Blazing Bird (Arvada) — Restaurant in Arvada

Blazing Bird is TOO OVER HYPED! I have reached out to them three times and have yet to hear back from them. I didn't want to come to Google because I think my husband and I came at a bad time. But, now I think it's their usual to ignore customers who had bad experiences.

The gentleman running the cashier on Saturday, December 3rd was on his phone, had Snapchat open, and provided poor Customer Service.

The Mac and Cheese tasted store bought from the Frozen Section. I asked them for the ingredients to their Mac and Cheese and they still have not responded to me.

The Chicken Sandwich tasted BURNT. It had NO flavor once so ever. I will mention that the chicken was juicy, but the SEASONING itself ruined the sandwich experience.

Fried Pickles... More like Fried Chemical Pickles... They were essentially inedible. Not even ranch could save those things.

I reached out to them about my experience and requested a refund and a redemption experience but still have not heard back from them. Seems like they only care about the customers who have great experiences first time around-- poor business tactic and poor Customer Service....

I will consider changing my review if I get connected with someone soon. Thank you!

Update: Someone connected with me via Instagram and we were able to have a redemption experience. Very well done! Food was exceptionally better than the last. I’m not sure what went wrong the last time.

However, I’m rating it a 3 because the employees have caused more question than anything.

Our redemption visit, a young girl was coughing and heading to the bathroom a handful of times. We were there for about 25 minutes so that was alarming. It was even more alarming discovering she was serving food to other customers (luckily someone else served our food).

We were missing our side of fries though. I brought this to the young man’s attention (Saturday evening) and he didn’t apologize or say he would bring any out either. He was also watching my husband and I and talking with other girls so it looked like he was gossiping. He didn’t have his phone out this time so that was awesome to see. However, I don’t think hiring a younger atmosphere is ideal here.

They need to invest in a literal customer service team. I’d love to help build that with them as I know that they have SO much to offer. Let’s take care of customers entirely...

So first, the food was really, really good. The reason for the 2 stars was an experience with an employee. I brought in our family for lunch today (6 of us). For those not familiar with the restaurant, you go to the counter, you order lunch, they call your number when ready, you go to the counter to pick up your order, and then you bus your own table(s) afterwards (which is to say that they have garbage cans and a place for your tray). We spent $60 on two sandwiches, two sides, and three kids meals. It is a very expensive place for.....chicken. When I paid by credit card, it asks you if you want to leave a tip. I selected "no". Generally, I don't tip at restaurants that don't provide service. I pay for the food and other than taking our order, we aren't getting a service. The second I selected "no", the woman taking our order became extremely rude and actively made a point of giving me dirty looks. I wasn't sure what was happening until I overheard her telling a colleague that we didn't tip. Naturally, I was worried that our food might be tampered with. Now, I waited tables for four years. I understand service and tipping. I just wasn't aware that tipping was now required at restaurants that don't provide service. And, at Blazing Bird, so much so that you get treated in a hostile way if you don't tip. We were likely going to order milk shakes after lunch but i couldn't stomach the idea of spending any more money there. We went to Dairy Queen for blizzards instead. Would have been another $30 in milk shakes and I likely won't be back. It's too bad b/c the food is solid. While I think it's a tad obnoxious to even ask for a tip at a counter service restaurant, I can forgive that. What I can't forgive is the hostility that follows for selecting "no". I can go somewhere else for fried chicken.....

If you want to know which employee treated us this way, she was a shorter hispanic woman working the register at about 2pm on...

This isn't something I do much of...but my family really likes how Blazing Bird puts the Nashville Hot Chicken sandwich together. For a lack of a better (short) description: it's pretty darn perfect.

The funny thing is, before we knew we were going to move to the Nashville area, we enjoyed what they produced. So when we moved to the Hot Chicken capital (of Nashville), we cannot say enough about Blazing Bird's version...and to date haven't been able to find a comparable version out there. Not to say that there haven't been good ones out there, but this is the best that we know of.

A more detailed description: between the buttery bun, crispy outside of the tender meat, crunchy pickles, evenly flavored slaw, and their special sauce...it's hard to find a flaw in their "basic" offering...The Bird.

Spice it to the level you want, it's great. I think medium is too light, Hot is just right...anything higher it is a little much, though I've yet to try the spiciest version. We shall see.

The fries are also a very good side. Can get "steamed" and soft if taken "to go", though are typically quite tasty (with the spices) and usually I'd crispy on the outside with a soft middle. Wonder if a double dipped/fried fry would make it even better?

And I've not asked yet if the slaw is housemade. Regardless, it's a great complement to the hot chicken. Helps cut the spice for the spicier versions, but I think it has a good consistency and creaminess to it. Well done.

Service has varied some, yet most visits the wait time has been decent to excellent and the cashier helpful in many cases.

The inside is basic enough (hasn't changed much from one restaurant to the next), but I look forward to seeing this joint for years to come and hope it is patroned well in our absence so that we can enjoy it in the years to come when...