12 Fast Food Menu Items That Fans Say Have Gotten Much Smaller

Shrinkflation is everywhere, and it doesn’t take a genius to see it. How many times have you picked up a beloved food item in the last few years, only to notice that it feels smaller, lighter, more meager – despite costing the same amount? It’s a perennial problem, and while it might be a solution for food companies to keep their costs down without raising the price of products, ultimately, it’s the customer who suffers.

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Nowhere is this more evident in the world of fast food. Chowhound recently did a deep dive into the menu items that people repeatedly say have gotten smaller in recent memory, and as it turns out, basically all of the major fast food companies are at it.

No Chain Is Safe from Shrinkflation, It Seems

Chowhound identified 12 fast food menu items that customers have noticed have shrunk recently, and they read like a breakdown of the greatest hits. On the sandwich front, multiple chains like Subway, Burger King, Chick-fil’A, and Jimmy John’s have all been accused of minimizing sizes. Customers have posted side-by-side comparisons of pictures of their sandwiches on places like Reddit to illustrate their point, showing that once-generous buns and fillings now feel like they’ve been scaled down significantly. Starbucks is also apparently a culprit for shrinkflation, with its Bacon, Egg, and Gouda sandwich labeled as being particularly teeny now.

The publication also took a look at chicken items from fast food chains, and things were no different there: Raising Cane’s and KFC chicken, and chicken nuggets from McDonald’s and Wendy’s, have all been a sore spot for customers in recent years, due to their diminishing proportions. Raising Cane’s has come under particular fire from customers on Reddit, who say that its chicken pieces have almost halved in size.

As for the rest: Sorry, Five Guys fans, but apparently, its fry portions have gotten much smaller – and Dunkin’s donuts also feel like shadows of their former selves, according to Chowhound’s investigation. Taco Bell’s burritos have also gotten much smaller, so sayeth customers, with the chain also gently pushing up its prices over the years.

And We’ve Got a Couple More for Ya…

These chains, and the items they sell, aren’t the only ones that have been accused of shrinkflation. We recently discussed Jersey Mike’s customers feeling that its sandwiches have gotten smaller, which some have linked to its acquisition by private equity. Chipotle has also been dubbed a proponent of shrinkflation, and its CEO’s recent response to this is unlikely to win over fans. In fairness, some companies have begun to take action around this, with PepsiCo recently lowering its snack prices following claims of shrinkflation from customers a couple of years back. Will fast food chains follow suit? If they wanna keep their fans on side, they may have to.