The Coop

I love wings & their teriyaki wings are delicious & not soggy. It has that crunch! The funnel cake fries are bomb! They’re system is super organized which I love. No chaos & it’s Right next to UF! Great service and very reasonable on time. Great place to stop for a bite to eat!

This is the very first place I came to eat when I first came to Gainesville. A nice quiet spot next to Cantina.
My girlfriend always gets chicken and waffles so that’s what I had to try first. I really enjoyed both, probably because I’m a person that really likes trying different sauces. I drenched my chicken in the garlic sauce. Being a person that doesn’t regularly eat breakfast, I don’t eat waffles quite often, but I did enjoy this one. Also, the French Fries that came with the meal were also quite good. I recommend this place to anyone that wants a quick snackZ

the coop sauce is one of the best sauces I’ve ever had, but the chicken seems to have gotten smaller, though, and unless you eat the fries at the restaurant, they’re almost guaranteed to be soggy. a little pricy, but it’s good enough to settle for.

The Mac and cheese is magical people! And the coop sauce ain’t bad either! Staff is always friendly! Wish the dining area was bigger, when they are busy it’s hard to find a seat!

We liked the food here. Chicken tenders were good, Coop sauce was excellent. Had a nice kick. Crinkle-​cut fries are a hit. Onion rings were top notch. Mac and cheese was especially good.
Not a lot of healthy options, so just know that going in and you’ll be alright.

Dude, this place in cool. The onion rings appear to be real onion rings, and not those cardboard factory processed things offered by lots of places serving so-​called pub food. The chicken quesadilla had real chicken in it. The counter person was really friendly, helpful, and seemed like she actually cared whether we enjoyed the food or not. The same with the person in the kitchen. I have never seen a kitchen cook type of person ask, as we were leaving, whether or not we enjoyed the food. The only bad thing is the onion rings had way too much salt in the batter, and the chicken had way too much pepper in it. If it were not for that, then we would make this a regular haunt. As it is, I am not sure we will be back. I just wish that they would leave it to the customer to season the food … I mean, after all there are seasonings available on the counter. What may be just right for one person may be way too hot and spicy for another. What may be lightly salted may be way too much salt for another. For example, I quit putting salt on my food a long time ago, and so a little salt goes a very long way. This is a shame because I really like this place.

I love The Coop! Definitely a great place with great prices and good food. It was my first time there and the server even made recommendations on what he thought was the best.

I have been wanting to try the coop for some time now, I work in construction so finding the time to make it over is hard but luckily today I was in walking distance. It’s a nice small place, indoor/​outdoor seating, medium range prices, friendly staff, good food. I ended up getting the chicken and waffles with bbq sauce. Chicken was tender and the waffle was hot, couldn’t ask for more. The wait time wasn’t bad, probably because its sumer time, but I can see it getting busy on normal school days.

Great place with great food. It’s a small restaurant but every time I’ve been here it’s been nearly empty, even when I went once on a game day. The chicken tenders are fantastic and definitely taste fresh. You can get them fried or grilled, but in my opinion the grilled chicken isn’t as tasty as if it were fried. The prices are reasonable but drinks don’t come with the meal.
Lots of TVs around the place. Right now they’re running a deal where you can get 3 tenders, sauce, side and a drink for $ 6. Not bad.

This is the latest establishment to inhabit this particular space. Strangely, it seems as if they changed almost nothing layout/​furniture-​wise from the previous place. No big deal, but a bit unusual. The menu mirrors Zaxbys with the tenders being the centerpiece item. Personally, I thought these tenders and their version of the house sauce were above average. I would place them above Zaxbys and below Guthries on my chicken finger scale which to me is a return-​worthy tender. I wish this place luck and hope it sticks around for ahwile…

Love the chicken biscuit meal!
One day I came in and asked for a softer biscuit while I was ordering, so later the owner came out and asked me how the biscuits were. I told her they were a little dry and she said that they make the biscuits at the start of the day. I suggested that they make them throughout the day and apparently that’s what they do now! Now the biscuits are soft and flaky and deserve these five stars. That’s pretty good service if you ask me.

I haven’t eaten here, and I wont, mainly because they don’t cater to my dietary needs.
It will be interesting to see how long it lasts considering a PDQ is opening where the Grandys is, apparently.

