Zaxbys: Chicken Fingerz, The "Sauce Boss," and The Letter "Z"

Zaxbys: Chicken Fingerz, The "Sauce Boss," and The Letter "Z"

🍗🔥 Zaxbys: Sauce Boss, $16K Beginnings, and the Cult of the Z 🔥🍗

Brought to you by the 2025 Septemburger Tournament bracket winner Craig Majors, this week, I'm joined by actress and improvisor Alex Stedman (@alex.paisley.stedman) to break down the history of Zaxbys. From a tiny college chicken joint called "Zax" to a 1,000+ location powerhouse, this is a story of an obsession with the letter Z that borders on ztupid. We dig into their rise, their ownership changes, and how this Southern favorite carved out its niche in the chicken wars. Also which is a better improv name: Tony Townley or Bernard Acoca?

🍗 Humble Beginnings: Just $16,000 and a Dream Called "Zax"
📈 Rapid Growth to Over 1,000 Locations Nationwide
💰 Acquisition by Goldman Sachs (Now Do Me Next!)
👔 New Leadership from a Former El Pollo Loco CEO
📺 "Sauce Boss" Ads That Don't Deliver on the Promised Vibe
🔤 A Brand Identity Built Almost Entirely Around the Letter Z
🚽 Alex's Dream Restaurant #1: Eat on a Toilet for Maximum Efficiency
💘 Alex's Dream Restaurant #2: A Dining Experience for Singles to Meet
⭐ Yelp from Strangers: Ken R. Decides His Wife Also Won't Be Returning

💬 COMMENT BELOW: Is the Zaxbys branding genius, or just a little too Zilly (I'm not proud of that...)?

📢 SUPPORT THE SHOW & JOIN THE COMMUNITY:
🎉 Patreon (Bonus episodes, extended Yelp segments & more): patreon.com/finediningpodcast
💬 Discord (Food talk, memes, cursed Yelp): discord.gg/6a2YqrtWV4
🎥 Watch full episodes: youtube.com/channel/UCLbraNhL6KhDPkdSWt2yiuw
🔗 All links: linktree.com/finediningpodcast
🎤 Guest: Alex Stedman | IG: @alex.paisley.stedman

Patreon Producers:
Sue Ornelas & Joyce Van

Patreon Subscribers:
David Ornelas, Kellie Baldwin, Jeremy Horwitz, Herbert Amaya, Simone Davalos, Scott Bennett, Amy Reinhart, Josef Castaneda-Liles, & Travis Langley

Free Patreon Followers:
Joe Warszalek, Lauren Cummings, Grace Krainak, Keri Estes, Robert Duran, Patrick Elliott, Michelle Elmer, Dave Plummer, Nicholas Volney, Michael Gerard, Tracy Molino, Phuong Duong, Tyler Robinson, Brandon Gully, Mason Cruz, Michael Milito, Mez, Aaron Hubbard, Steff, Robert McLaughlin, Jewell Hermann, Renae Michael, Crystal C.

👉 NEXT WEEK: It's time to put Zaxbys to the Chili's Test with Alex Stedman.

Avsnitt(169)

Nathan's Famous: One Glorious Glizzy Soars Above the Rest of the Menu

Nathan's Famous: One Glorious Glizzy Soars Above the Rest of the Menu

🌭 Nathan's Famous: One Glorious Glizzy Soars Above the Rest of the Menu 🌭 We went to the original Nathan's Famous in Coney Island to find out: is this historic wiener mecca actually good, or are we ...

2 Juli 202552min

Nathan's Famous: How Joey Chestnut Made a Fake Contest a National Obsession

Nathan's Famous: How Joey Chestnut Made a Fake Contest a National Obsession

🌭 Nathan's Famous: The Hot Dog Empire with a Big Secret 🌭 This week, we dive mouth-first into the greasy, glorious history of Nathan's Famous, the iconic hot dog brand that gave us Al Capone's favor...

25 Juni 202549min

Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken: The Most Consistent Chain I've Tried

Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken: The Most Consistent Chain I've Tried

🍗 Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken: Nothing Was Bad?! 🍗 We went to Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken—and literally nothing made it into the "Not Good" category. Nothing! Comedian and improviser Dave ...

18 Juni 202559min

Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken: From Humble Shack to National Champ

Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken: From Humble Shack to National Champ

🐔 Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken (Part 1): Gus's Parents, the Superfan, and Chicken Championships 🐔 Before Gus's was world famous, it was just spicy chicken sold out the back of a bar in the segre...

11 Juni 202550min

"Dunkin' & Donuts" feat. Amy Vorpahl

"Dunkin' & Donuts" feat. Amy Vorpahl

🎲 Dunkin' & Donuts: The D&D Crossover You Never Knew You Needed 🎲 This week on the "Fine Dining Podcast," we trade the drive-thru for dungeons. After covering a long, bizarre history — from handled ...

4 Juni 20251h 39min

Dunkin': Donuts with Handles, Munchkin Origins, & the Dunkaccino Meme feat. Amy Vorpahl

Dunkin': Donuts with Handles, Munchkin Origins, & the Dunkaccino Meme feat. Amy Vorpahl

☕ Dunkin' Donuts: Handled Donuts, Munchkin Origins & Al Pacino's Dunkaccino ☕ Dunkin' may be a coffee giant now, but its journey started with donuts — one in particular with a literal handle. In this ...

28 Maj 202551min

Papa Johns Doesn't Do Pizza Well

Papa Johns Doesn't Do Pizza Well

🍕 Papa Johns: The Pizza Review That Gave Us Indigestion 🍕 We reviewed Papa Johns… in the lobby. One item at a time. On plastic chairs they dug out from the back. Make no mistake, this branch of Papa...

21 Maj 202554min

Papa Johns: Garlic Dip, CEO Scandals, & the First Bitcoin Pizza

Papa Johns: Garlic Dip, CEO Scandals, & the First Bitcoin Pizza

🍕 Papa Johns: Garlic Dip, CEO Scandals, & the First Bitcoin Pizza 🍕 From a broom closet in Indiana to viral garlic sauce bath bombs, Papa Johns has had one of the weirdest journeys in chain restaura...

14 Maj 202538min

Populärt inom Komedi

mellan-himmel-och-jord-med-jlc
ursakta
den-som-skrattar-forlorar-podcast-2
alex-sigges-podcast
filip-fredrik-svarar
jocke-jonna-sanningen-maste-fram
hogt-i-tak-2
gynning-berg
alla-andra-kan-ga-hem
skaringer-nessvold
rss-vafalls
alla-goda-ting-ar-tre
killradet
hor-har
rss-vastgotapodden
mardromsgasten
wahlgren-wistam
flashback-forever
bygga-at-idioter
vad-blir-det-for-mord