Over the past few weeks, The Flying Onion has been attempting to determine the best chicken tenders on the North Shore.
Visiting five different restaurants, we graded them all on a scale of chicken quality, portion, price, service, as well as the restaurant’s atmosphere. The five candidates in the running for this competition were the following: Big Chicken, Flip the Bird, Wingstop, Raising Canes, and lastly Dave’s Hot Chicken.
All the restaurants we visited on the same night (last Friday), to ensure fairness. In addition, the same meal was ordered at each restaurant; plain tenders/wings, with fries and a drink of choice.
At the end of each review, we’ve included how DHS students rated the chicken for each place (called the DHS rating), based on 233 student survey responses across all grades.
Our last lowest ranking – and worst – restaurant for chicken was Big Chicken
As we walked in we were greeted with an absolute ghost town; not one person was in the restaurant. We approached the counter, which had no line and still had to wait while the workers fooled around and looked seemingly shocked that they even had people at their restaurant.
The five minute wait to be served wasn’t too bad, but as the guy took our order it was clear he did NOT know how to work any functions on the register. We watched him play around with keys for a solid three minutes before going to someone for help. To add onto his bad service, he also did NOT fill our drink cup to the top – the Diet Coke was only ¾ full.
While all this was quite odd, we still tried to remain unbiased for the tasting. The chicken was arguably the worst; it had a very soft, weird texture, was extremely bland, and arguably we could make better chicken at home. They gave us extra chicken, too, although we only ordered three tenders. (Perhaps they thought they were doing us a favor by helping us out by giving us more tasteless chicken).
The atmosphere was not too bad; the restaurant has lots of seating and some cool perks – like paper towels already on the table. The only downfall was that it was kind of creepy being the only ones in there, and for the remaining time we sat and ate, not one other person came in. The chicken was served to our table by the guy at the register which was the only good thing that happened there. (DHS rating 2 out of 5 stars)
Our number four pick was Raising Cane’s
Moving along, we were expecting for this to be our number one chicken spot. However, the service we endured at Canes was not the best, to say the least. It was extremely loud in the restaurant, with music blaring and every table taken. The woman taking our orders asked us to repeat ourselves multiple times, which of course we don’t mind (but after the third time it gets to a point). The atmosphere was fun; there was a big teenage crowd as well as lots of tables interacting with each other.
As for the chicken, we were expecting more and were very underwhelmed. The chicken came out steaming hot, was dry, and had no seasoning at all. If anything, the bread that Canes serves was the highlight of the restaurant. Luckily, the meal was priced perfectly, at only $14 for a combo including a drink, bread, french fries, and sauce. Overall, Canes did not impress us. Their chicken was pretty disappointing, though their other food amenities (bread/sauce) make the place popular. (DHS rating 4.5 out of 5 stars)
Coming in third place was Dave’s Hot Chicken
For our fourth stop (which ranked #3 on our list) we arrived at Dave’s Hot Chicken. Overall, the atmosphere was the best here and the place was fairly packed, yet there was still available seating. The walls were filled with an interesting depiction of spray paint art, which was pleasant to look at. In addition, the playlist the workers chose to play for the night was fantastic. The woman taking our order was fine, though she gave us a little attitude. She kept scratching her headband to exert power over us, proving she was the chicken master. The entire staff was dressed in Dave’s Hot merch (we’re unaware if this is by choice or force), including everyone having these bandanas with chickens on them – an interesting look indeed.
Though the smell of the restaurant was unpleasant, the $12 price tag was unbeatable, compared to the other restaurants. The meal came with two big tenders, a good amount of fries, fresh pickles and a slice of bread. The chicken was well seasoned and so were the fries and both were very crispy. But the slice of bread was sad and soggy (so no one ate it). And the fresh juicy pickles were a nice touch. But Dave’s Hot was definitely not number one material. (DHS rating 3.5 out of 5)
Our number two pick for chicken was Flip the Bird
We arrived at Flip the Bird as our second stop for the night. As we walked in, we were greeted with a long line and some unfriendly service. The woman at the cash register was old and had a kind look, yet did not smile nor seemed to enjoy her job. After a long wait for our food, we got our seven-tender combo.
Although the chicken was hot, crispy, and tender, it was the most expensive place we went to test. At a whopping $19, this raises the question: is the chicken worth it for the price? In addition to overpriced chicken, the atmosphere in the restaurant was not very pleasing. Flip the Bird has limited seating and nobody seemed to care that a man was just blatantly vaping in the restaurant. (DHS rating 4 out of 5 stars)
Our number one overall pick was WINGSTOP
The last stop of the night, Wingstop, unexpectedly turned out to be the best, even though their service was mediocre and the food took a while.
The place was pretty packed, as we assumed it would be, since it was a Friday night. But once our food came out, the smells were delightful, as was the steam coming off the food. Our chicken was fresh, hot and VERY crispy. The fries were perfectly seasoned. And overall even though the food took a bit and there was only okay service, the food was definitely worth it. Not to mention, the three-piece meal combo came with a big portion of fries, medium drink, and three big tenders, all for only $11 dollars. We would highly recommend Wingstop. (DHS rating 3.55 out of 5 stars)
