Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken — Restaurant in New York

Wow, has this place gone down hill. Haven't visited since the pandemic started and first thing I notice are all these changes that the cashier(older woman) said were for the purpose of Covid safety.

Turns out there's another less obvious reason.

First off, I should of realized there were going to be issues when the cashier couldn't even spell my very common first name..I stopped correcting her after 3 tries but figured that I'd be able to make out my name should it be called. She also mentioned having been in a daze recently due to a birthday celebration..after what I eventually experienced, all I could say is no kidding..I should of realized that this was an early tip off to a very sloppily run outfit.

After I very clearly placed my order I then joined a line of people waiting an inordinate amount of time to pick up their food. During this wait time, I notice the very same cashier going over to the preparation area and referencing the order fill monitor above their station instructing/lecturing them on what clearly were issues in the prep part that was causing the backup.

Net net, I finally hear my ticket # and first thing I notice is that they got my order wrong. Out of the 5 options that I specifically requested(2 White meat breasts for example), 4 of them were incorrect. So, I clearly got the wrong order or the counter person inputted it incorrectly..dazed and confused?

Finally, and in support of my earlier comment on why this store is set up like a bio-hazard ward with plexiglass barriers preventing interaction with employees because of "Covid" reasons, it became frustratingly apparent to me that I was not able to communicate the mistaken order I received to even the closest counter person who was 1' away from me on the other side of the barrier.

Additionally, it was obvious to me that this person didn't give a damn about my issue and they could pretend that the barrier between us prevented resolving it. Also, I might note I tried to get the senior cashier's attention about the mistaken order and she, like the counter person, just stared at me like they couldn't understand what I was saying. After 10min of trying to resolve the mistaken order, I finally gave up and went about eating it.

Yes, the chicken was good but seeing all the delivery orders being picked up I can only imagine how many people were going through the same frustration after receiving incorrect deliveries.

At least I was right there in the store and thought I could resolve my issue..or you'd think so.

But alas, due to a combo of mishaps and weaknesses in the process(prep & counter people don't speak English very well & supposed Covid related barriers making direct communication almost impossible..yeah, Covi'd's the reason..yeah right!) I had no luck at all.

Anyway, I'm not going to risk this frustration happening again, especially at a ridiculously inflated cost of $25 for a rather simple order for one; so will not be returning to this restaurant...

Best of luck to anyone who's willing to pay such high prices at a restaurant that's so poorly run..but then again, people might not care that they're paying top dollar and not getting what they ordered..

I'm clearly not okay with...

Experience here was decent but a few misses that couldn't be ignored but I'll get to that gradually. Coming up here, I could easily smell the chicken being prepared from this establishment and it had me eager to enter the establishment. The moment I came in I was greeted by the woman behind the ordering section so service is definitely a high mark for she was very accommodating with me setting up my order.

Wait time wasn't overly long, I'd say about 7 minutes it took for my food to reach the table. I ordered the Tender Supreme Combo which came with fries, Cole slaw and a drink and a chicken Smashburger. I went with the chicken burger first and I know these can be an acquired taste but I can safely say I truly acquired how good that burger was. Compliments to the chef. Now onto the combo. The shoestring fries they had, not bad but I've certainly had better and they put a lot of them on my plate, I didn't care much to finish it all. I didn't touch the cole slaw because I've never been a fan of it so that leaves the tenders which were sublime! Just incredible. The sides here maybe average but the chicken is definitely solid, tender and juicy with the right amount of breading, wish I could say the same for the Chipotle Honey dip I chose with it. It wasn't terrible but jt didn't mesh well with the tenders, I prolly should've went with ranch. They also have a selection of their own kinds of fountain drinks. I tried out the creme sods and it was also very good. I've always been a fan of original drinks as opposed to the regular stuff that they easily could've had so the fact they went this extra mile for their drinks is great.

As for the place in general, it's pretty big. Not enormous but plenty enough of seating and it wasn't too crowded so I was able to eat in...

Exterior wise I'm unsure why there is only one usable entrance when the building has two access points on different streets. The place itself is decorated nicely. The menu is easy to read and understand for a first time visitor. Staff were nice and pleasant to have a transaction with.

Buffalo bites were coated nicely, I wish there was a bit more crunch and heat to them. I'd come back and get the regular bites with a hot sauce on the side. The chicken itself had a great taste and was juicy. The quality of their poultry is excellent. I believe this is where the higher price may come from.

Sweet potato fries were just as you'd expect them to be if you made them from scratch at home, that's a huge plus.

Vanilla milk shake was what you would expect it to taste like. There was nothing special about it.

I'll return to try their chicken sandwiches and other items, one major reason for 4 stars instead of 5 is pricing. For the price I paid, you could go to KFC or Popeyes which is near by and feed an entire family with fried chicken and sides. Is it fair to compare it to a big fast food chain? Not entirely, but when you think of bringing multiple people with you, you start to get conscious...