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Zaxbys is way more of a southern chain than Chick-Fil-A these days. A YouTuber I watch from San Diego never tried Zaxbys till he visited Knoxvlle TN a few years ago. I don't think there's any Zaxbys North of the Mason-Dixon line.
The closest Zaxby's to the Mason-Dixon line are one on US 50 near Dulles in NoVA, and another in Winchester, VA. There are quite a few in Richmond as well. No Zaxby's in Maryland yet, even though MD has had Chick-Fil-A's since the '80s. Bojangles is another good southern measuring stick; there several in Prince George's County and one in DC, but none yet in metro Baltimore, though there is one in Reading, PA. I'd say though that once a regional chain opens in NYC, it pretty much becomes mainstream. Despite its origins, Chick-Fil-A feels a lot more corporate now than it did 15+ years ago. Personally, I'm not a big chicken eater (I prefer beef, eggs, ham, and turkey), but I do order a Cobb Salad from them on occasion. Its basically in the same "nationally known" tier with KFC and Popeyes nowadays.
On that note, any reviews concerning Nando’s in the DC area? I know it’s huge in England and elsewhere, but was wondering how it fits into the chicken fast food scene here?
In Long Beach and Orange County, California, Raising Cane's is just as popular, if not more popular, than Chick-fil-A. Of course, there is a large African-American population in the Long Beach area, as well as many whites with Southern ancestry, so that could be one of the reasons why fried chicken is so popular out here.
Similar to Heel82, I am not crazy about chicken; I definitely prefer beef to chicken, probably to my detriment. As a result, I am more likely to order food from Arby's or Carl's Jr. than Chick-fil-A or Raising Cane's. I always attributed that preference to the fact that I am a Northerner. Chicken, whether baked, grilled or fried, does not seem to be nearly as prolific in Northern cuisine as beef, pork and turkey.
Every fast food place should have service as good as Chick Fil A I don’t know where they get these people.
Pre-covid, I toured the CFA campus in Atlanta. It was surprising to learn that drive thru was 60% of their total business. They know how to do drive thru.
I heard about one in Manhattan but not Brooklyn. I guess southern food is becoming hip. I talked to a friend from New Hampshire and she said how Grits is popular there among the hipsters. I know Chick-fli-a is popular in the Midwest and the West Coast but not the Northeast (outside of Western NY).
Eh? There are two Chick-Fil-A locations in all of WNY, both I think technically in the town of Cheektowaga (the one is on the border). I personally am a pretty big fan, and I know others who are as well, but it's not like there's all that much 'buzz' about it here. Krispy Kreme may have had more initial fanfare when they initially opened here, and it didn't take too long for them to close. I think Chick-Fil-A is likely here to stay, but two locations isn't a whole lot. There's certainly room for growth in the area/market, and I assume there will eventually be a location in the northern suburbs, but....
Edit to add that if you're including the Rochester area in WNY, I know there's a location in the suburb of Greece, and I think they might have a second location as well.
In Long Beach and Orange County, California, Raising Cane's is just as popular, if not more popular, than Chick-fil-A. Of course, there is a large African-American population in the Long Beach area, as well as many whites with Southern ancestry, so that could be one of the reasons why fried chicken is so popular out here.
Similar to Heel82, I am not crazy about chicken; I definitely prefer beef to chicken, probably to my detriment. As a result, I am more likely to order food from Arby's or Carl's Jr. than Chick-fil-A or Raising Cane's. I always attributed that preference to the fact that I am a Northerner. Chicken, whether baked, grilled or fried, does not seem to be nearly as prolific in Northern cuisine as beef, pork and turkey.
Hmm, strange that the Chick-fil-A in the lily white, very non-Southern Sorrento Mesa area of San Diego has double drive-thru's that stay backed up into the street every time I visit our office there.
I can't give a specific answer about the northeast, but in Chicago, there are 2 downtown locations (one in the Loop and one in River North), and they are always (at least pre-COVID) packed to the brim. I personally love Chick-Fil-A. I don't eat fast food too often, but pre-COVID, I would usually get it probably once a month when I happened to be near one of the downtown locations.
Interestingly growing up in Maryland, we had a Chick-fil-a back in the 90's in my suburb (and it may have been there before that, but I would have been too young to know), which is not surprising given MD's southern roots. Now there are several all over the state of Maryland. So Chick-fil-A was never new to me like it is to many Northeasterners and Midwesterners.
Chik-Fil-A's popularity is something of a headscratcher. The chicken itself is rather odd if you consider each sandwich looks exactly the same in terms of the breast meat, which speaks to some freaky genetic engineering in order for that to happen. Waffle Fries are the worst for staying hot, so again not sure why the attraction there. They do train their staff very well which speaks to some good senior management. Otherwise if you're looking for a quality real chicken sandwich or tenders not genetically modified, check out PDQ (which is phenomenal) as well as KFC, Zaxby's or Bojangles. https://youtu.be/Yt8nUlEcrb0
I have to agree. We had one open in my town a few years ago... I have tried it a total of 3 times now... the lines are ALWAYS long... and honestly, it's not that big of a deal. I like chicken sandwiches, but this was just average in my opinion.
I have to agree. We had one open in my town a few years ago... I have tried it a total of 3 times now... the lines are ALWAYS long... and honestly, it's not that big of a deal. I like chicken sandwiches, but this was just average in my opinion.
Are you one of the people who hyped up Popeyes? The hype around that sandwich was crazy.
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