1. Applebee’s
Applebee’s has long been one of the most talked-about names when it comes to microwave use in chain restaurants. While Applebee’s has never publicly stated that the majority of its food is microwaved, there have been numerous claims from current and former employees. One former server who worked at Applebee’s in 2020 stated that the only items not microwaved are the fried and grilled foods, like chicken, mozzarella sticks, buffalo wings, steaks, and burgers. That still leaves a significant portion of the menu.
A Facebook post from early 2026 drew hundreds of commenters confirming that most items are reheated in a microwave, with one commenter writing that they had been working at Applebee’s for ten years with eight microwaves on the line. Applebee’s has announced a few changes for 2026, described broadly as “enhanced food quality,” though none specifically address concerns about microwave use. For a restaurant charging sit-down prices, that gap between perception and preparation is notable.
2. Burger King
Burger King’s flame-grilling identity is a core part of its brand, and that part is largely true. The patties do go through a broiler. The complication comes after. According to reports, the default process involves a patty that was originally cooked on the broiler, placed into a hot hold, and then microwaved before the burger is assembled and served. Not exactly what most customers picture when they think “flame-grilled.”
The Burger King app even includes an option labeled “hot off the broiler” as a customization add-on, which led many users to question whether skipping that option means receiving a microwaved burger instead. Industry accounts note that microwaving after the broiler was used because it worked effectively for making sure the food was very hot and that cheese melted properly before sandwiches were sent out. Speed and consistency are the real drivers here, not quality cuts.
3. Subway
Subway’s “Eat Fresh” slogan has always been a bit generous with the word fresh. The chain’s iconic speed ovens, used to toast sandwiches in seconds, are more complex than they appear. The TurboChef and Merrychef ovens that Subway uses combine radiant heat, high-speed air impingement, and microwave technology to heat products rapidly. The result is a toasted sandwich, but the microwave component is very much part of the process.
The average Subway location reportedly has up to five different types of microwaves at its disposal. Some of Subway’s oven models specifically use impinged air and pulsed microwaves to generate the fast heat needed to achieve that crispy, toasted finish. Toasting isn’t necessarily the problem. It’s the degree to which microwave energy is built into a system that markets itself around freshness that raises eyebrows.
4. Perkins Restaurant & Bakery
Perkins is perhaps one of the most openly documented cases of heavy microwave use in casual dining. Perkins has what amounts to a deep reliance on the microwave in its kitchen. Most sides except for fried food go through the microwave, and the habit extends to a considerable number of main course dishes as well. Turkey, roast beef, and pot roast are frequent visitors to the microwave.
The only items that are reportedly never microwaved at Perkins are burgers and steaks. Even pasta arrives at the restaurant pre-cooked and stored in bags, only to be reheated in the microwave before serving. The vegetables arrive frozen, and even the baked goods aren’t as freshly made as the restaurant’s presentation might suggest. For a diner-style chain that leans into a homestyle image, the gap between expectation and kitchen reality is fairly wide.
5. Outback Steakhouse
Outback Steakhouse has built its brand almost entirely around the idea of hearty, freshly prepared steaks. The reality is more nuanced. According to former employees, steaks are sometimes made up to two days in advance. When a customer orders, the steak is warmed in the microwave and then placed in the oven for about three minutes. This process exists specifically so the kitchen can get orders out to customers as quickly as possible, especially during a rush.
Some Outback kitchens reportedly have chefs cook extra steaks just to keep on hand. Other items are given more time to be prepared. The croutons are baked fresh each morning, ribs are smoked, cheese is grated, and produce is prepped daily. So it’s not a total microwave operation by any measure. Still, finding out that a pre-made steak may have passed through a microwave before reaching your plate at a steakhouse is not exactly the experience the brand promises.
6. McDonald’s
McDonald’s occupies a complicated space on this list. The burgers themselves are not microwaved. McDonald’s does not use microwaves to cook their burgers, and the patties are not microwaved at any point in the process. However, the chain has been transparent about microwave use for specific items. The eggs used in the Sausage Burrito are cooked at supplier facilities and then microwaved in the restaurant prior to serving.
McDonald’s uses microwaves for specific items, though the full range of those items is not publicly detailed. Notably, as the chain grew rapidly in the 1990s, McDonald’s stopped toasting buns and moved toward heating burgers in the microwave instead, before eventually reversing that practice. The history shows that microwave use at McDonald’s has shifted over time and across different menu items, making it harder to paint the picture as simply “grill only.”
The Bigger Picture
Microwave use in chain restaurants is rarely as black and white as customers assume. For many chains, food is freshly prepared somewhere else and then reheated for customers, sometimes in a pan the old-fashioned way, sometimes via sous vide, and sometimes using the microwave. None of that is automatically a scandal. The real issue is transparency, and the gap between what these brands advertise and what actually happens in the kitchen.
While nothing is inherently wrong with microwaved food, some customers don’t understand why restaurants charge premium prices for food prepared in ways that closely resemble what anyone could do at home. When a chain doesn’t use microwaves, it tends to make that fact a major selling point. The growing consumer pushback was visible in early 2026 when Steak ‘n Shake made a very public declaration that it was removing all microwaves from its kitchens as a quality initiative. That announcement drew enormous attention online, which says something about how much the subject resonates with diners today.
The microwave isn’t going away from commercial kitchens anytime soon. What is changing, slowly, is the expectation that chains be more honest about how your food actually gets to the table.
