PDQ Chicken
PDQ Chicken – People Dedicated to Quality: 3359 N Federal Hwy, Oakland Park, FL 33306
The Restaurant:
PDQ Chicken is one of the new players on the block when it comes to fast-food chicken restaurants. Their story begins in 2009 when the two founders decided to look for a new concept for good fast food. In 2011 they made a deal with a local chicken restaurant in North Carolina which shortly after opened the first PDQ in Tampa, FL, which is where their headquarters and test kitchen are today.
PDQ Chicken’s Food:
One of the things I love about PDQ Chicken is they offer healthier grilled chicken tenders and sandwiches compared to many fast-food restaurants. The breading is flavorful and crispy, while the chicken remains tender and juicy. I decided to get mine with American cheese on it. I was disappointed that the cheese was not melted on the sandwich. It shouldn’t be that hard for PDQ to handle. There also was very little mayo on the sandwich, as you can see from the photo.
A few years ago, they added nuggets to their menu so that they could compete better with another major chicken fast-food restaurant. The tenders are great as well, and you can get them in several different order sizes. They are served as breaded or grilled, and the sauces for dipping are a great selection. My favorite is the honey BBQ, but the PDQ is pretty good as well.
Two things that have disappointed me with PDQ are their change from amazing hand-cut french fries to very bad waffle fries. I am not sure what made them change, but it was the worst business decision they could have made. If they did it just to be like Chick-Fil-A, then they need to fire the person who made that decision, as their hand-cut fries were the best ever.
The second thing that has annoyed me with this restaurant is that they got rid of the Butterball turkey sandwiches and salads. This was an even healthier option for the calorie-conscious folks out there. But suddenly, a few years back, they removed it from their menu.
Pricing $$: While the chicken is very good, with the change in french fries to a really bad version of waffle fries and the removal of the turkey options, I won’t go out of my way to visit.
