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tesg's guide to big chain road food consumption
CHAIN -- Checkers/Rallys Slogan
on bag: “You
gotta eat!” That’s
true, but I don’t gotta eat HERE. Checkers is one of those double-drive-thru discount joints that became such a craze for about one summer in the late 1980’s...1985 in this case, founded in Mobile, AL. The company is based in Clearwater, FL now. Rally's merged with Checkers in 1999. The two brands combined are the largest survivor of the double-drive-thru concept. The menu is standard fast-food fare…burgers, chicken, and hot dogs with
fries, drink, or a shake.
If anything stands out as significant, it’s the use of red onions
across the board.
Sister chain Rally’s shares an identical menu. So
what’s going to make me eat at Checkers?
Is it the burgers?
No. Is
it the chili dogs?
No. Is
it the chicken?
No. Is
it the fries? Yes. I’m
not a big fry fan.
I’m not a big fan of fried starchy potato-based products in general.
I have exceptions, such as Taco John’s spicy Mexi-Fries and
occasionally a morning order of Hardee’s Hash Rounds.
As far as French fries go, my exception is Checkers. The
Checkers fries are more like steak fries.
Orange-to-brown in color, coated with a spicy seasoning, they are crisp,
flaky, and very tasty.
You won’t find anything like them at McDonald’s. So
what do you have to go with your fries?
The “Champ” burger line is good and has kind of a homemade taste to
it., but it isn't that unusual short of having red onions.
The
Checkers chili dog is topped with a chili dog sauce and red onions.
The sauce will be a favorite for those who like a more “green
pepper”-tasting chili.
This does not include me.
The frankfurter was unremarkable, typical of any cheapo store brand dog. Then
there’s the “Big Chicken”, the menu item most often mentioned to me by
others who have had Checkers.
The fried breaded chicken patty is a spicy one that actually tastes
better if you discard the bun, lettuce, mayo, and tomato.
Everything else just gets in the way.
But again, ultimately, nothing special or unique. Finally
there’s the chicken snack.
Spicy chicken breast strips in a container that includes the fabulous
fries. You
can get ranch sauce to dip the strips in.
Dip the fries in it too.
But even here, the spiciness of the strips affects the flavor of the
fries. Nuts. But
I do have another menu item endorsement for Checkers…their milkshakes.
The shakes have an unusual old-fashioned “real” sense to them.
You can actually taste the chocolate syrup.
They’re still not good enough to be called the best, but they’re
right up there. So go with a Champ, fries, and a shake. Or a Coke. Whatever. Checkers has been somewhat stagnant in the growth department in recent years. But Checkers has a new look coming soon to new locales. The new building is a modular pre-fab design that not only is delivered and assembled, it can be easily removed and relocated. So if Checkers/Rally's fails near you, the company or franchisee can pick up and move elsewhere. Checkers
claims to cook to order (nothing I’ve had suggests otherwise…it’s always
been hot and fresh)
and price-wise are generally a little cheaper than average.
Between that and the fries, maybe that’s enough for Checkers to
survive. Probably
not THRIVE, but survive. Click here to return to tesg's guide to big chain road food consumption |
