Part of the problem (around here anyway) is lousy franchisers who cut corners. But it goes further.
They're trying to be two things. A high volume fast-food option and a source of healthy foods. So you get antibiotic chicken on bread with not-pure foods ingredients and condiments with HFCS.
If you go to their website and complain, they are responsive to consumer concerns.
I like the old time In-N-Outs with two car lanes. They had the buildings between the lanes. No frozen food. You could see someone cutting fries, tomatoes, onions as you drove through. Also the kitchen was open and you could see the burgers on the grill, the bun prep and the wrapping of the food. Plus there employees always seem to be a notch above.
Baja Fresh had a similar idea. No lard, no freezer, no styrofoam and you can watch them prep your food.