unpleasant. One reviewer on Reddit put it more bluntly, stating that the Nashville tenders are "an affront to chicken, Nashville, and the adjective tender." So, if you're looking to enter the world of Nashville Hot Chicken, don't expect Hardee's to do anything special for you.

As you can tell, Hardee's has plenty of things on its menu that many people think should be avoided at all costs. Whether it's a hamburger or a cherry shake, avoiding these items will definitely save you some heartache and maybe even a stomachache at the same time. To come up with this list of horrible Hardee's fare, we combed social media sites like Reddit and Facebook, as well as TikTok, YouTube, and review sites like TrustPilot, to find consensus around the worst items the chain has to offer.

In order to reach a consensus, we rated Hardee's items based on taste, quality, and overall dining experience. We also used personal experience to supplement our research (yes, we took one for the team). Next time you go to Hardee's, be sure you know what you're ordering, and definitely don't try the cherry medicine milkshake.