I was in the mood for chicken tenders and definitely wasn’t disappointed!
The fried tenders are extremely juicy on the inside — the chicken is cooked to the exact temperature of being done. And the breading is very light and crisp, it almost melts in your mouth. And the coop sauce — I absolutely loved it!
My friend and I both ordered the 3 tender meal with fries and were very satisfied with price and the amount of food. About $ 8 is a great price for lunch and leftovers.
As a local business, I would recommend The Coop to anyone and everyone! Support your local businesses!

If you’re looking for chicken wings, this the best place in Gainesville. Great sauces too.

Based on one visit, a solid three stars.
The interior hasn’t really changed since Kay Bros, but it gets the job done and is an overall pleasant atmosphere. I especially liked the photographs from campus on the walls. Much classier than posters.
I got the three tender meal, which is a nice price at just over seven dollars (tenders, coleslaw, toast, and an additional side). You can get your wings tossed in a sauce for an additional 10 cents a tender or get a wing sauce for free on the side… kind of odd to Nickle and dime that, but ok. I chose to have them tossed in Thai peanut sauce. They give you a buzzer to let you know when your food is ready, but I have to say this kind of bothered me since one is left wondering how many different hands have touched said buzzer.
All in all, the tenders were pretty good, although I think zaxby’s is a bit better. The Thai peanut was satisfactory, but I usually prefer some more peanut flavor. They have about six other sauces to choose from, so I’m curious to give those a try. Sides were all just fine, although I wish the toast had some garlic flavor to it. It was mostly buttery, but it’s still a vast improvement on the salt-​toast that Kay Bros was serving.
So; food is just, ok but it will definitely satisfy a chicken finger craving, and with Zaxby’s all the way over on Archer road this is your best bet if you find yourself in the area.

I live across the street from here (campus) so I’ve been a couple of times since they opened. The chicken is good, but better if you tossed it in the sauce. Fries aren’t so bad. The toast is a little soggy, and the biscuit could be warmer. I personally don’t see why Cole slaw must come with the meal, because I don’t eat cole slaw. Everything else on the menu I have yet to try, but I will one day.
Ps be careful for the shakes. The first time I ordered one I found some scraps.

I just ate there today and the Chicken & Waffles was LITERALLY THE BEST THING I’VE EVER HAD AT THE COOP. I’ve eaten the tenders, the sandwich, and the sub. Hands down the Chicken & Waffles was the best. Also, the employees were polite and changed the channel so that my friends and I could enjoy more March Madness. All in all, this was a great value and I will definitely be going back very soon.

Decent little spot if you like chicken wings or tenders.
I ordered the chicken & waffle with mac & cheese as a side, my wife ordered the 10 wing meal with fries (toast & cole slaw). I likes my meal quite a bit, though the butter on the side was too cold/​hard for the meal (luckily I didn’t really want to use it anyway). The mac & cheese was a little bland, strong cheese taste without something to balance it out. Still very good and loved the chicken & waffle.
My wife’s wings were good (garlic Parmesan) and we though the service was fine for a sit down and pick up your order at the window operation. Recommend, but nothing crazy out of this world good.

I came here because this store is the brainchild of the owner of four rivers. He wanted to bring his seasoning to chicken. That he did, but I had hoped he brought some of the sides over there too.
The tenders are great. Not dry chicken, pretty juicy inside. About four tenders would equal a breast. The coop sauce was good too. I got it fried without additional seasoning although I should have now.
As for the sides, not a big fan, especially the Mac. Felt it was a carryover from the previous tenants. Is southern Mac baked with cheese? I like mine creamy like at 4R. Also I thought I might enjoy the Texas toast. Meh. Same as before.
But I shouldn’t complain, but I should because I think the only change between the current tenant and the last one was the flip to chicken from BBQ. Now I don’t remember my experience with zaxbys but here I’ll remember the chicken the most. Not the sides. Just getting chicken from now on.

I tried The Coop for the first time today. I was disappointed by the closing of the former tenant, Kay Brothers BBQ, which I had loved, until I ate there today. It is now likely my favorite restaurant in Gainesville and very well priced! I had chicken tenders tossed in Asian Peanut sauce and they were easily the greatest chicken tenders I’ve ever had. I had no idea chicken tenders could ever taste that good. I went with two friends, one got the same tenders I did, and immediately stated that they were the best he had ever had. The other one got a chicken Caesar wrap and loved it so much she wanted to go back for dinner again tonight!
This is the first review I’ve ever written for a restaurant online because it was such an amazing meal I felt compelled to try to make sure The Coop doesn’t go the way of Kay Brothers BBQ and close. You can get a full, amazing meal for under $ 8 and I can’t recommend it highly enough.