12 Beloved Fast Food Items Customers Say Have Been Hit With 'Shrinkflation'

If you've ever grabbed a bite to eat at a fast food joint and thought to yourself, "These used to be so much bigger back in the day," you might be on to something. There's a very real possibility that those burgers have gotten thinner, the chicken nuggets teensier, and the amount of fries you get far less than before. The phenomenon is called "shrinkflation," and it's just one of the ways fast food restaurants might be deceiving you.

Shrinkflation often occurs during inflation, when businesses face rising costs for things like food, manufacturing, and distribution. While some companies respond by raising their prices (hence why fast food has gotten so expensive these days), others try to stay competitive by keeping prices relatively the same but reducing the size of their products. It's a subtle way to protect profit margins, but what many don't realize is that customers have become hyper-aware of the practice.

Lately, diners have been very vocal about calling out fast food items they think have been hit with shrinkflation. To uncover which chains get the most flak for it, we scoured customer reviews and complaints on various platforms like Reddit and social media. These are some beloved fast food items that many customers believe are far less substantial now than they used to be.

The 1980s were great years for fast food chains, and Wendy's was no exception. In 1983, the chain rolled out its now-famous Baked Potato, and two years later, it debuted its Chicken Nuggets, which were just as wildly successful. To this day, the nuggets are one of the chain's best sellers. Over the years, Wendy's has toyed with different nugget concepts, like the Spicy Chicken Nuggets and Saucy Nuggs, but the originals have stayed pretty much the same. That is, with one notable exception: many customers say the nuggets have gotten a whole lot smaller.

Over the past few years, numerous people have taken to the internet to express their disappointment with the size of Wendy's Chicken Nuggets. For example, one customer posted on Facebook, "This is the size of a chicken nugget from Wendy's in 2025. They are HALF the size and the same price if not more." Another customer even went so far as to weigh the nuggets two years in a row for comparison. They shared the results on Instagram, revealing that the average Wendy's nugget weighed 14.6 grams in 2024 and about 12 grams in 2025, which works out to a shrinkage factor of 17.81%.

With over 10,000 locations across the United States alone, Dunkin' is one of the world's largest coffee and donut chains. It's also America's oldest donut chain, with roots that stretch back to 1950. And although it dropped the "Donuts" from its name in 2019 (reportedly to emphasize the fact that it serves several additional items, like breakfast sandwiches, bagels, and iced espresso drinks), those iconic sugary snacks are still the draw for many folks. Sadly, though, many long-time fans say they've been encountering some serious donut shrinkage at the chain.

"The donuts from the Dunks in my area are rapidly shrinking," said one Dunkin' customer on Reddit. "I'd say they're 1/2 the size they were just a year or two ago. Same price, just half the size." Numerous people agree, with some saying the donuts are anywhere from 15% to 20% smaller than they used to be. Even employees of the chain concur that the donuts have changed. One staff member commented on a Facebook post, "Yes, I work at Dunkin' and have noticed they have gotten a lot smaller. I noticed it around summer of 2024, honestly."

Since 1962, Taco Bell has been serving Mexican-inspired food to the masses, with tempting offerings like crunchy and soft tacos, quesadillas, and burritos. The burritos are particularly popular, thanks to their array of tasty fillings. In fact, the Beefy 5-Layer Burrito earned the number one spot in our ranking of Taco Bell's best-selling menu items. Long-time fans of the chain may remember the burritos being super-stuffed and hearty, but based on numerous reviews and comments, that doesn't seem to be what people are getting these days.

Several people have created Reddit threads and social media posts dedicated to Taco Bell's shrinking burritos, many featuring photos of skinny or stumpy burritos next to sauce packets for size comparison. "Hard to believe they are double/triple the price now and half the size," said one Reddit user. And it's not just the smaller size that people are concerned about. As one Reddit user pointed out, "The location in my area started making the 5-layer burrito with like 90% beans and hardly a bite of anything else. Heavy on cheap ingredients while being light on expensive ones is a current trend I'm noticing."

