Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen — Restaurant in East Peoria

Review Date: September 14th, 2014

Thems some dang good biscuits.

After exploring the The Nina and The Pinta boats that were anchored in Peoria, we needed some grub. I asked my dad if he had any specific place he wanted to try. He said he did not. I asked if he wanted to check out Popeye’s and that’s where we ended up going. It was a new eating experience for us both as Popeye’s have just started to pop up in Central Illinois. I typically don’t review big chains but I make the exception if they are new to the area.

Popeye’s is a fast food chicken slinging place. You order your food at the counter and either get it to go or dine in. We opted to dine in as we had the afternoon free. Plus, dining in is part of the experience. We both stuck with a standard combo since we didn’t know what to expect. Our combos were fairly basic: chicken, fries, and sides. I opted for some coleslaw and a biscuit to accompany my main food. The place was a bit busy and we did end up waiting awhile for our food to come out. Frying chicken has to take a bit longer to cook than your usual fast food offerings. The wait was to be expected as the restaurant was new and still had that busyness to it that comes with any new place that opens.

At long last, our food came out and it looked tasty and smelled delicious. It was about the halfway point through our meal that we broke the silence and said the same thing.

This wasn’t really worth it.

Its not to say the food was awful. Its just that everything tasted so… bland? The chicken tasted like nothing despite the breading. There was a definite lack of spices in the batter or something like that. The french fries were alright, if not a bit soggy for my tastes. Again, that is just a personal preference on the fries. The coleslaw was forgettable but I feel that way about coleslaw in general. Its a side dish I like but not one I ever crave. Again, personal preference there.

So, was any of this meal good? Yes. The biscuit of all things. Somehow that biscuit, despite being a bit dry as biscuits usually are, packed a ton of flavor in the puck-shaped baked goodness. I’m not a biscuit lover by any means but this place had me reconsidering that. The thing was just dripping (metaphorically) in butter-y flavor. I strongly debated getting one to go until I saw the line at the counter.

We did finish the meal and sat there a little bit longer as we let the food settle. While we sat there, we discussed the cool ships we saw earlier in the afternoon and made some small talk about the lack of enthusiasm we had for our meal. We left and that was our experience. But was that my only experience with Popeye’s?

Nope.

Going a bit off the usual path, I have been back many times with my friend Tim. He loves this place and will pick it as a lunch spot when we hang out. My experience with Popeye’s has stayed pretty much the same since my first visit. Their food is just okay with the exception of two things. Their biscuits are my weakness and their new chicken sandwich, in my opinionated opinion, was awesome. I did eventually try it after the hype wore off and it was no longer a matter of life and death trying to order it. That chicken sandwich was seriously one of my favorites.

The staff at the Popeye’s Tim and I visit (we’ve visited multiple) do leave a lot to be desired. Each time we’ve gone, we’ve gotten less than the bare minimum effort from those working. It seems like none of them want to be there and doing their job is a painful process. We’ve never had an issue with our food but it does sully the experience when it feels like you are the biggest inconvenience in the world.

The last two paragraphs don’t factor in to my score but it is something to keep in mind if you are wanting to try Popeye’s. I would revise the score to a 2 based on the poor customer service we receive when we go. No amount of love for their biscuits or the chicken sandwich can excuse the attitudes...

Warning this place is not what it use to be. I showed at 930p on 10/06/2022. I walked in to place an order for carry out. As I waited for assistance, a joung lady with a nasty attitude. Said only drive thru. I asked if I could just place my order. A tall male said not when the door is locked. I said the door was not locked. He said it will be. I still proceeded to the drive thru against my gut feeling. I ordered 2, 2pc meals with up charge to breast. And asked for a mash potatoes without gravy. They didn't have spicy, so I was left with only one option. At the window no matter how respectful I was, I received an attitude in return. I payed and got my drinks. And the young lady went to get the food. She was talking to another employee and he left laughing. Then she came back and said they had 2 beasts and if I would take thighs instead. Or I could wait 12 minutes. I said I would wait and was parked on the curb. I waited and the tall male brought me my food. I asked if they had given me the mash potatoes without gravy? He said he needed one of the ones back. So I gave it back to him. Then he came back with rice and beans said they didn't have anymore. I said for reals he then said he wouldn't lie. Again I said thanks respectfully. And I could see in his face he was disappointed that I didn't return his behavior. When I reached my destination and we got our food out. We did not get what was ordered. We got 2 dried up chicken breast that looked like they had been sitting around. They looked like they threw them into the frier because they were burnt.and the thighs were all slimmy and had a nasty smell the mash potatoes and gravy didn't taste right. The food was put in the trash. Now I will say this is a real review. All those employee's should be put under investigation along with their management. Not only was my experience unpleasant, the food was under heath food administration expectations. I will not be returning to this location. Due to fear of food poisoning. One star because I don't have the no star...

If I could give this place no stars, I absolutely would because 1 star is too much. I have had nothing but bad experiences with every Popeyes location from here to the cities, and sadly, it doesn't ever get any better.

As soon as we arrived, we saw a sign that said exact cash or credit/debit card. Okay, not the end of the world, but a tad bit annoying.we walk up to the counter and the woman working was on her phone, she put her phone away and just stares at us as we are trying to decide what to order. They were out of nuggets completely, so I couldn't get that for my daughter. My boyfriend tried ordering the spicy chicken strips, and she very rudely said they didn't have any spicy. We got our cups for our drinks. They had ice in them already because their ice machine in the lobby was not working, I guess? There was something black that fell into my daughter's drink as she was filling it up. The other drinks we got tasted flat and absolutely disgusting. My boyfriend asked for not only barbecue sauce but ranch for the chicken, and they were out of both. Like I get some things are hard to get right now and we are normally very understanding people but this has been an on going issue for Popeyes for the last year or so and it been more than one location. There was no toilet paper or paper towels in the women's restroom. And no toilet paper in the men's room. I will never give this company another penny of my hard earned money. There needs to be some major changes, or they need to be shut...