Zaxby’s (photo credit-zaxbys.com)
Driving around most neighborhoods in America, you will often find teenagers out playing basketball, few of them are talking about opening up a restaurant, and even fewer than that go on to do it, much less do it successfully. Zach and Tony were unique. Growing up in Oconee County Georgia, they had been friends since the 5th grade and while playing basketball together one day decided to open a chicken restaurant. Twenty-eight years later they are still friends and now own and operate over 800 locations around the U.S.
General Restaurant Information
Food Type: Chicken
Restaurant Type: Fast Food
U.S. Locations: 825
States: 16 states, Zaxby’s Locations
Company Slogan: Indescribably Good
Contact Information
Website: zaxbys.com
Questions: Contact Information
Phone number: 866-892-9297
Email: guestservices@zaxbys.com
Blog: Zaxby’s Blog
FAQ Page: Frequently Asked Questions
Ownership
Who Owns Zaxby’s? Zaxby’s
Headquartered: Athens, GA
Contact Information:
Website: zaxbys.com
Email/contact page: Contact Page
Phone: 866-892-9297
Address: 1040 Founders Blvd, Athens, GA 30606
Do They Franchise? Franchise Information
What Is It Like To Work At Zaxby’s?
3.7/5 or 74%; 3,300 Reviews (indeed.com)
3.3/5, or 66%; 811 Reviews (glassdoor.com)
The original location was at 425 Ponce De Leon Ave opened in March 1990
The History of Zaxby’s
Original Location: 425 Ponce De Leon Ave NE, Statesboro, Georgia
Founded: March 1990
Founded By: Zach McLeroy, Tony Townley
Biography Articles:
Co-founder sold his drums to start a chicken chain (myacjc.com)
The Founders (zaxbysproject.weebly.com)
Founder Obituary: Still Living
Name Origin: The name was taken from the founder, Zach McLeroy
History Page: Company History Page
Current View of Original Location: 425 Ponce De Leon Ave as it is today(link may not work on mobile devices without Google Maps)
Historical Articles:
Zaxby’s History (zaxbys.com)
Returning to where it all began (connectstatesboro.com)
Zaxby’s co-founder sold his drums to start a chicken chain (myajc.com)
History of Zaxby’s (fastfoodmenuprices.com)
Our Story (zaxbysfranchising.com)
Social Awareness
Charity Focus: Make A Wish Foundation
Green | Eco-Friendly: No resources found
Animal Cruelty: No resources found
Discounts At Zaxby’s
Rewards Program: Zaxby’s Reward Program
Do Kids Eat Free at Zaxby’s?
What day do kids eat free? Tuesday (maybe)
Summary: As always, call and check with your local store to see what kids eat free promotion they are running at the time. They may or may not participate in a kids eat free offer.
“Up to two kids meals for just $0.99 each with adult entree (Ages 12 and under)” (pennypinchinmom.com)
Does Zaxby’s Offer Military Discounts?
Summary: Some locations may offer a military discount. You will need to check with your local store to see if they participate. Don’t forget to have your military ID with you.
What Does Zaxby’s offer for My Birthday!?
Summary: Currently when you join the Reward Program, they offer a free nibbler (a chicken slider sandwich) on your birthday as well as a free gift at the time you sign up.
Do they Offer First Responder Discounts?
Summary: They do not offer a discount for first responders.
Do they Offer Senior Citizen | AARP Discounts?
Summary: They do not offer a discount for senior citizens.
Are There Any Other Discounts or Benefits?
Summary: Currently, they are offering the following promotion for joining their Zax Club
“Get exciting news, promotions and more, straight to your inbox or phone! Join the Zax Email Club and receive a FREE Sandwich Meal just for joining. Then, on your birthday, you will receive a FREE Nibbler!”