When Todd Graves set out to build a restaurant dedicated solely to chicken fingers, many people thought he was crazy. However, he persevered and opened the first Raising Cane's in 1996. Despite the odds, Raising Cane's was a huge success, and it's now one of the biggest chicken chains in the U.S. The chicken fingers have plenty of fans who love the crispy, savory breading and flavorful meat, as well as the chain's famous zesty Cane's Sauce. What many don't love, though, is how small the fingers seem to be getting.

"I am an unbothered man typically, but Cane's tenders getting smaller and smaller is where I draw the line," said one Reddit user. "I grew up eating Cane's, and the tenders were consistently the correct size for 10 years. In the last few years, the tenders have gotten consistently small." Many others agree, with some comparing them to chicken nuggets and others even claiming they've decreased up to 40% in size. To their credit, some employees say they will toss in extra fingers if they see smaller ones in the mix. But for many customers, the scrawny pieces just don't justify the price.

From its early days as a humble takeaway-only burger joint, Five Guys has grown into a highly sought-after chain with 1,900 locations across the country. The tasty burgers and milkshakes are definitely part of the draw, but for many people, it's all about the boardwalk-style fries that are hand-cut in stores and fried in peanut oil until crispy and golden. The fries used to be piled into cups to the point of overflowing in the takeaway bags, but just this year, the chain switched to paper bags, and customers have been decrying shrinkflation ever since.

"I have noticed that the portions seem smaller since they switched to the bags," commented one customer on a Five Guys Instagram post. "Noticed this last week and noticed I got way less fries," said another diner. "Normally can't finish them, and this time ate them all and wanted more." Five Guys claims that the bags keep the fries crispier and fresher for longer, and some employees say the bags even make for bigger portions, but many customers are having none of it. As another aggrieved customer commented, "Until the cup comes back I AM DONE ORDERING THEIR FRIES!"

Chick-Fil-A is famous for its chicken sandwiches featuring hand-cut breast meat that's breaded in the chain's secret spice mix, deep-fried in a pressure cooker, and served on buttery buns with tangy pickles. There's no disputing that the sandwiches have legions of fans. The Original Chicken Sandwich even earned the number one spot in our ranking of fast food sandwiches. But lately, customers have been speaking up about what they believe is some pretty blatant downsizing.

One telling Reddit thread depicts photos of the same Chick-fil-A sandwich order taken five years apart. The older photo shows a sandwich bursting with a robust fried chicken breast, while the more recent photo shows a slim chicken breast in a meager-looking bun. Other diners have also taken to social media to air their grievances over the lackluster sandwiches. One person commented on a Facebook post, "The last time I ate there, the entire sandwich fit in my palm." Another customer commented, "My chicken breast today was only half as big as the bun." Some say it may be because of location-specific inconsistencies, while others insist it's shrinkflation and that it's happening all over.

Founded in 1983, Jimmy John's quickly earned a reputation for its subs and sandwiches made with freshly baked bread and house-sliced meats. It also earned big points for its sandwich delivery service, which remains a major focus for the chain today. Each sandwich is customizable with your choice of cheese, veggies, sauces, and extra meats. And according to many diners, you may want to really go to town with those add-ons because lately it seems like the subs have been getting pretty skimpy.

There are more than a few videos circulating on social media showing diners unwrapping their Jimmy John's subs only to find tiny subs that are anything but stuffed. During one reveal, a reviewer on TikTok said, "You can't even tell it has any frickin' ingredients. It seems like the size of two taquitos." In another TikTok video of a skimpy sub, the comments section is filled with statements like, "Looks like an Olive Garden breadstick with meat inside." Based on what diners are saying, you may need some clever Jimmy John's ordering hacks to ensure your sub actually fills you up.

There was a time when Kentucky Fried Chicken was at the top of the fried chicken game. It started when Colonel Harland David Sanders started selling his Southern-style fried chicken out of a motel he bought in 1930, but it really gained traction when he began franchising in the 1950s. For a long time, KFC maintained a loyal following of fans who couldn't get enough of the "finger-licking good" chicken. But now, many say the chicken has gone downhill, particularly when it comes to the size.

People have actually been complaining about the size of KFC's chicken for some time now. As one Reddit user said, "KFC chicken has been significantly smaller per unit than most other fried chicken chains for well over 10 years." Some speculate that it's because the chain sources smaller chickens than it used to. Others say it's because it now cuts the chickens into 12 pieces instead of nine. And as another Reddit user said, "The chicken is all breading and no meat." Whatever KFC is doing to its chicken has caused many people to file it away as one of those items you should never order at KFC, which is more than a bit ironic.

