Chicken fingers: America's favorite finger food. It came to my attention some time ago that a rivalry exists between two of the South's top chicken finger chains: Raising Cane's and Zaxby's. Admittedly, I'm a huge fan of Cane's, so I was naturally curious as to how the two compare. Today, I had the chance to visit Zaxby's for the first time while visiting the Peachy state of Georgia. I have to say, and I promise this is an objective opinion, I was less than impressed. Because both chains boast their chicken fingers and original sauce, I simply ordered a kid's meal, hoping to let the food speak for itself. And speak, it did. Upon ordering, I was assigned a number, far less personable than asking for my name for the ticket, as Raising Cane's kindly does. I was given my kid's cup, far less sturdy than Cane's, and instinctively went for the sweet tea, which I instantly regretted. There was a bitter taste to the tea that my taste buds did not like. Instead I had a coke zero. Zaxby's Kid's Meal came with a package of Curious George fruit snacks, whereas Cane's supplies children with a Cane's themed activity, so the two almost canceled out in my book, although the fruit snacks, designed for children 10 and under, we're nearly impossible to open. The chicken, although very juicy on the inside, was overcooked on the outside and smelled it too, like the oil it was cooked in was way too hot. Raising Cane's takes care to make sure each of its tenders are a golden brown every time. The fries had a yummy seasoning similar to Lowry's seasoned salt, and were overall, good. Now to the Zax Sauce. It was certainly more peppery than Cane's Sauce, and wasn't terrible, but then I read the label. Not only is the sauce manufactured in bulk at a factory in Athens, GA and shipped to each Zaxby's location, but it does not require refrigeration at any point to due the preservatives added to it. The long list of ingredients conveniently listed on the label included the preservative (potassium sorbate), along with xanthan gum, calcium disodium EDTA to "protect flavor", and the hidden evil of modern food: high fructose corn syrup (plus regular corn syrup as well!). Cane's Sauce, on the other hand, is made fresh every morning, and though I cannot reveal each ingredient in it, I CAN assure you it does not contain corn syrup of any kind as well as any sort of thickener or preservative, and requires constant refrigeration to maintain quality and freshness. If you're wanting to buy either sauce in bulk and bring it home, I assure you that you can buy a 21oz. or 32oz. cup of Cane's Sauce that, with refrigeration, will keep for a month or two (though I use it up long before then!) whereas with Zaxby's it seems like you would have to buy a handful of Zax Sauce containers to quickly lose in the back of your pantry. As far as the menu goes, Zaxby's had a few hands up on Cane's. They offer a wider variety of combos to choose from, whereas Cane's just has 4, well 5 if you count the kiddos, and Zaxby's serves desserts and salads, two areas Cane's has not, and probably will not, cover. However, if you aren't familiar with Zaxby's lingo, the menu was confusing and not well explained. The lobby was very closed off, with the tables all being booths of various sizes pushed up against walls, including the ones in the middle of the floor. Also a disappointment in my opinion, was the state of the lobby. In the eyes of a customer, the floor was littered in crumbs and bits of trash and straw wrappers and looked as if it hadn't been swept all day, a little disconcerting considering I arrived close to 5pm. The doors and windows were covered in greasy fingerprints and kiddy handprints alike. The high chairs were pushed carelessly into a corner between the two sets of doors one had to pass through to get inside and were dirty; I would not want my children sitting in them. Overall, Zaxby's wasn't terrible, but I left unsatisfied and longing for fresh, quality Raising Cane's. read more
