With the recent grand opening of Slim Chickens on North Monroe Street and Raising Canes in the process of being built right across from Guthrie’s on West Tennessee Street, it seems that chicken is now becoming the main dish here in Tallahassee. The over-saturation is killing the taste buds of many, especially college students, who are craving anything but chicken fingers, wings, or a sandwich.
Tallahassee could get a significant upgrade if some of the chicken spots were replaced with something that was available after sunset and didn’t just serve the one meat that is cheap, easy to fry, and goes decent with a basket of crinkle fries.
There are 2 Chick-Fil-A’s right across the street from each other on West Tennessee Street. Imagine if you take out one of those and put literally any other food establishment that isn’t a Zaxby’s or Popeyes, and that alone would be a massive improvement to the food scene in this college town.
Outside of the lack of variety, there’s also a problem with the window of availability. In a town full of college students, one would think these establishments would stay open a bit later than usual. Unfortunately, that is not the case, as many establishments turn their lights off and close their doors at around 10 p.m. This leaves the night birds and partygoers without choices of places to eat after late-night activities.
As if it isn’t bad off campus, the chicken just doesn’t stop on the campus of Florida A&M University. A Wingstop in the student center, a Chick-Fil-A in the commons, and a new delivery restaurant called Tally’s Hot Chicken opened up just last week. Just fried chicken Wednesday alone should have Rattlers sick of the smell and taste of chicken.
Business hours on campus are also a problem as most restaurants close at 8 p.m., outside of The Pit, which closes at midnight—forcing those with late-night classes or study sessions to return to the dorms to snack on a hot pocket or noodle cup for dinner.
Whether it resorts to closing all the Zaxbys in Tallahassee as a whole or just getting rid of the Wingstop on FAMU’s campus, the era of chicken in the city needs to come to an end gradually, or the suffering of those who live here will continue.