By Greg Bintz, Zach Glander, Will Soquet, and Jared Valleskey
Mad Chicken, an up-and-coming chain restaurant, opened its third location in the Green Bay area in August, right down the road from UWGB.
Mad Chicken already had two locations in the Milwaukee area, two in Green Bay (one downtown and one in Bay Park Square Mall), three locations in southern Wisconsin, and various other locations in states throughout the country.
There’s likely a reason people are looking for Mad Chicken and their wide – but simple – variety of chicken and sandwich options. The chain offers tenders, wings, six different sandwiches, three wraps, chicken bowls (on a bed of waffle fries or paired with mac and cheese), and over a half-dozen different side options. Additionally, to compete with the sauce fandom from chains like Chick-fil-A and Raising Cane’s, Mad Chicken has a wide variety of sauces, including a house special “mad” sauce.
“I prefer Mad Chicken over other fast food restaurants that serve chicken,” said Noah Spencer, a UWGB graduate student. “I believe it tastes much more homemade and fresh than other places.”
All of Mad Chicken’s three locations in Green Bay have opened within the past twelve months as part of a fast chicken boom engulfing the area. The metro area had few chicken restaurants to speak of before the pandemic, save for a couple of Kentucky Fried Chicken locations and some gas station chicken. Popeye’s opened in October 2020, Chick-fil-A opened in March 2022, Popeye’s opened another location in late 2022, and Dave’s Hot Chicken entered the Green Bay market in August.
The Mad Chicken location on Nicolet Drive near UWGB could be beneficial for UWGB students. Mad Chicken shares a building with a BP gas station and replaced a Subway that went out of business last winter. The Nicolet Drive location is within a half-mile of UWGB, and with a lack of restaurants near campus, Mad Chicken is bound to get good foot traffic.
“I think it makes a much more convenient and better option for this type of food than going to the normal McDonald’s, Burger King, or Taco Bell,” added Spencer.
A “Mad Bowl” – crispy chicken tenders on mac and cheese in a honey BBQ sauce.
Since a downfall like delivery fees from services like Uber Eats can be cost-prohibitive for students from ordering, the location right next to campus will be a welcome sight for budget-conscious students. Additionally, Mad Chicken is open until 3 a.m. daily, not just on weekends, making it a prime option for the night owls on campus who need a hot bite to eat after a long study session.
Despite all of the apparent upsides, however, students have mixed opinions in the first few months of Mad Chicken’s operation.
“It was hard and dry. That’s all I can say. It’s just bad,” said freshman Ella Vandenberg.
Customers get a box of waffle fries and a large drink when upgrading to a meal.
Senior Benjamin Savage shared some of the same thoughts. “Price point is okay. It’s not overpriced. But it’s just not good – poor quality chicken, and a lot of the stuff is mush by the time you get it, especially if you get it delivered.”
“I thought it was pretty good,” sophomore Jacob Slinkman commented. “It took a long time for our food to come out, but we went pretty late at night, and there was only one person working in the kitchen from what we could see. I would say a solid seven-out-of-ten experience, and I would go back.”
Mad Chicken corporate offices did not respond to a request for comment, and a restaurant manager was also not available.
Great story!