Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers  ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

At the top of this list, Cane’s had everything. From the food to the environment to the price, everything was excellent. The restaurant was clean, and the decorations, including disco balls and posters, along with the music made for a very welcoming atmosphere. Incredibly, after I ordered it took less than two minutes for my food to be ready, so the workers were definitely more than prepared. Next, the food was simply amazing. The chicken fingers were moist and crispy on the outside, and even though it was a bit lacking in seasoning, the Cane’s sauce made up for it. Combined with the Texas Toast and fries, Cane’s gave me a meal that was incredibly tasty, filling and relatively cheap.

Chicken Out  ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Falling just behind Cane’s, Chicken Out had even better food, but with a higher cost. The worker was very nice, though the wait time was on the higher end. The environment was very clean, and decorations throughout, including trophies from local competitions and a mural with a modified Hollywood sign reading “Cluckwood,” made for a very welcoming vibe. When the food came out, it was noticeably better than every other restaurant. With a much cleaner presentation compared to the others, the chicken and fries were seasoned with their signature Chicken Salt. The texture was consistent throughout every part of the meal, and the flavor was full but not too strong. As a local restaurant, Chicken Out gave me the most important thing I wanted: good food.

Chick-fil-A  ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

With above average food and exceptional service, Chick-fil-A was good, but not good enough to make it into the top half of the list. When I went to order, I was immediately greeted with a very polite worker and received my food in no time. The seats, floor and tables are all spotless, and a different worker even gave us sanitizing wipes when I was nearly done with my food. The chicken, while slightly unseasoned, had a nice crunch to it. The fries were very slightly undercooked, but the sweet and tangy Chick-fil-A Sauce made up for it. Overall, Chick-fil-A was a very pleasant experience that left me with a smile.

Popeyes  ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Unlike the top three, the remaining restaurants were not as impressive. As soon as I walked in, the energy was different. There was a lack of decorations, the floor was dirty and for some reason, there were random jugs of hand sanitizer on the tables. After the longest wait time out of all five restaurants, I finally received my food. Heavily contrasting with the restaurant’s interior, the food was decent. The chicken had a nice crunch, was very moist and was well seasoned. The fries didn’t stand out by any means and the nuggets smelled a bit suspicious, but the taste was very solid overall. Popeyes, while not bad, didn’t have any qualities that made it stick out of the bunch.

Shake Shack  ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

At the bottom, Shake Shack’s chicken was clearly below-par. Even though Shake Shack isn’t known for its chicken, I was still surprised at how dry and bland it was. The sauce that I asked for was also questionably cold, like it had been just taken out of the refrigerator. The fries didn’t have any outstanding qualities, being slightly under-fried and lacking flavor. Overall, the taste couldn’t compare to the other restaurants. The environment on the other hand was not bad with decent lighting. There was even a shuffleboard table! However, as a chicken review, there was nothing good that I can really say about Shake Shack.