The Crispy Coop — Restaurant in Columbus

(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...

I’m from the low country of South Carolina and I really just wanted some chicken, cornbread and collard greens for lunch because I miss home. I saw this place nearby where I work and decided to stop by for lunch. This is what I need to say about my experience:

1. Crispy Coop was tucked in a corner of a bit busy intersection but didn’t have much traffic coming to it. When I entered only a few people were here eating, the owner greeted me with a smile and took my order. As I sat and waited I noticed the decor wasn’t like your usual Fried Chicken spot, it was specialized and spoke of an independent personality. This place didn’t try to make it look like your usual spot because it didn't care to. Thats something I loved right off the bat, individuality.

2. The food was good, I got some cornbread, collards, and 2 pc hot honey dark chicken. A little bit too much sauce for my liking on the chicken but I meant to order the sauce on the side but forgot (more of a dunk-in-sauce guy). The chicken was crispy and flavorful. For $8 it was pretty damn good. The cornbread was a little dry and on the sweeter end but I got it while it was already made and waited out, it tasted good, I just didn’t get it fresh. The collard greens reminded me of home, it’s how my family would make it back in South Carolina. It was good and I loved it.

3. The owner checked up on me, but didn’t pry too much. He cares about his customers and actually has an interest in everyone that comes in. He greets everyone and calls everyone by their first name. I loved that. Everyone that left from inside, he said their name and goodbye. And everyone responded with gratitude. I knew they would come back and the owner knew it too, and only for good reasons.

There’s love from the community and I know why. This place is a good honest place, and the food smacks. Thank ya for...

It was my husband’s birthday and he decided to try this place since he read the reviews.

Getting to the location was a tad tricky. We ended up going into the Kroger’s parking lot hoping it connected and found out it didn’t — wah, wah, wah! Thankfully there’s a right only lane to take you to the restaurant.

We walked in and were greeted. The gal working behind the counter seemed sweet and friendly, and took out orders promptly. My husband got the breasts with Texas fries and corn bread; I got the tenders with mac and cheese and Texas fries. We added beverages and it was around $40.

After being served our food, we were excited — everything looked great!

Unfortunately, looks were deceiving.

My husband found multiple bones in the breast and out of the two pieces maybe had a few bites of chicken. My tenders … it’s like Hot Chicken Takeover: the meat is dense, thick, and dry with a little moisture. I don’t know if they have the same supplier? It just seems off. I also have expectations of anywhere setting out plastic cutlery for it to be easy to cut into. I only ate half of one, and a quarter of the way grabbed the ketchup for flavor.

The mac and cheese was subpar, and that was after three pepper packets and two salt packets. My husband’s corn bread was okay to me, though he didn’t seem to care for it too much. We both agreed the Texas fries were okay — could use some spice. We both ended up throwing a majority of it away, which we didn’t feel good about with how pricey it was. (I also know times are challenging now.)

I understand what tastes “out of this world” is subjective to everyone. My husband and I agreed that this wasn’t a place he and/or I would go back to (just our food preferences).

While it wasn’t for us, we can appreciate the cleanliness and friendly staff. We hope they succeed as a...