Place: Popeye's Chicken & Biscuits
Lunch: Two spicy thighs, three chicken strips
Going to Popeye's just got two hours closer for local residents as our first location opened this morning. I take an early lunch on Mondays and figured I'd swing by before the lunch rush hit.
I completely underestimated the cravings of Popeye's fanatics.
I arrived before 11:00am to a packed parking lot and a drive-thru line that completely circled the building. I parked in the nearby Famous Footwear parking lot and walked over. The line inside was already the length of the building, a problem complicated by the fact that this Popeye's is in a former Bruegger's Bagels building, and Bruegger's wasn't designed for this type of foot traffic.
It's good natured mayhem all around. Some Popeye's official walked the line asking everybody to be patient and noting that it "takes two weeks" to break in the crew to where they actually know what they're doing without having to think about it. He relates the story of a recent opening in Albuquerque where for weeks people were waiting two hours at the drive-thru just to order. (He's not exaggerating...I read an article about that one.) People are all wearing Mardi Gras beads without having to flash anybody (they're free, and being handed out everywhere in the store.)
It took about 30 minutes to get to the order counter. Some people walk in and see friends in line and it's a big chatty reunion. Some people walk in, see the line, and turn around. Some suggest other lunch options while in line. "We could go to the Kentucky Fries up the street." "They already closed. Just gave up before Popeye's was even open." "Really?" "Yep!" (Nope...They're open...just remodeling. I'm hoping they convert it to a KFC-Taco Bell.)
"To stay or take out?" Fresh Young Counter Girl asks. HA! As IF there's a place to sit down. "To go," I declare.
I decided I wanted two thighs, so I ordered the 3-piece dark meat combo without the combo, which is how I've always ordered that. Fresh Young Counter Girl has no idea how to input this and grabs a manager. "You have to input them in seperately. Sir, you'll end up with a biscuit for each piece this way. Is that okay?"
Okay?!? That's a BONUS! And I had no idea you could even order that way. It's not mentioned on the menu board, and no other Popeye's has ever suggested it. I have no idea what this is going to cost.
I also order three naked chicken strips with ranch. "We're out of ranch," she says. How can they be out of ranch? They haven't even been open an hour. The manager is also surprised to hear this. "Are you sure?" he asks. Then he opens the hallowed Cabinet-of-Ranch and...well...they're FAR from out of ranch.
The total price was about what the 3-piece dinner combo cost. And I got what is effectively five pieces of chicken and two biscuits. And a drink. SCORE!
Fifteen minutes later, my number is called and I get my two boxes of chicken. I make my way through the throngs of Popeye's fanatics to the door and head for the car, and drive home.
Let's review what I actually got versus what I ordered, shall we?
I got two biscuits...one with the two thighs, and one in the chicken strips box. I'm confused on if that's the way it should have been or if a third biscuit should have come with the strips. The receipt indicates one biscuit with each thigh, and nothing with the strips, so that must be okay.
The chicken strips were the wrong ones. They gave me their mild strips, not the naked ones. Popeye's mild chicken strips are the most boring taste in all of fast food. On the other hand, the reciept indicates that "1 3PC STRP BOX N RANCH" costs $1.00. They either configured that wrong, or they're having a sale.
And yes...I got my Ranch.
Also, as fast as they were going through it, I would have expected the chicken to be hotter than it is. It didn't take me THAT long to drive home.
Still, it was delicious. But I think I'll wait a few weeks for the insanity to die down before going back.
So we finally got a Chick-Fil-A this year, and we finally got a Popeye's. Now all we need is a Church's and we'll be just like a civilized chicken town.
