Daddy's Chicken Shack ~ national chain : Colorado Springs, Colorado

Latest visit: Apr 2025 (Voyager)

First visit: Apr 2024 (Voyager)

HQ: Castle Rock, CO (founded in 2018 in Pasadena, CA)

Locations: They were to expand rapidly last year, but are stuck on 6 locations. Looks like Colleyville closed. For Colorado they also have one in Littleton. Texas gets one each in the Houston and Austin metro areas. Phoenix and Orlando round out the total. Very disparate locations. This is a tough time for the restaurant industry.

Almost precisely one year later, I'm back at Daddy's Chicken Shack for the second visit. This time armed with a coupon offering a free sandwich. No strings attached even. I hope this isn't a sign they're struggling for business. In any case, can't pass up this deal. And Mrs. RJG and I had to go to the Denver area for a family dinner event, so this will make the perfect lunch. Grabbed two chicken sandwiches and brought them home.

Just basic Nashville Hot Chicken this time. I was pleased, and really enjoy the heat factor. And a good time to note that the temperature of the sandwiches were still hot even after driving them home. Mrs. RJG wasn't as thrilled saying they put on too much sauce and felt the bread was "mushy" because of it. She doesn't like sloppy sandwiches. No matter, stays in the RJG Rotation. Not sure if she'll join me next time.

---original 4/6/24 review

Chicken is hot - in more ways than one - so add Daddy's Chicken Shack to the list of up and comers. They very recently opened up near our house and a little bit outside of Mega Chain Valley. Today Mrs. RJG and I decided to try them for the first time. This locale used to be one of those modern salad places. Probably not the best area for one of those. Architecturally interesting with a high ceiling, spacious with limited seating, and full of natural light. You can order at the counter or from the two rather large screens on your left. I chose that for us being the IT kinda guy that I am. Knuckled our order in, and we awaited our meal. They had the audacity to ask for a tip - it gets more ridiculous each place we go. Soon they'll ask for a tip just because you walked in the door. Of course you're not getting one...

We waited longer than expected, but that's OK if they're cooking our meal, and it appears that's what happened. Out came two very hot (temperature) chicken sandwiches. I went with the 303, which includes Denver's own Santiago's green chile (featured in this blog) along with bacon, cole slaw, and remoulade. Really like the brioche bun and the chicken texture - thick and juicy. The chile didn't penetrate at all, and the spice was mild. It looks like that's only going to be a local option, as I didn't see it on the Colleyville menu for example. I prefer feature items, but I'll definitely go for the Nashville Hot option next time. Mrs. RJG went with the more basic Pressure Cooked Simple Daddy. She really enjoyed it. She had the meal deal so we also tried the seasoned fries which were excellent as well - and a bit spicy surprisingly. They have Diet Dr. Pepper as a fountain option so we didn't want to pass that up, and they mixed the drink properly.

Daddy's Chicken Shack has now been added to the RJG rotation. I'll probably get it to-go for lunch some workday while watching a movie or a show. It's only five minutes away.

4/6/24 (new entry); 4/5/25

Five Guys Burgers and Fries ~ national chain : Colorado Springs, Colorado

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Pietro's Italian ~ Dallas, Texas CLOSED

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