Does Popeyes stay as much as the hype? No, by no means!

And that’s why I discovered myself ready in line on the drive-through on the new Popeyes on South Saginaw Highway.
I needed to see what everybody was complaining about.
In line with a lot of Midland’s most interesting – shoutout Midland Complains and Ask Midland 2 – the long-awaited Popeyes is a significant disappointment.
That is not a shock.
Quick meals will not be good for you. It’s not presupposed to be.
Quick meals is about comfort and consistency.
Not taste. Not diet. Not satisfaction.
Full disclosure: I’ve dined at Popeyes many instances. I wasn’t anticipating something superb from the Midland location – simply comfort and consistency.
I’m not being a snob. I do know what I do know. I traveled Midland’s South Saginaw Highway quick meals hall for many years with only a few complaints. I had my share of birthday events at McDonalds, dined whereas proudly carrying my paper crown at Burger King, noshed on curly fries and Jamocha shakes at Arby’s and loved the beautiful satisfaction that solely a facefull of Mexican Pizza can supply at 1 a.m. within the car parking zone of Taco Bell after a night at Fricks.
I might dearly like to chunk into a kind of pleasant olive burgers from Sizzling ‘N’ Now.
I need to like quick meals. I’d love to seek out some salty, greasy treasure inside straightforward driving distance that I can depend upon to ship the products.
So, I used to be hopeful once I heard Popeyes was coming to city.
Recently, particularly in our post-COVID actuality, the standard of our drive-thru responsible pleasures has hit a brand new obscene, low.
Quick meals corporations make it tough to root for them. These corporations appear to have discovered new methods to chop their prices and cut back the standard and measurement of their merchandise to such a tragic diploma that the meals at a few of my favourite eating places is unrecognizable from what it was once I was a child.
Firm CEOs will complain about staffing points and inflation affecting their companies, nevertheless it’s not “provide chain points” that make me throw away these half-eaten tacos and burgers – It is the disgusting meals they’re serving up.
At 12:36 p.m. on Wednesday there was no interminable wait on the drive-thru at Popeyes. I ordered my meals shortly and hoped for the very best.
So what’s on the menu? Rooster, for essentially the most half, and shrimp, ready “Louisiana type” – no matter which means. Popeyes was fashioned in 1972 in a suburb of New Orleans referred to as St. Bernard Parish so it makes an attempt to be Cajun-inspired meals.
Quick meals, at its finest, is a facsimile of “actual meals.” If our expectations are affordable, the hen tender you order from Popeyes can be a lesser model of 1 that you possibly can make your self at residence or function a distant reminder of a extremely good meal you’ve got had some place else.
The second that bag of meals hit my fingers I knew I used to be in bother. Skinny paper packaging in a plastic bag. My meals shortly began to dramatically cool. There may be nothing worse than chilly quick meals.
I laid out my lunch and I appeared down at my entree: A tragic pile of spicy, chewy, lukewarm fried shrimp. Most of it ended up within the trash.
Off within the distance, I swear I heard Lengthy John Silvers mocking me and my lunch. Sorry, shrimp … you deserved higher than this.
I additionally ordered the three spicy hen tender combo.I acquired 4 small items of the thinnest hen I’ve ever seen at a Popeyes. A bit thinner and I might have had sandwich slices. Heavy on the breading, the hen was additionally lukewarm however tender.
My facet appeared and tasted like one thing you’ll get should you requested Synthetic Intelligence to “Make cole slaw.” I might have most popular a field of Zataran’s crimson beans and rice as a substitute my different bland facet. I added a packet of Louisiana Sizzling Sauce that got here with my meal – it was the one genuine Cajun taste I tasted that afternoon.
The biscuit supplied with the meal was fairly good. My apple pie was simply high quality.
One other redeeming component: Blackened Cajun ranch dipping sauce. That’s good things. I’d prefer to strive it with good meals sometime.

Let’s tally up the rating.
For consistency: D-
I’ve had first rate meals at Popeyes and horrible meals at Popeyes. Whereas the service in Midland was quick and pleasant, the meals was rubbish.
For comfort: D
Shortly receiving my lukewarm meals was a bonus. The greasy aftertaste at the back of my throat that lasted for hours and the intestine ache that lasted the remainder of the afternoon weren’t handy in any respect. Having a restroom close by after lunch was not simply handy – it was a necessity.
Selecting a three-piece hen tender combo (together with two sides and a drink), an order of fried shrimp and an apple pie, the invoice got here to $25.22. The sensation of self-loathing that got here after consuming at Popeyes? That was freed from cost!
Why decide on Popeyes? As a result of I would like them to do higher. I AM YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE – an individual who loves Southern meals and prefers spicy fare. I paid you actual cash, I anticipate to obtain an honest product. Get it collectively.
Similar goes for you Taco Bell, Burger King, Rally’s and McDonald’s.
That’s to not say I didn’t go away lunch with out a vital takeaway.
Three years from now I’m due for an additional colonoscopy. I invite you to affix me for dinner at Popeyes for a night of greasy Cajun grub.
Will probably be an effective way to get my prep work began.
You’ll have to excuse me if I eat and run.
Dave Clark is editor of the Day by day Information. If you’d like first rate Cajun meals in Michigan you may be part of him at Pearl’s in Elk Rapids. Ship coupons for Mylanta to david.clark@hearst.com.