Zaxby’s

Zaxby’s is a primarily chicken oriented fast food restaurant. You walk up and order from a counter and they then call your number for pick up. So it is pretty straight forward in that regard.
For a fast food joint, this place is really tasty! Today I experienced the Kickin Chicken sandwich. Let me tell you it was AWESOME. The Kickin Chicken sandwich is a chicken finger sandwich on buttered Texas Toast and drenched in wing sauce and ranch. The buttered bread is one of the keys to this sandwich being so great. The hot sauce is the perfect amount of heat that makes you want a little more, but not too much. It is also really messy. Some people might be turned off by that, but I relished the moment to sop up some of that hotsauce/​ranch mix with some of the bread from my sandwich… mmmmmm GOOOOOOD. The sandwich came out nice and hot along with fries. The french fries were also hot and crispy. Not anything too special about the fries, but they were acceptable.
The drink counter is one of those new coke product mixers where you get a million choices. Makes for the best combos possible.
One last thing about this particular location. My item took an extra couple of minutes to prepare today, but I barely noticed… that was until the desk manager gave me a card for a free Zappetizer on my next visit! It was so nice and really uncalled for, but hey I am not afraid to try a ZAPPPETIZER haha!
I’ll be back for my next chicken fix soon.

I officially give Zaxby’s one and a half thumbs up. As far as fast food goes, I think it is near the top of quality and taste. When in a rush or on the go, I find myself with the devil and angel on my shoulders when I think of Zaxby’s. The devil telling me, «It’s so gooood, just go ahead and get some.» while the angel says «It’s so bad for you and expensive».
Now, Raising Canes was my first exposure to this kind of restaurant. If you don’t know, they are extremely similar, to the point that one seems like a ripoff of the other. Not only the fact that they revolve around chicken fingers, but the signature sauce is basically the same exact thing. Not sure what happened there, but, I was kind of happy to figure out that Zaxby’s originated six years before Cane’s.
I’d say the main difference is they have way more menu items than Cane’s. Cane’s has exactly 4 menu items — 3 of them are chicken fingers in different amounts and with different sides, and the last one is a sandwich — which is just chicken fingers on a bun. So, when you boil it down, it’s really just one menu item. Zaxby’s has a variety of appetizers (Fried Pickles, Fried Mushrooms, Onion Rings, Fried Cheddar bites), different sauce options, a variety of salads, wings, some sandwiches and even some desserts and milkshakes, if you haven’t had enough calories yet.
I usually just stick with the basics and get the Chicken Finger basket. It comes with 5 chicken fingers, Zax sauce, fries, cole slaw, and a Texas toast. Now, there’s this one time that I ordered the «Large» size of this and attempted to eat all of it. It has MORE fries, TWO texas toasts, TWO Zax sauces, and SEVEN chicken fingers. I was probably the closest to exploding than I have ever been in my entire life. I looked at the nutritional info and it has OVER 2000 calories, the amount of calories most people are recommended to eat in an entire day.
I’m sure I don’t need to spell it out any more — but when eating nothing but fried food in large quantities, it’s bound to cause some indigestion. When you’re hungry and ordering though, and you want to try those extra fried appetizers with your fried chicken and french fries — it’s easy to overlook that and say «oh, I’ll be fine.» Enjoy in moderation and you’ll love it.

The service was pretty good for a fast food place. I got my food quickly. I had a ten piece boneless with insane sauce. The sauce was hotter than most wing joints (which is a positive), but no flavor at all. The chicken was good, clearly made before I arrived, and smothered with sauce as it was ordered. I’d come back, and probably try a different sauce. I heard a lot of negative comments from the locals, so it is notable that I think the restaurant is much better than public opinion may state.

Delicious. Friendly. Never mess up my order.

Zaxby’s is a restaurant with an identity crisis.
First, it doesn’t really know where it is. It looks like it is right off the highway, but you’ll find yourself merging back onto 265 if you try and head right for it. Instead, head for the stoplight close to the overpass and turn in toward the Purdue campus, hit the roundabout and it will be the second right.
From the outside, it looks like another chain restaurant and it is aspiring to expand. That much is evident from the franchise solicitations on the cups. But, it doesn’t really know what kind of restaurant it wants to be. You do go up to a counter and order, they give you a cup and will call out your order number in a few minutes, but from there, it is a mystery.
Is it a family place? The cartoon chicken mascot would say yes, but the sign that says Misbehaving Children will be sold to the Circus would lead one to think otherwise.
Is it a zany, kooky place? Well, it does have framed pictures that are crooked and a hodgepodge of decorations like an Applebee’s, but the Southern-​style build and rustic look might throw that off.
Is it a roadhouse? Maybe, but the 80’s pop music quashes that idea too.
The only things I can say for sure is that it is mediocre food that I wouldn’t go out of my way for and that they have probably seen the last $ 16 I will spend there.

Haven’t been to Zaxby’s? Neither had I, because I assumed that it was just another fast food chicken joint like KFC, Lee’s, etc. However, when I finally wandered in today after hearing from friends and coworkers that their salads were «amazing» I was pleasantly surprised to find that the interior is much more like a McAllisters than a Mcdonalds. I ordered a grilled ceasar salad which was served in a real bowl (aka not disposable). While the salad was fresh and the croutons were delicious, they tried to sub bacon for tomatoes in the ceasar. I’m usually a fan of creativity, but the ceasar is a classic salad. If you are going to put in on the menu, use the classic ingredients or call it something else. Overall, though I was impressed and I’ll definitely return.