Zaxby’s — Restaurant in Temple

We have traditionally loved Zaxby's food, but the chain is getting harder and harder to love. This latest visit to the Temple location was just one of a series that is leaving a bad taste in our mouths (no pun intended).

We arrived relatively late on New Year's Day 2022 evening, a couple of hours out from closing. Our experience was not a good one. Specifics:

1. Like virtually every Zaxby's we've been in, the temperature was absolutely frigid in the dining area. They are all cold, but this one was crazy cold and we shivered while our food cooled off super-fast.

2. The ice machine was out of service, as it has been at other Zaxby's. Not sure if that is a COVID-driven thing, but if so that doesn't make sense, as the ice part of the soda machine was working. Either fix it or take it out.

3. There was no tea of any kind out in the dining area.

4. There were no condiments of any kind in the dining area and we had to go ask for ketchup, salt, and pepper (it was not offered when we got the order). A lot of restaurants are still doing this from when COVID started, which is ridiculous. I'm not going to get COVID from a ketchup dispenser...

5. The soda machine was out of half of the Coke and Dr. Pepper options. When I asked about it at the ordering area, the on-duty manager asked me what I was looking for. I said Vanilla Dr. Pepper. She said they didn't have that up front. She was not friendly.

6. The bathrooms needed attention, as they often do at Zaxby's... Trashcans full, overall not clean...

7. When we ordered chicken finger meals we got cole slaw as a side. When we picked them up at the front we noticed there was no cole slaw. I went back up and asked for it and was told they were out of cole slaw. Would have been nice to know that. I asked what other optional sides there were to replace it. The not-friendly manager said bread or fries, which already come with the meal. I ended up getting extra sauce...

8. Speaking of sauce, when we initially ordered there was a sign taped to the register that said the original Zaxby's sauce was no longer available and had been replaced by a new buffalo garlic sauce. We love the original sauce and were very surprised it had been replaced, as buffalo is not something we typically care for. The order-taker confirmed this and said he'd give us some as part of the order, along with the ranch my wife ordered instead. Turns out that when I went back up to ask for ketchup I saw a whole bin of the Zaxby's sauce sitting on the back table, just like we've always gotten. The sign was apparently referring to the sauce normally put on the WINGS, not the fingers. I looked at the sign again. It did not say one way or the other. That would have been nice to know...

9. Finally, but definitely not least, we have found lately that the chicken is extremely salty. We've eaten at three separate locations in the last few months and all have been super-salty. The chicken had not been that way before. Not sure if the formula has changed or somehow all these locations were just adding a ton of salt, but the last thing Americans need on our restaurant food is more salt. It was not good.

All in all, this experience was pretty rough. Got it that it was on a holiday day, toward the end of the open hours, and COVID has greatly impacted the ability to hire quality people, but these are basics we saw going downhill even before COVID. If Zaxby's doesn't change up its approach toward quality, cleanliness, and customer service I'm afraid it'll be another chain that dies a slow death like so many others before it who have not held up standards and listened to customer input (I'm looking at you, KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Wendy's, Burger King, etc...)

Again, we love Zaxby's food, but are about to the point where we'll stop going if things don't get better, particularly the...

Long review ahead: This was my husband's favorite restaurant and I will say that the food is pretty good. I gave this a great deal of thought before reviewing, because I don't like to throw around negative comments without good reason. That being said, I really think this location could use some improvement. As I said, the food is good, but the service and attention to detail are lacking in a major way and it really puts a damper on the whole experience. I have a very serious gluten intolerance, (Cue eyeroll, I know. But it really is not made up and exposure results in very real illness.) so eating out for me is always a gamble. Salads are pretty much guaranteed to be safe, so that's what I ordered. I asked for a cobb salad with no Texas toast and no battered onions. The staff member said "No problem." But when my salad arrived it had both. I asked if we could get it corrected and the staff member said that I could buy another one... So my husband ate that salad and I paid $9 for another one. I nicely repeated, no Texas toast, no battered onions please. This time the salad came with toast, EXTRA battered onions and for some reason no tomatoes. I brought it back to the clerk and (very nicely) repeated again what I needed, and said that I really wasn't trying to be a pain but I had a real food allergy and just wanted to play it safe. The clerk rolled his eyes and said "Toast, tomato, they both start with a T. I wasn't sure what you said." He handed my salad to another clerk who rolled her eyes and said, "So like what DO you want?!" I repeated, just the salad, no toast, no breaded onions. When my salad returned I could tell it was the same salad as before and that they had just picked out the offending articles. It was also mysteriously missing about half the veggies. I wasn't going to argue it anymore and just ate it. Which was a bad idea on my part. Instead of the family day that we had planned, I spent the next 24 hours throwing up in front of the toilet. Major dissapointment, major ruined weekend. And what I was asking for really wasn't that difficult to deliver. I just needed 2 items left off. We will not be returning unfortunately. I would really like to see the staff gain some education about food...

Hot garbage. Ordered online. I arrived four minutes after pick-up time. Not a huge deal but order was not ready. Young guy asks if I'm there for a pick up, I say yes; another guy laughs and asks a young lady to make a tea. She set my order and a tea on the counter. I ordered one sweet tea and an unsweetened tea so I told her there should also be an unsweetened tea. While she is making that I peek in the bag, it looks like everything is there. I take my order home, open the bag, realize there are no Zaxby sauces in there. I ordered two meals, each stated they came with one Zaxby sauce. I opened my container, I ordered the Zaxby's signature club sandwich, which should include bacon on it, alas, no bacon (you pay more for this sandwich). I thought, oh well, I'm hungry. I took a bite of the sandwich, not even warm. Should have known because the cheese wasn't even slightly melting. Ate a couple of fries, they tasted like they were sitting out most of the day. I only live about five minutes away, food should at least be warm and somewhat fresh tasting when I get home. Nope.

I usually do not complain about stuff like this. I understand it is hard to find people to work right now. It is funny that these workers expect a $15 an hour wage but can't do the easiest tasks correctly, first of which is reading an order. The franchise owner of the Zaxby's in Temple, TX really needs to show up and see what is happening at this restaurant. The employees probably need to find some work ethic, manners, and another line of work...fast food is much too complicated for them. They were not busy so it should not have been too stressful to put my simple order together correctly. The manager should be ashamed of themselves for not having any kind of QC processes to make sure orders are fresh and most of all correct.

Sad day and age we are living in.

Bottom line, bad experience and not that anyone cares but I will not return to this Zaxby's and spend my money there. First...