Joella’s Hot Chicken - Clarksville — Restaurant in Clarksville

(Edit added below.) This was my first time coming to this restaurant. I’ve never heard of this chain and I’ve been making a point to try out new restaurants each time I decide to go out now that the city is expanding.

I’m a little torn because it’s both good and not so good. I ordered the meal deal that came with two tenders (Ella’s Choice which is supposed to be flavorful with a little spice.) a side (Red-skinned mashed potatoes with kick’n gravy.), and a drink (Sweat Tea). I also ordered the banana pudding.

Tenders - They were delicious flavor-wise, no heat at all which was a little disappointing, but I’ve learned quickly that “spicy” up north isn’t really spicy at all. The issue is that they weren’t crispy and they fell apart while trying to eat them because the breading was on the soggy side. I ended up having to use a fork and knife and still somehow made a mess. I think this was due to the chicken not being completely fresh when given to me. If these tenders were crispy and hot when I received them, they’d be some of the best tenders around.

Mashed Potatoes - The gravy had almost no flavor at all, and I’m not sure if it’s the gravy itself or if I was given the wrong kind. I asked for the one with extra spice, but it tasted like a pretty basic brown packet gravy. The potatoes aren’t seasoned either and rely heavily on the gravy bringing the flavor. Pretty meh overall.

Sweat Tea - LOVE their sweet tea. A lot of “southern” themed restaurants put way too much sugar in their teas. I’m from the south, we like to still taste the tea flavor, not just sugar! This is up their with McAlister’s sweet tea which is my all-time favorite.

Banana Pudding - I can’t tell if this is made in-house or sourced somewhere, but it tasted no different than the banana pudding you buy in the deli at Kroger. Good, but not $5 per serving good.

Overall, I might give them another chance in the future, but I’m not going out of my way to eat here again.

Edit: Updated my review to 1 star. Terrible customer service. I was not looking for a refund or replacement, but as you can see the restaurant responded below and reached out to me to try and resolve the situation. They flat out ignored me after the first email. It’s...

I will never be returning to Joella's Hot Chicken. I placed an order using a BOGO code for a three piece wing box with a side and drink. This total came to $13.04. I hit submit and the amount was charged. Upon arriving at the store the cashier informed me my total was $22.49. I showed her the order on my phone and the discrepancies. She got the manager and he and I spoke for a bit. I also checked my bank statement and saw the charge for $22.49 and not $13.04. After talking to the manager, placing the exact same order in front of him and the total showing once again $13.04, I eventually asked to simply refund the order if the cost was $22.49. He went to his office or computer and issued the refund. I immediately saw it on my bank statement. He also did some testing on his end and discovered I was correct and the system did not operate the way he thought it did. He issued me an apology and offered me the food for free. I informed him I did not want to "steal from them because I like their food and business, and actively want to support and invest in them". I simply wanted to be charged the correct amount. He continued to insist I take it for free, so instead I pulled out $15.00 and gave it to him to give to the staff. That way I could still give the business money, and the employees would be rewarded for excellent customer service. I left with a pleasant experience despite it being somewhat tumultuous. Sadly, that has completely changed now that I have seen the charge placed back on my card for $22.49. Which means I ended up paying $37.49 for a buy one get one free coupon.

This is wholly unacceptable. To have the charge removed in-person, only to see it placed back is an atrocious business practice. I was happy to pay the appropriate amount, I made that clear. Even giving cash instead to offset potential losses. But this is insane. It is corrupt. It is selfish. It is theft. It is a business I have no desire to support. The opposite of my original position. Now I have to tell people not to go here because they will charge you significantly more despite acknowledging it is an error on the company's part.

It is because of these things that a customer and free promotion...

new location in the newer modern shopping strip in Clarksville. Starbucks and Chillburger in the same parking lot. the place was packed this early evening. maybe a dozen tables in the dining room for eat in and they were NOT spaced out for COVID. patrons were packed in, customers were waiting in line to order and were close up to one another, and jammed in and around other patrons while waiting for their food order to come out. many customers were not wearing face masks and not six foot apart. we received our food twenty minutes after ordering. the chicken tenders were freshly fried and better than most in the area but have skin or vein or strip thru each of them. which displeased me. the coleslaw and coke were good. the banana pudding looking appealing to order although it didn’t seem homemade. for the price and charm, I though it would be. for the price of the meal, i prefer chick-fil-a or Popeyes chicken sandwich. i didn’t like the customers packed in, there is probably an occupancy guideline. especially with COVID. there should be an employee at the entrance guiding customers through appropriately. i didn’t like that employees bring food out in the crowd looking for the number they give you. they should just call out on a loud speaker. food on tray exposed to the crowd of people. let’s just spread the Corona at Joella’s.....even though the chicken is a good quality and freshly fried,...