Zaxby’s (pc-groupon.com)
Amenities
Order Online: Yes, by store location
WiFi Available: Yes
Use Apple Pay: No
Reservations: No
Catering: Zaxby’s Catering
Drive-Thru: Yes
Open 24 Hours: No
Customer Reviews of Zaxby’s
Yelp: 3.25/5 or 65%, 481 reviews sampled
Tripadvisor: 3.75/5 or 75%, 228 reviews sampled
Overall Average: 3.50/5 or 75%, 709 reviews sampled
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Food & Nutrition
Menu: Zaxby’s Menu
Kids Menu: Zaxby’s Kids Menu
Secret Menu: No
Most Popular Menu Item: Chicken Finger Plate & Buffalo Chicken Finger Plate
Coke or Pepsi: Coke
Does Zaxby’s Serve Alcohol: No
Nutritional Information: Nutrition Guide
Vegetarian | Vegan Options: There aren’t many vegetarian resources out there for which is no surprise for a “chicken” restaurant, but at least with some chains, they make an appeal to vegetarians/vegans where Zaxby’s does not.
“Side salad and crinkle cut fries” (urbantastebud.com)
Farm to Table | Organic Options | Clean | Non-GMO: No resources found
Miscellaneous Nutrition Resources:
The Worst Fast Food Chicken (eatthis.com)
Ranking fast food chains from most to least calories (herald-review.com)
Allergy Information
Allergen Information: Zaxby’s Allergen Guide
Gluten Free Options: Although no resources are provided on the website, there was at least one external resource.
Gluten-Free Menu (nogluten.io)
Dairy Free Options:
Zaxby’s Dairy Free Options (godairyfree.org)
Restaurant Guide For Dairy-Free Dining (godairyfree.org)
Peanut Free Options: No resources found, but the following may be helpful to you.
Food Allergy Guides For Many Chain Restaurants (verywellhealth.com)
Ways to Eliminate Risks of Peanut Allergy When Dining Out (healthguidance.org)
Zaxby’s (pc-ccsconstructionservice.com)
Does Zaxby’s Have Any Secret Recipes?
Secret Recipes:
Chicken Fingers Dipping Sauce (geniuskitchen.com)
Did You Know?
Fun Facts:
The concept came from two childhood friends while playing basketball
The chain was based on the success of Guthrie’s, who claim to be “America’s First Chicken Finger Restaurant”
When McLeroy and Townley began opening additional locations, they always focused on college towns until opening the first non-college town in Agusta, GA.
Zach McLeroy sold his drum set to help fund the $16,000 raised to open their first store.
The two childhood friends own 50% each of the company which has no debt (source: AJC)
Interesting Articles:
Zaxby Founder Sold His Drums Start Chicken Chain (myajc.com)
Chicken Wings Tenders (usatoday.com)
Zaxby’s (al.com)
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Social Media
Followers (as of August 2018) –
Facebook: 1,356,847
Twitter: 93,300
Instagram: 72,700
Mobile Apps
Alternatives
Better Options: Coming Soon
Similar Restaurants: Coming Soon
In Summary
So often we are guilty of making assumptions. One of mine would have been that Zaxby’s is a better (healthier) restaurant than McDonald’s. I would have been wrong. There may be some healthy choices at the chain, but Eat This Not That states eating healthy here is like “finding a needle in a haystack.” Their sodium and additives along should scare you away. I can see the argument for some families who are taking the very unhealthy road to eat a cheaper meal but Zaxby’s doesn’t even offer that, it’s pretty expensive fast food. All that said, the one thing I think about when eating at there is how (at least in our city) they charge you a quarter for an extra sauce if you request it. Why anyone wouldn’t drive across the street to Chick-Fil-A instead baffles me.
I hope you found the information on Zaxby’s helpful and insightful; I know I did. The more we know and understand about the restaurants we eat at, the better decisions we can make of where and what we should eat. If you found this article helpful, would you please help others by sharing this with your friends and family. If there is anything you would like to see about a restaurant that’s not already listed or if there is anything I can do to make your restaurant experiences better, please leave a comment below, I would love your feedback! You can also email me at anytime backofthemenu @ gmail.com. Thanks so much for your time, I know how valuable it is.
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