Popeyes

I’m not the biggest fan of the whole Southern style chicken fast food thing, not big on KFC or any of the others, so that was my bias off the bat, but after all the advertisements I figured I’d give Popeye’s a try. Granted it also helped that they were close by to where I worked.
I found that I enjoyed it more than the standard fare, but it didn’t overwhelm me either. I liked the sides a lot, I tried the cajun fries and the cole slaw quite a bit. Also the shrimp was very good, considering that it was fast food. The chicken was also good for fast food, I went for the spiciest option and it was reasonably spicy, not burn your mouth gasping for a drink spicy, but definitely a comfortable level of hotness for somebody that likes spicy food.
Overall it was pretty good, definitely worth trying out to see if it’s your thing, I’d repeat if my options were limited, but I wouldn’t go running for it.

I have quite a long history of dining on fast food fried chicken and have been a recent patron of the Popeye’s located in Windsor. It was a little surprising that the Unilocal reviews for this particular location were generally below average. I say this because the quality of the food has been consistently good each time I make a visit. When I say quality I mean the chicken is hot, crispy and the meat is tender and juicy. Based on that experience, I have to give this place 4 stars. So far there has only been one time out of many where the chicken was dry and cold. Whereas my experience with KFC is the opposite. KFC chicken cannot compare.
Now, the only things that I can think of that go against this place is the location which is on the edge of a pretty run down strip mall and the other is that the drive thru is set up really weird. After you place your order you have to then turn your car to the right and do some deft maneuvering in an effort to line up your car with the pick up window without bashing your front driver side bumper against the concrete wall. Even if you make the turn perfectly you will find that you are like 4 feet away from the pick up window so you and the cashier are straining your bodies and extending the reach of your arms as far as possible without tumbling out of your car to do the money for food exchange.
Other than those details I recommend this place for tasty fast food fried chicken.

My goodness, I was happy when this location opened but I had two bad experiences here. The first time, the owner caught an attitude with me about a meal combo, I brushed it off because I thought he was tired.
The second time was much worse. My friend and I stopped here before running errands mid-​December 2012. The line was long and slow, but I was looking forward to some Popeyes. We put in our order and waited… and waited… and waited… WTF why are we still here. I remember having ticket number 21, and employees calling number 28, then 32, 39. I see the employees working hard, and the owners (not working as hard) openly berating them, someting else that didn’t sit well with me. Even customers noticed that we were still waiting. I showed the owner my ticket and told her I hadn’t received my food (she worked the register). Again, she yelled at the employees in front of everyone. After receiving our order, nobody offered an apology, a wave, a grimace, nothing. Just good ol’ fashioned rude. I get to the car and just shake my head at my poorly packaged food. The fries were cold sitting at the bottom of a bag, the sandwich’s wrapping barely covered and it was also cold.
I won’t dine from this location anymore.

Standard run-​of-​the-​mill fast food fried chicken. I will admit, it is better than the Hartford location, but I don’t expect that to last too long. By the end of the first week, the entire place was covered with grease — wherever you touched it was greasy. Understandably so with all of the frying they do, I guess I just wish they had better cleaner to cut through the grease rather than just spreading it around. Just unsettling I guess… because I can only imagine how it will look and feel a few months from now.
There seems to be an abundance of people there working in the back, and yet they seem to throw the new girl on the mixing of the prefab coleslaw which literally requires the opening of a bag of cabbage, a container or seasoning, and adding the mayonnaise to a big mixing bowl — and then mix away. Sounds simple right? I sat there for close to 15 minutes to witness this happening to a the poor woman next to me… at which time I was also waiting for the final pieces of my meal. After at least 5 minutes, I requested for my fries to be replaced as I suspected they would be soggy. I didn’t go as far as asking for the same with the chicken… but I should have. It was soggy by the time I made the 3 minute commute to my destination.
It is nice to have another fast food option around town, and I won’t say that I will never go back as I am sure I will, but I will admit that it is evident that it is being run by an entirely new crew of workers who just aren’t quite sure how to run a fast food joint. I guess you just need to level-​set your expectations before going in and you will be perfectly content.

I first noticed this Popeye’s a week before it opened and was very excited to see a Popeye’s closer to home. I usually go to the Popeye’s on Flatbush Ave. even though the Albany Ave. location is faster to get to. A friend went to the Windsor Popeye’s opening week and did suffer from opening week errors. She got the wrong chicken and they messed up her sides. I went to Windsor Popeyes tonight around 9 pm. I was hoping it would be a while before word got out that Popeye’s was here. No luck there. It wasnt too busy but people know it’s here. Upon walking in there were three employees sitting in the lobby area on break. While in line I noticed they were fully staffed already behind the counter with what looked the Asst. Manager helping out and the Manager standing around making sure everything was in order. Some say they may be over staffed but I prefer over staffed anyday than understaffed and my order is wrong. With all the staff there was just one register open. There were two groups in front of me that were handled timely. And my order was in a timely manner and it was correct. So all of the staff work together to get your order out. The only issue I had actually worked in my favor. I ordered the 11 pc with 2 large sides and 4 biscuits for $ 19.99. When the cashier punched it in it says it actually comes with 6 biscuits. She asked the manager why does the board say you only get 4 biscuits, the manager told her nicely just give me the 6. On my way out I did notice the soda machine tray that catches the ice was overflowed. So not sure if customers are too zealous when filling up their sodas or if its the ice maker giving too much ice. Not a big issue at least unless it starts to fall on the floor. All in all a good experience at this Popeye’s. I will return.

I was excited to hear through a co-​worker that this location existed. As Dan mentioned, this location used to be a McDonald’s Express in a less than desirable area of Windsor. This plaza also used to house some favorites like AJ Wright, A&P and Ponderosa. I went in at about 10:45 am. I was the only customer in there at the time I ordered (Ticket #10 for the day). The young lady at the counter was a bit nervous and getting to learn their system (see Dan’s comment about «opening week growing pains»). She was pleasant though. My order was made quickly and accurately except for the side sauce (They gave me the correct sauce when I returned to the counter).
The store was clean and tidy, but I’d hate to see it during a rush for the following reasons.
1) No ice in the soda machine. Should be filled first thing in the morning.
2) Two sets of people came in while I was eating. I could hear «we’re out of coleslaw» «I need quarters» «I need spicy wings»… you should be ready to start the day, not scrambling for simple stuff like that.
3) A lady wanted to eat in and was given her food in bags.
4) The garbage bin has a hole above it that was off center with the actual can. (Not an issue for me, but the spilled food and drink inside the cabinet will start stink and attract flies during the day.
Overall, I would return to this location. The food tasted fresh and I was glad that the young lady at the counter attempted to up-​sell me on a bigger order. I’m sure the store and its processes are new to everyone there. I’ll return in a week or two and see how things are.

Driving home from work today I saw they were open. They took over an abandoned McDonalds space in a depressing strip mall (an awful Ocean State Job Lot and an empty TJ Maxx) on the Northbound side of Route 159. I walked in to check it out, there were 2 customer lines backed way up to the middle of the store. The tables were dirty and there was a sauce packet spilled all over one table. Nobody in sight to clean up. I’m sure they are undergoing some opening week growing pains. I didnt eat there, just grabbed an exterior photo…