Birmingham, Alabama is comprised of smaller suburbs that encircle the main city in every direction. To the north, you will find Fultondale, Gardendale, and more. To the south, there is Homewood, Vestavia Hills, and the list goes on. There are simply dozens of these suburbs. On my trips to Alabama, I have visited Fultondale to the north, as well as, Mountain Brook, Homewood and Hoover to the south. My quest for an excellent chicken sandwich took me to Hoover. Hoover is 15 miles (20 minutes) south of Vulcan Park. This is important because Hoover is also home to Super Chix.
What’s a Super Chix? It’s a quick service restaurant that’s a cross between a PDQ and a BTW. The focus on chicken reminds me of a PDQ but the unique flavor profiles call BTW to mind.
The Concept
Super Chix began in Dallas and has expanded to (at the time of the writing) 12 restaurants. Their corporate headquarters are now in Salt Lake City, Utah. Alabama has welcomed two Super Chix (in Hoover and Huntsville). The Hoover location opened in January 2020 just before the pandemic. You might think opening at that moment in history would destroy a new guy on the restaurant scene. However, when I visited in March 2022, business was booming. Why? Because the product they offer is delicious, fresh and the flavor combinations are unique.
Meet the Manager
“How is your meal? Can I get you anything or answer any questions?”
“This is my first time here and Oh. My. Goodness,” I responded.
He grinned from ear to ear. “I’m glad you like it. I’m sorry I didn’t come by sooner. We are short a person today and I was in the back hand cutting potatoes.”
“You must be the manager,” I said. “Can we talk for minute?” During my visit I chatted with Manager Zeel Zaveri about his passion for delicious chicken. He said the company’s vision is to expand to 100-200 stores nationwide. For me the jury is still out whether that much expansion is a good. But, for now, with only 12 stores, the quality is still there.
More Potatoes, Fewer Freezers
Mr. Zaveri assured me that the giant bins of potatoes in the restaurant’s dining room are not just for decoration. They hand cut massive amounts of potatoes each day for their signature French fries. Diners can then request custom seasoning (salt/sweet/rosemary/cajun) or have them served as cheese fries (queso blanco) or loaded fries (queso blanco, bacon, green onions.) For the record, it was treat day, so my husband and I went all-in on the loaded fries. The portion was massive and a lot of it went home with us.
Mr. Zaveri also assured me that when they said the food is fresh, they mean it. “There is no freezer in the store at all,” he said. I ordered the Bacavo grilled chicken sandwich which is topped with lettuce, tomato, bacon, ranch sauce and avocado. When I raved about the huge slabs of avocado on my sandwich, he said, “No one who loves avocado wants to get a sandwich with tiny strips of avocado.”
The Sauce Game
While at first I was concerned because my sandwich seemed at bit pricey at $8.49, when it arrived my concerns evaporated. The piece of meat was a reasonable size, and the bacon and avocado were piled on top in a more than generous fashion. My husband’s tenders were average in size and flavored quite well.
A bonus for all diners is that you can customize anything you order by selecting from seven different sauces on the sauce bar. Or get wild & crazy and mix a couple. My husband wasn’t a fan of the signature sauce which tasted like a blend of mayo and honey-mustard. However, he does have a personal dislike of mayo-based sauces. He fell in love with the Korean BBQ which had the sweet and the heat that he looks for in a good chicken sauce. I strongly suggest diners try them all.
Here’s A Tip
There are tons of lobby staff circulating and checking on diners to make sure their experience is perfect. Want a drink refill? They can bring you that. Need another sauce? They will deliver it to your table with a smile. A lobby staff member informed us that they are paid a slightly lower hourly wage because they share in the tips that diners leave when paying for their order at the counter. So, please remember to leave a gratuity when you place your order.
Custard
As if unprocessed chicken sandwiches with generous servings of avocado weren’t enough to entice diners, there is also custard. Yes, the staff makes fresh custard in a variety of flavors. You can select from a cup, a cone, a cold fusion (think of a DQ Blizzard) or a shake. When you are done with dessert in the store, grab a pint to take home. So, what’s it gonna be? Vanilla? Dutch Chocolate? The flavor of the week? As I write this, the flavor of the week is Black Raspberry. Since my husband and I are dessert experts, we are pickier than most. While it wasn’t the best frozen dessert we’ve ever had, it was creamy and delicious.
I had only one disappointment during my inaugural visit. Styrofoam. When we asked for a takeout container for our uneaten loaded fries, the staff brought us a Styrofoam container. Something a little more landfill-friendly would have been nice.
With combinations like the Bacavo sandwich or the Asian Sesame Salad (mixed greens, cashews, mandarin oranges, carrots and sesame dressing) Super Chix has a bright future ahead. There are a lot of restaurants that specialize in chicken these days, but I doubt that all of them have a manager who spends hours hand-cutting potatoes. Mr. Zaveri believes in guiding his team to create a quality product. A company’s culture starts from the top. When your manager is willing to cut potatoes, slice avocados or tidy the dining room, that sets a certain tone for the front-line staff. Mr. Zaveri, Hoover, Alabama is lucky to have you.
While Alabama is famous for inventing smoked chicken and white sauce, there are other chicken options. Delicious flavor combinations abound at Super Chix. Check out all their locations here. If you’re looking for a great place to stay while exploring Birmingham’s many suburbs, you can do your research here.
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