The Crispy Coop

(7/20/20) Ok so let me say this..Chicken is 90% of my diet..the latter Turkey. (No pork, beef or fish) With that said I love searching for new takes on fried chicken. Thus I searched and found this place on google search. 25 mins away but the reviews lured me in. I am an avid fan of HTC* but their prices have gone up so I started looking for an alt spot out of curiosity.

Upon entry of the Coop.. the place was somewhat empty a couple was eating outside on the patio. The interior was clean but lacked appeal for dining. (Decor) No biggie there just 1st impression. Staff was awesome right from the start. High energy, polite and welcoming. Major props there. Pricing was premium but fair. 6 wing dinner w 2 sides $10.50. Half Tennessee Mild/Half Nashville Hot. 3/3. I got 2 sides of mac n cheese since the greens contain pork and they were out of cornbread*.

This was a big deal for me because corn bread is one of the items that made me take the drive across town. It was early and empty so I wasn't sure how this could be, but ok. I drink Coca Cola products which they have at fountain and one of my preferred was Dr. Pepper which unfortunately for me "Out of Order"..No Sweet Tea option either or soda alternative. They do have unsweet tea.

Food is cooked to order so after 12-15 mins the food comes out fresh and hot. Presentation was nice and food looked appealing at glance. I immediately noticed no bread..which almost anywhere Ive had fried chicken its somewhat normal to get sliced white bread or dinner roll. Again with Corn Bread being gone, this could have been a great substitute. (Should be a menu item)

I started off with the mac. Creamy ala cheese sauce and great pasta choice. Verdict: Wayyyy better than HTC* (which to me tastes like bland mac out the box) Deep rich bold flavor. The Chicken: Mild has superb seasoning and a sweet buttery vibe and pretty much has zero heat factor. It immediately reminded me of fried chicken from a pan at home. The hot had the same robust seasoning with some paprika and stronger butter flavor but by no means was Hot or even Mild by normal standards. Nonetheless the flavor was there. Me and my friend who joined me both agreed that the chicken was very greasy. Not in the oily nashville sauce way because this recipe is NOT that but wet which made some areas of the chicken soggy. Still in all I was impressed enough with the freshness and seasoning that I was content. The bread definitely could have been a game changer to absorb excess butter or etc. Pickles would be cool too. Today (7/21/20) my stomach is in shambles. I've had diarrhea all morning and this was the only thing Ive ate since. (I wont factor that in my review and Im only stating to see if this may be common among other customers.)

Staff: 5 Pricing/Value: 4 Vibe/Decor: 2 Food Taste: 3

Overall 3.5 (suggest bread alternative or maintain inventory, more beverage options, enhance dining room experience and add some actual heat to the Nashville hot) I hope to see this place prosper with some updates.