Are gyuudon chain restaurants as bad as McDonald’s and others?

Listen, I know restaurants like Matsuya, Sukiya and etc are considered fast food options but I was surprised on how much those places are hated by some Japanese people and some foreigners.

When talking about those restaurants people often say things like: my wife would never let me eat that that junky place! The food is full of preservatives, sodium etc etc etc.

I was surprised upon seeing that kind of reaction from multiple people including locals!

A bowl of rice + salmon + salad + miso and tofu seems miles better than McDonald’s and others chains that I saw in my home country.

What’s your opinion about it?

by Neither-Air-5130