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That's right! 45 minutes to dine-in and be served a sorry excuse for a fried chicken dinner.
I swear, I remember eating at a Popeye's several years ago and finding the chicken to be acceptable for the standards of fast food. But either my palette has evolved or the quality control has simply gone down the tubes. I'm not entirely sure. Has it always been bad? Or am I only now realizing that it's bad?
My girlfriend and I stopped by this Popeye's on a Friday night and ordered two fairly basic meals. She opted for a three-piece tender meal with a side of mashed potatoes, while I ordered a couple of legs with a side of mashed potatoes and mac and cheese. This should be easy, right?
Honestly, I'm not sure what went wrong. After twenty minutes, I started tracking the time with my watch. The restaurant was practically empty, although they did appear to be preparing orders for the drive-thru that presumably took first priority over us. But why that would impact our wait time is irrelevant.
45 minutes later, our food was finally given to us in to go bags, despite the receipt saying that we would be dining in. Although I think by this point, they took so long making our food that the place was ready to close. Since we didn't anticipate that this would consume almost an hour of our evening, they didn't want us sticking around.
The chicken was dry and poor quality, tasting as if it was old, despite being freshly fried. The mashed potatoes are the equivalent of the sludge served at KFC. Not surprisingly, they forgot one of my sides, as well as our drinks, so I had to stand around blankly and wait for someone to acknowledge my presence. The biscuits are standard pre-made rubbish, while the mac and cheese was the only thing that I at least found semi-edible, only because it's a guilty pleasure.
In the end, I give Popeye's a single star - and that's only because they continue to offer fried apple pies, the one item that I wish McDonald's never eliminated back in the early 90s.
Trust me, people. Good fried chicken in Phoenix does exist. I promise you! But don't rely on Popeye's to deliver, because that's just not being realistic.
Avoid them!
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