What I thought was a local concept, turned out to be an American franchise brand. Cluckster's, in Kaslik (facing Downtown restaurant) offers chicken-based items and is said to be famous for Cluckster's wing sauce. On the website of the American franchise, it is reported that the place was founded by the Haddad family, which sounds Lebanese.
I was not impressed as I walked in. I spotted three staff members, with no uniform, just sitting around the place spreading negative vibes. Looking around, the tables appear to have suffered a million scratches, grey tiles cover the floor, harsh white lighting give the place a kitchen and bathroom feel, and there are faded photos which seem to have been taken in the seventies...
The same staff member who takes the order prepares the ‘fast food’ - not the most accurate description.
On the menu:
Chicken cluckwiches, beef burger-wich, fish-wich, buffalo wingers, boneless Buffalo wings, chicken tenders, mini bites, wraps or sabs, salads and chicken breast.
25 minutes later... food:
- The fries are brown and crunchy, well cooked but have a bizarre aftertaste from the oil.
- The chicken wraps consist of raw tortillas in need of a bit of toasting. Good quality chicken, crisp, but it contains a bit too much mayonnaise and corn that don’t add any value to the sandwich. I had two different kinds and both tasted exactly the same.
- Fried chicken tenders with honey mustard. The chicken is juicy and tender but the batter is oily and lacking crispiness.
- The Buffalo boneless wings are all about the sauce, it's the sauce that makes all the difference. Watery chicken which is not cooked as well as it should be, but a very good sauce.
- The chicken burger consists of Lebanese style bread covered with sesame, a very thick piece of tomato and a piece of fried chicken breast. Good enough... but the two burgers I had tonight tasted very similar.
Cluckster's is not a bad place but I didn’t feel there was much to write home about. It is definitely a place where you get great value for money, half the price you'd pay at Roadster, and I'm sure that if a bit more effort were made here the place could become popular and more widely known.
I'd change and improve:
- Average ingredients, and too much mayonnaise. The quality of the chicken is good but there’s a lack of dedication during preparation. American Fast food...
- The decor needs an urgent uplift
- The menu is too complicated; make it smaller and clearer
- Delivery personnel should not be allowed to sit in the restaurant like one of the customers
- Change the frying oil more often
The verdict: unbelievable prices for a quick bite.
