Ron T.
Yelp
Let me preface this by saying this - I used to be a manager of a Popeye's back when it was Popeye's Famous Fried Chicken - so I know how this stuff works.
Are you starving? Are you anxious to get you fast food chicken - fast! Are you ready to drop by, place your order, get your food and leave?
Well drive on by here. Go home, put you a roast in the crock pot and wait...that's what it felt like when I tried to order some food here today. It's happened to me before here and I marked it off to them being new. That's been a few months when I had to wait 30 minutes for a 12 piece box of mild chicken and a couple of spicy breasts.
Drop by after church just to pick up a couple of pieces of white meat and an ear of corn. I like my chicken like I like my women - spicy hot, crusty and deep fried. I never was good a metaphors. I go inside to peruse the menu - why I don't know, I knew what I was getting. Turns out I would have to peruse the menu anyway because it was a while before my order was taken. As mentioned, being a former manager I notice things. It's about 11:30. The place is clean, there is plenty of chicken on the racks behind the counter - good sign. There are about 3 tables seated, one person actually eating and three others standing and waiting...and waiting as it turns out. I order - I wait, too.
The obviously very inexperienced employee is overwhelmed. There are about 5 other employees milling around in the back and at the drive-thru. They would stop and chat with each other - joke around. I wait and I wait. I SEE the chicken! So close and yet so far! Guy before me finally gets his 10 pieces of boneless wings (do they breed chickens with boneless wings?) He had been there 15 minutes already and another 10 while I was waiting - so 25 for him. Could it be! Is she going to pack my 2 pieces of chicken? YES! NO! WAIT! She starts, but another customer comes in. She stops what she is doing - "Are you ready to order, sir?" WHAT! He proceeds to ask half a dozen questions - what he can or cannot get with the family pack - a special request here, a substitution there - and he pays. So I am making my way to the counter just to get a refund from another staff member that has started her shift - because I am done here! I see her go back to my order...I hope. She gets the chicken packed - no corn up front...she goes to the back at her own pace, not worry, no hurry. FINALLY she places my order on the counter - a full 25 minutes from the time I placed it - TWENTY FIVE MINUTES for chicken that was right there in front of me and a piece of corn. So naturally I ask, "Why did this take 25 minutes to get 2 pieces of chicken?" Miss "I Just Got Here" says, "'cawse we wuz waitin' own fresh chick'n!" Oh, no we wuzn't! I pointed out that the chicken was right there in front of my eyes the whole time and YOU JUST GOT HERE! "You come back! You can leave!" she says.
I wished the patrons coming in behind me good luck and hope they have a good book or don't have ice cream in the car....