One of the great things about Starbucks is that it's like a one-stop shop where you can grab everything you need for a quick boost. In addition to coffees and juices, you can also pick up a variety of grab-and-go eats, like Starbucks' protein-packed signature sandwiches. The sandwiches have always been pretty popular, but lately, many customers have been pointing out that they seem to be getting smaller and giving you far less value for the money.

Several people have recently called out the Bacon, Egg, and Gouda Sandwich for being more like a slider than a hearty breakfast sandwich. "This sandwich is barely palm size, and I have small hands," said one Reddit user. "It is literally less than half the size it used to be. And it's more expensive, with lower quality egg." Another customer called out the Tomato & Mozzarella on Focaccia on Facebook, saying, "I swear these sandwiches used to almost be the length of the bag. I can't believe I'm paying the same and losing at least 2 inches!" With that in mind, many say you're better off making your own sandwiches at home or even going for store-bought frozen sandwiches.

When the first Burger King opened in 1953, hamburgers sold for just 18 cents, which was pretty standard for burger joints at the time. Then in 1957, Burger King upped the game with the Whopper, which sold for roughly double the price at 37 cents a burger. Obviously, people didn't mind paying more for a heftier burger with all the fixings, because it became a permanent fixture. But nowadays, some customers aren't so sure that the Whopper is still a great value for what you get. In fact, many people say several of Burger King's burgers are suffering from shrinkflation.

"I would swear that the Whopper is a noticeable difference in size," said one Reddit user. "My estimate is (maybe?) 15% to 20%." Others have pointed out that the Whopper seems more like the size of a Whopper Jr. from back in the day. And speaking of the Whopper Jr., some say it's also gotten smaller. One reviewer posted on TikTok, "It's practically a slider now! They've definitely reduced the size, but not the price." Several people have also called out the Double Cheeseburger, saying it's teensy and gives kids burger vibes.

Considering that McDonald's is one of the biggest fast food companies on the planet, it should come as no surprise that there's always a great deal of buzz going on about the chain, and that includes both good and bad commentary. One of the latest rumors going around is that McDonald's has changed its McNuggets, offering sub-par pieces that just don't hit the same as the standard ones. As one Reddit user put it, "They're smaller, have less batter, and don't taste the same."

Several diners have reported finding smaller, thinner nuggets mixed in with the old regular-sized nuggets. One reviewer posted on TikTok, "McDonald's has cut the size of the chicken McNugget by half. We went earlier today and to our surprise when we got home there was one regular size nugget and the rest were these baby nuggets." Even more alarming, they stated, "We called, they said this is the new size to keep prices the same." Some say the new nuggets are recognizable by their generic square shape, which is indeed different from McDonald's four signature McNugget shapes: the boot, bell, bowtie (or bone), and ball.

Considering that Subway explicitly states that its subs are either six inches or a foot long right on its menu, you might think it would be pretty hard for the chain to get away with shrinkflation. However, many diners say that's precisely what they think is going on. In fact, several people have created videos where they actually measure their subs, like one reviewer who posted a YouTube video revealing that their six-inch sub was actually five inches. "This is a shrinkflation at its worst," they said.

Other diners feel that it's not just the length of the bread that's smaller, but also the width and height. As one reviewer said on TikTok, "This bread used to be twice as wide, which means you could put twice as much meat and vegetables." Even a former Subway employee called out the chain for stingy-looking sandwiches, stating in a YouTube video, "It's very, very thin. It looks like Subway is now making sandwiches on freaking breadsticks." Another employee backed up that sentiment in the comments, stating, "I work at Subway, and I thought I was going crazy with how thin and small our bread was getting."

To uncover which fast food items people think have gotten a whole lot smaller, we pored over numerous customer comments and reviews across a wide variety of platforms, including Reddit, TikTok, YouTube, and other social media sites. We only looked at reviews and comments from the past year to ensure the opinions reflect current iterations of the fast food items. In addition, we only included fast food items that get numerous complaints from people for being smaller than they were before, yet are priced the same, if not more.