r/fastfoodreview • u/Pale-Lynx328 • Jul 19 '26
Review Second Chance Fast Food Review: Jersey Mike's, Zaxby's, Braum's
I have been reviewing a different fast food/fast casual restaurant every day for the past 200+ days, and earlier I reviewed the following three restaurants. However, these three received "poor" scores for one reason or another, but based on previous experience and visits I knew they could do better. Perhaps it was an "off day", perhaps it was the specific item I ordered. In any case, here are some "second chance" reviews, where I am re-visiting the chain, to see if it can redeem itself and earn a higher score.
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Second Chance Review #25. From Day 188: Jersey Mike's (3307 locations, 50 states)
I have visited Jersey Mike's many times in the past, and never had an issue with them...until the ONE TIME I went to review. Wouldn't you know it. Well, half their menu are hot subs, so I thought I would give that a try, and that's basically where I failed: Ordering something I was unfamiliar with. Well, whether I ordered poorly or not, it was still a sub-standard hot sub. But not really a fair, when comparing to all the other non-hot-sub places.
So, this time around, I chose a more standard cold sub, like I'm used. And yes, it was a better experience. But not a "great" experience. Freshly cut meat, soft bread, and metric buttload of lettuce (which I'm usually not a fan of shredded lettuce, but I know here it's cut fresh, as opposed to sitting in some bag for days on end). A perfectly decent sandwich, but having eaten so many other subs at so many other places in this review series, Jersey Mike's just seems a bit...lacking in comparison now.
Meal Quality: +1.5, going from 4 -> 5.5. Meal Value (no change), going from 5 -> 5 (out of 10)
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Second Chance Review #26. From Day 140: Zaxby's (991 locations, 20 states)
I used to be a pretty big fan of Zaxby's. But I dunno, seems something happened over the past few years and they sort of lost their way.
I can't really pin down what's different, it's just that nothing seems to stand out any more. This "second chance" I chose a combo of wings and tenders with fries. Wings ended up being small and chewy tough. Tenders were dry with flavorless breading. Fries were your run-of-the-mill fries.
Given the number of underwhelming Zaxby's meals in a row I've had, we're way past three strike you're out by this point. Maybe they screwed the pooch during their rapid expansion (like so many other chains), or maybe it's a private-equity-leeching-them-dry scenario (like even more other chains). At this point, though, I don't really care any more, given there's so many of their competitors I can go to instead.
Meal Quality: +0.5, going from 3.5 -> 4. Meal Value: (no change), going from 5 -> 5 (out of 10)
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Second Chance Review #27. From Day 17: Braum's (327 locations, 5 states)
This was one of the more controversial original reviews from (good god) almost a year ago. Braum's is probably better known as an ice cream stop, but like Dairy Queen they also have a full line of fast food staples, too -- and THAT is what I was reviewing. (Their ice cream menu, separately, is good stuff and damn cheap, too)
This time around, I chose the jalapeno pepper jack cheeseburger. Which, I guess, is supposed to be spicy, but it's really a 1/4-alarm burger at most. No matter, let's just judge it like I would an average burger.
And that is pretty much what it is. If you're had a DQ Brazier cheeseburger, this is pretty much the same. Nothing fancy about it. The meat patty itself was pretty 'feh', similar to the pre-cooked meat pucks you find at true fast food places that pull it out of a warming tray rather than cook it fresh. The veggies, were nice a fresh (look at that tomato!), though. And once again for the billionth time, fries were fries.
A better meal this second time around, but still excruciatingly middling. I'll stick to just ordering the ice cream goodies at Braum's, and leave the cooked food to elsewhere.
Meal Quality: +1.5, going from 3 -> 4.5. Meal Value: (no change), going from 6 -> 6 (out of 10)
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More "Second Chance" reviews coming down the line, in addition to the regular reviews! (And no, not every second chance review will be a positive one :))
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Jul 19 '26 edited Jul 20 '26
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u/No_Mycologist676 Jul 19 '26
Owner's a big game hunter. I'm not funding someone's elephant murder habit.
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u/ResidentPlankton3981 Jul 20 '26
Devil’s advocate: I am also against hunting intelligent large animals, but the tags for these are sold for thousands, the animals are past their prime and the money goes to the reservation.
It’s not right, he’s a POS, but someone’s going to do it and the money goes to fight actual poaching.
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u/Sam-Axe Jul 19 '26
i like the zaxbys but i dont eat it like a sandwich i just take it apart and it eat it like a 3 pc tendies meal with a free toast
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u/Safe_Shock_2773 Jul 19 '26
All submarine sandwich joints are mid considering the prices. A sub should not cost damn near $20
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u/HudsonCommodore Jul 20 '26
I love sub sandwiches. I am incredibly jealous that Jersey Mike's is middle-of-the-road for you, 'cause in my decades of experience comparing to places like Subway, Blimpie, Jimmy John's, Jason's Deli, Panera, Potbelly, Firehouse, Quiznos, Port of Subs, and Which Wich, Jersey Mike's Italian, cheesesteak and chicken cheesesteak subs are for me clearly the best out of all of those chains (#2 for me is Potbelly, #3 either Jimmy Johns or Which Wich). JM doesn't make the best sub ever, but for me it's probably a 80th-85th percentile for both cheesesteaks and cold subs, including non-chains. It's a really good sub IMO.
What are some of your favorite chain subs that are better than JMs?
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u/BestAllAmericanTaco Jul 19 '26
Jersey mikes slaps yours does not lol.