TOP CHICKEN — Restaurant in Waterloo

Food: The food is fine—fried chicken, corn, and rice cakes. The chicken was hot and fresh, and the portions were good. If you can’t eat one of these things, this isn’t the place for you.

Atmosphere: It was freezing when the door opened, but otherwise fine. There’s limited seating, but enough. However, if you’re seated near loud students, it’s hard to have a conversation, which makes it less enjoyable for families or non-students.

Service: I don’t blame the servers; I blame management for not empowering them to handle issues.

The host was pleasant, and we were seated quickly. We had to ask for a paper menu, but that wasn’t a big deal. The problems started when a server brought our food and spilled sticky garlic sauce all over me. She seemed confused at first, and my wife had to point it out. Instead of helping, she brought back just a few napkins and a wet paper towel. The sauce soaked through my shirt, stained my jeans, and dripped onto the table and floor.

I went to the washroom to clean up, but my shirt was ruined, and I had to wear my winter coat zipped up for the rest of the meal. When I returned, the mess was still on the table, bench, and floor. I had to clean most of it myself before asking staff to wipe it properly. By the time I could eat, my food was cold, and I was sticky and frustrated.

The staff apologized and offered to waive the $11 appetizer, but the ruined shirt, stained jeans, and overall experience weren’t addressed. When I asked for the bill, it took 15 minutes to arrive, and I had to remind them to bring a takeout container. I paid the bill without saying anything. But then they asked how they could make it right, and I told them the scope of the issue and what they could do, but they seemed clueless and offered nothing of real value.

Final thoughts: My $50 shirt was trashed, I spent $6 on laundry, and my night was ruined. Management needs to train staff to handle mistakes properly—it would cost less than the damage to customer experience. The excuse that they are just part timers and don’t know what to do isn’t a valid excuse. Empower your employees to make a mistake right. And when they told me how they could make it right, I just asked for my money back. I’d not have left this review if they had done that.

Oh, and the parking...

Hi,

I’ve been a regular and loyal customer at Top Chicken for quite some time now. For about 14–15 months, we ordered through Uber Eats nearly every Thursday—probably 30+ weeks straight. I’ve also dined in over 10–15 times(this spring-summer). I’ve recommended your restaurant to many friends because your chicken used to be absolutely world-class. As a fan of K-dramas, the vibe and atmosphere at your place added to the charm—it truly stood out.

That’s why I’m writing to share some honest feedback. In my recent visits, I’ve noticed a disappointing decline in quality. The chicken doesn’t taste the same anymore. It doesn't even look same. ---- It feels like corners are being cut—whether in preparation, ingredients, or something else, I’m not sure. But as someone who’s been such a regular customer, I can confidently say something has changed.

I’ve also noticed a shift in how tipping is handled. It now feels more pressured, which is off-putting—especially when the food no longer matches the premium experience it once offered. I never minded spending a few extra dollars for tips when the food was consistently excellent, but that’s becoming harder to justify now.

Please don’t take this as a complaint from someone walking away. I’m sharing this because I genuinely care. I’ve lived in KW for over 20+ years and have seen some great restaurants lose their edge over time. I’d hate to see that happen to my go-to place for chicken.

I hope you take this feedback in the spirit it’s intended—with honesty and goodwill.

Warm regards,

7-31-2025

Today, I had the chicken again—and I’m happy to say it was much better. It reminded me of why I first fell in love with Top Chicken. The flavor, texture, and overall quality were closer to what originally made your restaurant such a standout. Whatever adjustments you may have made, they’re definitely in the right direction.

I appreciate the effort, and I just wanted to...

1.Always good.. asked for sauce on the side due to distance but got extra sauce. BUT still yum.

Try extra cripsy... it is neat..

20241129 - ordered extra crispy and picked it up. Drove about 10mins from the store, and the chicken was a bit soggy. Quite a bit disappointed.. I hope it gets better next time...

Ordered via uber. Took about 30mins. Tastes great.

2025.03.22. Ordered via ubereats. Tastes great as usual.

2025.03.30 Ordered ubereats from Cambridge which took around an hour for delivery. Unfortunately, I received the wrong order so I called Top chicken, and they said they will offer a free half chicken next time to correct this. From this experience, I felt that they not only make great chicken, but also value their customers.

2025.04.17 Extra cripsy and juicy today. But the sauce had less garlic flavour than usual. It was still good but tasted...2% less than usual.

2025.05.18 Hm... quite a bit disappointing. The chicken was well cooked and crispy, but the original flavor was saltier than usual and also swicy. The swicy sauce wasn’t as sweet as usual and tasted a bit spicier. Hm... I might not order again for a while

2025.08.30 The swicy sauce was sweet and tasty. However, the chicken was not crispy, it was more like soggy. I regretted...