Blake Umlauf understands the appeal of fried chicken.
"It's hard to beat classic southern comfort food," he said. "People love fried chicken and Texas toast and cole slaw. The chicken brings back incredible memories for people."
Blake, marketing coordinator for the two Fayetteville Zaxby's Chicken Fingers & Buffalo Wings locations, meets a lot of people who love their chicken. And, chicken is what the crew at Zaxby's does best. It is a company tradition stretching back to when two friends had one great idea.
Zaxby's lore
Two childhood friends, Zach McLeroy and Tony Townley, were hanging out, playing basketball, talking trash and tossing around an idea. They didn't know much about the restaurant business. But they knew this much: the chicken they could find in Statesboro, Georgia, where they lived, was okay, but not really fresh or savory. Plus, none of the local chicken places were fun or had any personality. So they dreamed up Zaxby's right there on the basketball court. Between Zach's missed foul shots and Tony's bricks from 3-point land. The rest, as they say, is chicken history.
Source: Zaxbys.com
Zalads & Zappetizers
Flash forward from 1990 and Zaxby's now has locations in 16 states and is growing. Blake contends that the popularity of Zaxby's isn't only because of the quality chicken they serve, but also because of the variety of options and sauces offered.
"We are very proud of our Zalads," he explained. "My personal favorite is our Cobb Zalad. Freshly mixed greens, red cabbage and carrots topped with your choice of grilled or fried chicken, Roma tomatoes, cucumbers, bacon, a hard-boiled egg, fried onions, cheddar and Jack cheeses with Texas toast. Yum."
"When it come to Zappetizers, everyone should try our fresh, fried tater chips. You can really tell the difference between these and regular bagged chips. Some love to pair it with our buffalo chicken dip. I really like the batter fried mushrooms with our dipping sauces. That's a really delicious side."
Other Zappetizers include fried white Cheddar bites and onion rings.
All of Zaxby's menu offerings are better when paired with one of the restaurants' signature sauces.
"We have so many sauces to choose from," Blake said. "We have our classic Zax Sauce, which is a creamy blend of zesty spices and pairs perfectly with our chicken. We have everything from a hot honey mustard to sweet and spicy with ginger and red hot chili pepper. Some people go for the Insane Sauce because they are, well, insane. It's our hottest one. Our BBQ and teriyaki sauce are two favorites, too."
Creating memories
Blake understands the draw of a fast casual restaurant to folks needing to get in and out in a hurry. You can do that at Zaxby's, but Blake insists they approach dining differently than most in the fast casual restaurant business.
"There are two things you think of when you think of fast casual dining," he said. "You think that 'fast' is the priority and that some things could possibly get overlooked in that process, but at Zaxby's it's not.
We slice every vegetable fresh for the salads. Everything is really cared for and shown the attention that it deserves."
From large catering orders to the drive-thru favorites, Blake said all orders get treated with the same care.
"You might just be getting a meal deal," he said. "But a whole lot of people came together and put effort and love into that meal. Whenever I'm in the kitchen it doesn't feel like I'm in a fast food kitchen. It feels like I'm in a true southern kitchen where people are gathering to create memories that will last a lifetime."
Zaxby's Chicken Fingers & Buffalo Wings
1670 M.L.K. Jr Blvd
(479) 575-9171
Zaxby's Chicken Fingers & Buffalo Wings
3251 N College Ave
(479) 935-4575
On the web: zaxbys.com
NAN Dining Guide Spotlight on 01/21/2018