Is it possible that a chain serves fried chicken and biscuits so good that it can cause a major traffic delay? According to a slew of tweets, that is exactly what went down in Huntington, WV when a Bojangles’ Famous Fried Chicken ’n Biscuits opened Monday. Traffic was so backed up that officials set up an LED sign nearly three-fourths of a mile away from the location on Route 60, signaling that the congestion in the right lane was because of the restaurant.
People were allegedly waiting in hours in traffic to get their hands on some biscuits and dirty rice. And a couple of overly eager customers got into a three-vehicle accident right in front of the Bojangles’, resulting in injuries. Other Twitter users say that they witnessed police officers directing traffic in and out of Bojangles’ to help manage the chaos.
According to the Marshall Parthenon, this is the first Bojangles’ location in Huntington and the second in the entire state, which partially helps to explain the madness. A customer tells the paper that she waited “for over an hour” in backed up traffic, but it was “definitely worth the wait.” The staff at the restaurant seemed blissfully unaware of the traffic issues, and a spokesperson simply told the paper that the restaurant has “had a pretty busy day over there.”
We don’t blame the residents of Huntington for being so hyped about the chain’s opening—after all they do they serve the ultimate Southern fried chicken biscuit in the fast-food kingdom. However the fervor for the chain’s decidedly unhealthy eats isn’t doing much in the way of good PR for Huntington, which is considered to be the fattest city in the United States.
If the New York City response to a new Chick-fil-A is any indicator, then the Huntington Bojangles’ better brace for a permanent frenzy. Late last year, Chick-fil-A opened its first location in New York City the lines were around the block. However, months later, people still often queue up behind 30 people to get their hands on a chicken sandwich from the chain.
[via Twitter]