Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen — Restaurant in Williamsburg

My fiance and I were so excited a Popeye's was opening in Williamsburg after recently moving here from a city with a Popeye's. We went one time not long after the grand opening right when the craziness had begun to die down and it was good--usual Popeye's.

The second time we went, I had to repeat my order several times to the woman taking my order. She seemed to have trouble understanding me (I'm not sure why, as it's not usually an issue I run into, and both of us seemed to be native English speakers with no discernible accent) so much that she switched with someone else to have them take my order. When I got to the window, they did not give me the drink I had ordered that came with my combo. When I told the woman at the window she forgot my sweet tea, she thought I said "sweet heat" and handed me some sauce and I had to correct her again.

When I got home and checked everything, I realized the "Double Dippers" I had ordered which were supposed to come with ranch and parmesan (hence the "double dipping") had not come with either. They were just plain bites of chicken with no sauce but the sweet heat I hadn't even wanted.

My fiance and I tried again thinking the second visit was just a fluke after our good experience the first time. We were told they were out of boneless chicken, at around 7PM. Not that they needed to make more, just that they were out.

The fourth attempt, the drive-thru was closed and blocked off with cones. After the first two attempts, we didn't think it was worth parking and going inside. We went somewhere else instead.

The fifth attempt, I again tried ordering the "Double Dippers." We were told they were out of boneless chicken and it would be 10 minutes to wait for more. This time I was given a two-sided container... of ranch on both sides, no parmesan. What do they think the "double" part means?? Who thinks a two-sided container is meant to have the same thing on both sides? Why would it be a container of just ranch when they have plain premade ranch sauce packets they could have given instead?

My fiance remarked it seems they may be understaffed as every time there have been only a couple people we have seen inside working despite many cars in the parking lot and drive-thru. I hadn't read the other bad reviews until now and I'm not surprised as they were the same exact experiences we've had--slow, sloppy service, understaffed, and understocked.

One star because food was typical Popeye's despite orders being incomplete, one star because staff were not rude. We've run out of patience for this Popeye's and I don't think we'll be giving it any...

We are huge Popeye's fans, and couldn't wait to get one in Williamsburg. Normally I wouldn't give a new place 1 star, but this one earned it. When we arrived, 2 registers were open, one being operated by the manager, who took our order. After waiting 30 min, I returned to the counter to inquire about my food. The manger just stood there complaining about the fact that she was now the only one working the register...meanwhile, the lady, who was doing all the dining room duties, took a keen interest in my issue and proceeded to track down the problem. She found out that the blackened strips order was not relayed to the kitchen and hence, no one was cooking them. She said they were now cooking them and if I still wanted them they should be ready in 10 minutes. The manager just stood there and continued to complain, but did nothing. The dining room attendant (lady) proceeded to stay on top of the order, I thanked her for her efforts, but decided to go somewhere else to eat. Then the manager left the register and I waited for someone to come back to get my refund. Finally, this same unsung hero (dining room lady) realized I wanted my refund and found another supervisor to come do it. The manager did a couple of drive bye (s) but was more than happy to let others fix her screw up. They were able to get her to come and insert her key for the refund, but that's about it. As we were leaving, the (dining room) lady got the order and gave it to us with an apple pie thrown in for our trouble...maybe she should be the manager! Anyway, other issues were they would often call the wrong number (we almost got food in 15 minutes, but they called my number for someone else's totally different order). But then seemed to get attitudes because no one was responding to their many wrong number calling. Most places will call out what is in the order after unsuccessfully calling a number a couple of times...but not these guys, they just keep calling the number, and then blame the customer. I am attaching a picture of the horrible blackened strips that were seasoned to the point of not being edible. The strips should be light tan to golden brown, but never like this. Hopefully the manager will learn how to manage and they will learn how to cook menu items, but as for us, we will not be back. We will continue to enjoy Popeye's when we are in other towns, but unfortunately, not in...

Store Location

Not in the best place, its across from an Aldi so thats nice. GPS found it with no problems.

Cleanliness

Eating area was mostly clean. Some food debris on the cushioned tables. But otherwise, spotless. Flies are around, though, that's not a good sign.

Service Beware. Not all employees here care about their work, so their customer service isnt there. There is one lady, not the manager, but who carried herself very well. She had the most experience and she made our overall experience bearable. The other employee took our order, and you could tell from her demeanor and the way she engaged with customers that did not care, or was otherwise uninterested. The cashier was an Asian looking lady, pretty quiet, not much of a smiler. The manager corrected our order after the employee did everything wrong, and the manager really saved our ability to enjoy our food. We paid about $30 for a big family meal, which came with sides.

So, check your order after you get it, count the chicken to make sure it is what its supposed to be, make sure its hot, if you also ordered spicy, take a bite and make sure. Make sure the biscuits are hot when you eat them, as well.

I feel like the cook(s) were hasty at some point, bc our initial chicken basket was chewy in several pieces; the manager fixed that right up!

We eat Popeye's frequently, since the early 2000s; so we know how the food is, and what to expect. This location's dining experience does not surpass any in the DMV area.

Food After is was corrected by the manager and by the one employee who cared, it was great. Make sure to double check everything.

The cooks should follow the guidelines to a T. A mis-cooked chicken can make a person...