Worthy of a visit!
Written: Oct 12 '09
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Good chicken sandwich, inexpensive, clean and fast service
Cons: none
The Bottom Line: This is one of the better fast food places if you find yourself in need of a quick, cheap meal. The chicken deluxe sandwich is excellent.
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| tennis_player's Full Review: Chick-fil-A |
BACKGROUND:
While en route to Las Vegas we stopped overnight in Bakersfield for a rest stop. While looking for a decent price for gas, I saw a Chic-fil-A on a convenient corner just across from a gas station. It looked very new as was the whole strip mall. My curiosity was stirred because back when I was a “road warriror” traveling around the country on business, I would see this chain/franchise outfit all over the East Coast and much of the MidWest. But, I had never tried one as I tried to avoid fast food as much as possible. Well, my curiosity got the better of me and even though we weren't hungry, yet (it was mid-afternoon) we decided to see what this was all about. So, we pulled in and got one of their Original Deluxe Chicken Sandwiches. That's all we got - just so we could try one.
THE EXPERIENCE:
Just like all the fast food chains, you order your food and pay for it at the counter. You're given a receipt and you can either stand around and wait a few moments for it to come up or they will bring it to you at your table. The Original is just the fried chicken with bun and mayo and pickle. The deluxe is the same with lettuce and tomato. The price for the Original is $3.09 and $3.29 for the Deluxe. We chose the Deluxe.
We placed our order and paid for it at the counter. We were told to find a table and it would be delivered to us.
The order came up in a less than 2 minutes. We were still reading the nutritional information posted on the wall and had not yet gotten to a table. We took our sandwich and sat down and cut it in half so we could share it and compare notes.
It comes in a black styrofoam box to keep it warm. Upon opening, it has a very nice appearance. The leaf of lettuce (not chopped lettuce) was very fresh and crisp and the chicken fillet was deep fried to a nice golden color with no signs of excess grease and the bun was very fresh. The whole serving looked quite appealing, especially for a fast food outfit.
We cut it in half for further and closer inspection and we were pleased to find that the breading was not too thick nor too tough but still crispy and tender. But of special interest to me was - it really was a piece of real chicken breast meat - not the formed meat patty that many fast food chains use. And, it was moist.
After my first bite, I had to admit that it was quite tasty, indeed. There seemed to be the proper balance of textures - soft, fragile bun, crispy lettuce, crispy but light breading and a nice, tender and moist piece of chicken. And, it was not overly dosed with mayo. My wife had a similar experience but she did note that it seemed just slightly salty. Other than that, she thought it was very good.
We both agreed that for fast food, it was very good and we would not avoid this chain like we do with McDonalds, Burger King, Carl Jr. and others. This was decent enough, we thought, for an occasional visit.
THE MENU:
I'm sorry to say that I did not take copious notes about what else they offered but I do recall they had Chicken Nuggets and a broiled chicken sandwich (for the health concious folks) and they also offered a breakfast menu - chicken nugget on a biscuit, a breakfast burrito, a fruit cup, etc. The prices all appeared to be step with the other fast food chains for their offerings.
THE PHYSICAL FACILITY:
This is a new location for them. They have many locations throughout the Southern California area and one in Bakersfield (less than one year old), a new one in Fresno and few new ones sprinkled up in the Sacramento area. Like most fast food chain places, it was bright with a counter at the front with the kitchen directly behind the counter and a small dining room off to the right side. All were small Formica tables or larger booths (for 4) that seemed fairly comfortable. The main thing to us was - it was very bright and clean!
BOTTOM LINE:
We thought the chicken sandwich product was good enough that we would not avoid this chain and would, definitely, dine at one of these properties if one was near us when we felt like eating a quick, inexpensive, casual meal.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
tennis_player
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 in Electronics |
 - Top 500 |
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Member: James Quon
Location: Northern California
Reviews written: 347
Trusted by: 251 members
About Me:
A retired Professional from 40 years in technical Sales & Marketing.
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