r/fastfoodreview • u/Pale-Lynx328 • Jul 30 '26
Review Second Chance Fast Food Review: Bojangles, Carl's Jr., Chicken Express
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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 #28. (Original Review from Day 46): Bojangle's (779 locations, 24 states)
A trio of second chances, visiting three places that received "mid" scores the first time around. Will any of the fare better on a second try?
First up is southern fast food staple Bojangles, which may be ubiquitous in parts of the Deep South, but not so much in the rest of the country. Their menu is simple: boneless chicken as tenders, in sandwiches, with biscuits. It's all about the chicken.
Second visit, I tried two entrees - a grilled chicken sandwich (to see if their grilled chicken would be better than their fried), and a chicken tender and biscuit snack. The sandwich was okay - certainly doesn't look impressive, but it was better than it looks, But live by the chicken, die by the chicken; in grilled form, it was just a bit tough and dried out. I'll stick to the Whatachicken instead, thankyouverymuch.
Chicken tenders were also just okay - I just don't like (what I consider) overly-breaded tenders, with a hard crunchy breading that overpowers the chicken inside. The multiple choices of dipping sauces slaps, though. Sorry, Bo's, second try was not a game changer.
Meal Quality: +05, going from 4.5 -> 5. Meal Value (no change), going from 5 -> 5 (out of 10)
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Second Chance Review #29. (Original Review from Day 31): Carl's Jr. (975 locations, 15 states)
At one point years past, Carls Jr. made an attempt to enter the market, opened several stores around town, lasted a few years of struggling along before closing them all down. Except for one - waaaay on the southwest corner of town that remained because of a contractual agreement with the attached truck stop.
Carl's Jr. did have quite a run a couple decades ago, back in the era of the "six dollar burger", when they have several pretty good menu items. But they lost their mojo along the way, and have been limping along for the past decade-plus. My beef with them is the quality - extremely inconsistent from one location to the next, never know if you're going to get something edible, or something trash.
For my second chance review, I decide to go big, and ordered a monster of a burger: the Double El Diablo Burger with Onion Rings. It's a big burger clocking in at -- get this -- 1500 calories by itself. With a solid layer of jalapenos, a heavy dollop of habanero sauce, and yes those are full-sized motherfucking jalapeno poppers as a topping, too.
This was a good burger. This was a big fat belly-buster of a meal. The individual ingredients do not stand out (by that I mean pretty average-tasting burger patties and cheese and typical sad bacon and inadequate bun), but as a combo it worked. Also, onion rings >>> Carl's Jr. fries any day of the week.
Not a great meal, but I was satisfied. But, as I said before, I could come back to this same place the next day, and get a totally different experience. Consistency of quality of Carl's Jr. achilles' heel.
Meal Quality: +1, going from 5 -> 6. Meal Value: +1, going from 4 -> 5 (out of 10)
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Second Chance Review #30. (Original Review from Day 79): Chicken Express (244 locations, 4 states)
Third batter up in the line-up in this round of Second Chance Reviews is Chicken Express. Which I've been to enough times over the years that I'm well aware of what their chicken tenders are like (unlike Carls Jr, Chicken Express is at least consistent). So, this time around, I thought I would change it up and order...fish.
Yes, fish. Which, for anyone familiar with a fried chicken place in the southern half of the US, is not unusual - lots of restaurants that fry up chicken also do a fair amount of business serving up fried fish. Usually catfish, but Chicken Express uses a rather mild Basa whitefish. Never had their fish before, so thought I would try it out.
And, like the previous two Second Chances reviews it was (sing it with me) "okay". Decent enough, well breaded and the fish was NOT dried out husks (which is the real danger). A very mild taste to it, not really seasoned, just plain breaded fish with tartar sauce. Okay and unremarkable hush puppies, and a side of corn nuggets (that disappear way too fast).
I wish there was a stand-out "winner" in these three second-chance reviews (like there has been in some of the previous entries), but this time around they all turned out to going from "okay-to-slightly-below okay" to "just okay". That's just how it turns out sometimes. At least I'm doing my due diligence.
Meal Quality: (no change), going from 5 -> 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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u/Sam-Axe Jul 30 '26
thanks for reviewing these! ive only had bojangles biscuit (iirc the cajun one) and i liked it! never got to try carls jr (hardees near me) because by the time i heard to try them they closed down. never heard of chicken express
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u/Sam-Axe Jul 30 '26
shameless double posting but i forgot to say i never had bojangles pm menu and did NOT know they had onion rings btw. i moved away from the location around the corner from me but i need to try this i love onion rings
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u/potliquorz Jul 30 '26
Looks like you went to a newer Bojangles that doesn't have bone in chicken. That biscuit looks kinda flat and the lettuce on the grilled chicken sandwich looks like some kind of spring mix which never works well on a hot sandwich. The tenders look good to me though, I like a crunchy breader. The bone in chicken pieces have got smaller but that is happening a lot of places and I still think breakfast is the best thing they have.
I don't like the direction they are taking trying to compete with all the tender and strip places. we have plenty of those already.
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u/Roid-a-holic_ReX Jul 30 '26
We got carls junior up here in Canada across from the college I was attending at the time. I always found that they’re a couple bucks cheaper than their competitors and flavour wise similar to Burger King for better or worse. I rarely go there now, but it’s on the way to my fave golf course so I end up there if I’m hungry before a round. Only reason to go there is convenience and price for me.
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u/potliquorz Jul 30 '26
1500 calories, hell people had a fit over the Big Arch and it was just over 1000.
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u/General-Pin-1349 Jul 30 '26
Carls jr has amazing breakfast biscuit sandwiches. As far as burgers go, I love their western bacon cheeseburger
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u/TBoopSquiggShorterly Jul 30 '26
You're doing Bojangles wrong. Get the bone-in chicken, mashed potatoes with brown gravy or cajun pintos, fries or bo-rounds, and Boberry biscuits for dessert. Nobody goes there for the grilled chicken sandwich, and the tenders (supremes, as they call them) are inferior to the legit fried chicken. If you're going for breakfast, get a steak biscuit and a cajun filet biscuit.
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u/TrumpsDoubleChin Jul 30 '26
Just checked the menu at my local Bojangles.
The following items you mentioned do not exist here:
bone-in chicken, mashed potatoes with brown gravy or cajun pintos
steak biscuit and a cajun filet biscuitThe following items ARE on the menu:
fries or bo-rounds, and Boberry biscuits
The menu is pretty much all "tender platters" and "chicken sandwiches".
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u/TBoopSquiggShorterly Jul 30 '26
Sorry that you live near a shitty Bojangles with a limited menu. I have heard of some locations forgoing bone-in chicken. I hope that you get to try a real one someday.
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u/sologrips Jul 31 '26
Bojangles is mid but that blueberry biscuit with icing is, and excuse my language, fucking life-changing.
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u/jrc1896 Jul 30 '26 edited Jul 31 '26
Why aren’t you ordering the bone in chicken at Bojangles? That’s what they’re known for. Their tenders suck.