Cheesy Nuggets – Red Rooster, October 2011

Details:
Product type	Menu item
Establishment type	Fast Food Chain
Hours of operation	10am – 10pm every day, extended till 11pm fri and sat
Price	au$5.25
Options	Sweet Chilli dipping sauce
Means of purchase	Drive through
Payment options available	Visa, MasterCard, EFTPOS, Cash

Rating		Penalty
Affordability	16/25	Wait time >3 Mins	-5
Value	9/10	Wait time >5 Mins
Enjoyment	23/25	Wait time >10 Mins
Satisfaction	21/25	Greasiness (/10)	-3
Presentation	3/5	Waste (/10)	-4
Appropriateness	10/10	Other issues

Overall Rating:     70/100 

       

                                

Notes

Chicken nuggets are a menu item shared by many fast food outlets. They can be stored frozen and prepared quickly in a deep fryer. A problem that has long plagued fast food consumers is that, when ordered as a take away or drive through item, they lose their heat quickly and are not all that nice cold or lukewarm. Red Rooster have – whether purposefully or by accident – found an ingenious solution to this problem in the cheesy nugget. Be including a layer of molten cheese beneath a crumb coating, the nuggets appear to retain their heat for fat longer than a conventional nugget. They remain true and appropriate to their genre while introducing an enhancement that makes them look, smell, feel and taste better than other comparable nuggets. My sample was hot enough to enjoy after a drive of some ten minutes. This is often important, since indulging in such foods is far more pleasant when it can be done somewhere with a view. In this case the view was of the TV in my lounge room. The wait time was a bit on the high side, causing a slight penalty at around four and a half minutes. However, perhaps this was a sign that the nuggets were freshly fried. The nuggets’ crunchy coating absorbed the frying oil well and the frying temperature must have been well regulated as they were neither burned nor any more greasy than is to be expected of a deep fried item. The addition of sesame seeds to the coating is pleasant and adds a wholesome flavour which complements the cheese well. The six nuggets I had made quite a filling snack and would constitute a light lunch for some. However, as an indulgent snack item, their menu price is not exactly peanuts and there is a limit to how often customers on a low budget will be able to afford them, especially when accompanying drinks are factored in, which would be desirable given the slightly salty taste. In terms of value, however, the levels of enjoyment and satisfaction are such that these nuggets compare extremely favourably with the nuggets of other fast food chains and there are few snacks of comparable desirability in this price bracket.  Cheesy nuggets are truly deserving of their four burger rating.