I finally made a pit stop at this place on my way through the South end of the city after hearing people rave about the cool new "chicken place" in Lakeland. It definitely has the feel of being the Panera Bread of chicken joints. Nice, spacious, and open concept dining room, tons of natural light entering the restaurant from the store-front glass at the perimeter of the dining room. The restaurant is exceptionally clean, tons of seating, and has the latest/greatest soda fountain. There is a rather unique and rarely seen prison-style hand washing station in the restaurant which is foot pedal activated with Yardley English Lavender soap. It is a nice touch not to have to go into the bathroom to wash your hands. PDQ definitely gets 5 stars for cleanliness and amenities. I ordered the chicken caesar salad and was shocked at how fast it came up. So there are the positives. The negatives are really what take the ratings down. I don't know what in the world they're passing off as caesar dressing, but the goop that was on my salad was so salty that it was almost inedible. I pulled off the croutons because they looked as if they were fried to a burnt crisp. The salad portion was tiny, especially for the price I paid. For another $1, I could have gone to Crispers and gotten a pile of chicken caesar salad. The chicken they used was in no way chicken tenders - it was gristly, had a very odd texture, and like the salad itself, a very small portion. The food was so salty that I had to make four trips to the water fountain just to refill my glass. I may try PDQ again just to try the chicken tenders, but I will not be going back anytime soon and I certainly will not be going back for the salad. read more

All staff I have dealt with have been super amazing. They are very nice even when being bombarded with an entire softball team during a busy part of the day. The food has never not been perfect too so that's a plus haha read more

The staff is so polite and friendly! Justine in the drive thru is so sweet. Love the honey butter meal!

Chicken fingers were probably the best I have had. Blueberry coleslaw was real good too. read more

PDQ Chicken - Chicken fingers and blueberry coleslaw - Fast Food Near Me - Lakeland, Florida

I had a mediocre experience with a PDQ in Tampa so was not jumping to try this place again. Perhaps that was a bad decision. I joined a large party of 20 at this PDQ and was amazed how quickly all of us were served, from order-taking to order-up. I got the chicken tenders meal with coleslaw and drink for $7.29. The tenders were excellent (could've eaten more than 3!). I chose chipotle BBQ sauce and sweet heat sauce. Both were great but the chipotle was more of a cream sauce with an excellent flavor. Sweet heat was more of a horseradish kick. The coleslaw is good but the blueberries were tasteless and unnecessary (I think a weird combo). Had fun with the modern touch button soda machine (though there was some waste due to my not understanding how to work it). Friends enjoyed the big salads, another got a sandwich that she enjoyed. They had kids on the front sidewalk with chalk and others playing a beanbag game on the side sidewalk. Not sure if that is always an option for kids. The din in the place was a little much for me. A decent eating place if you like chicken. Oct 2014 revisit. Rating still stands. loved the grilled chicken salad (tho the purple color of the blueberry vinaigrette is offputting, still tasted great.) Not fond of their milkshake--too creamy thick with no "ice creamy" feel, hard to describe. Friendly staff working at being QUICK. I agree the tenders are "skinny" but they're real, not pressed, and very moist. read more

Great fresh chicken, super friendly service, and clean restaurant. Creamy Parmesan sauce is great!

We had gone through the drive-thru in the evening and while waiting in the car line, we could see into the food prep area. There was a male employee in there with long hair and beard with no head covering and no gloves ripping open bags of liquid ingredients WITH HIS TEETH and picking bits of stuff out of mixing bowls with his bare hands! Completely sickening and unsanitary. Person at the drive-thru window didn't even have the time of day to listen to our concerns. So grossed-out will never go back. If this represents their attitude towards food safety, eat here at your own risk! read more

Went through drive thru tonight.. Ordered 12 tenders, fries, slaw etc to bring home to feed 5. Got home with order and they gave me 12 nuggets instead of 12 tenders! Tried to eat the nuggets, and was going to supplement with some leftovers we had. But, nuggets were full of grissel and veins and almost inedible. Went back up there to the same girl and she says oh I'm sorry, thought you meant 12 nuggets. Told her they were inedible and she just shrugged it off and proceeded to charge us full price for our correct order. No manager in sight, everyone was cleaning up already at 8:30 even though they close at 10. Not the greatest experience but the tenders were good once we finally got them. Service is lacking. read more

I don't know what happened, this use to be one of our favorite fast food places that I don't mind spending $20 for dinner for 2. We have been since before COVID and not sure we will be back. Honey butter sandwiches with no pickle tasted like pickles. What happened to the fries??? No fries, no tater tots, waffle fries? Nooooo! If we want waffle fries you know we know where to get them. Please don't try to compete with Chic-Fil-a, if we want waffle fries we will go there and get them! And lastly, What happened to your ranch? It was the very best ranch in town! Tonight it tasted like someone squirted a bottle of Hidden Valley in our sauce cups! read more

PDQ- PLEASE Dont question the AMAZINGNESS of this joint. Went here for a quick meal as I heard some amazing things about their tenders- and BOY were they right! A lot of places like to used processed chicken and that is not the case here- full tenders that are moist and the batter is crunchy and has its own distinct flavor that makes it PDQ, Now, their Creamy Garlic sauce HITS THE SPOT. If you are a garlic fan- it makes their chicken to a whole new level- Their coleslaw has plump blueberries that make the traditional side something different and "tropical" - great for a Florida day! Side note: Their hand washing station is a cool feature that makes you avoid having to go to the bathroom just for that. The only reason I give a star down is I wish the prices were SLIGHLTLY lower- and I would be their much more often. read more

The place is nice enough- lots of natural light, bright and clean, and pleasant staff but the food has been hit and miss. The crispy chicken sandwich was over cooked and had too much flour- took two bites before I got to any chicken. One time the fries were much too salty. Another time the chicken tenders were too salty. But on another visit the fries and tenders were perfect. I'm not sure if I want to come back just to see if they hit the mark. read more

PDQ Chicken - Chicken tenders and fries. Too much salt! - Fast Food Near Me - Lakeland, Florida

5 stars for the speed of the drive through and the professionalism and mannerism of the lovely ladies. -3 stars for charging $35 for the absolutely bland, tasteless tenders we ordered. Too bad, too. They were obviously fresh, hot and could have been amazing. The sauces ( buff-bleu, creamy garlic and ranch) were good but couldn't mask the complete lack of seasoning of the tenders. read more

Wow, my wife and I definitely a fan. The food is very good. The employees are stellar. And I mean top-notch. And its soft on the wallet, another plus for those of us who did not win the DNA lottery. I also appreciate the variety of food, not the typical fast-food environment. The restaurant also has WiFi that does not require a password. If you have trouble getting on, the staff is there to help. PDQ fully understands what customer service means. I give them a Five and a High-Five! read more

I heard about PDQ on the radio. I decided to try it after moving to Lakeland and discovering the location on S Florida Ave. The food at PDQ is up the same alley as Zaxby's or Chik-Fil-A but I prefer either of those over PDQ. Sorry PDQ but I was not impressed. read more

This was my first time a PDQ. The staff was friendly. The restaurant was very clean and tidy. Clean bathrooms. They had two electronic soda machines. I appreciated their student discount meal - chicken tenders and fries with a drink for $5! There's also gluten free options - salads and bowls. read more

I have no clue why ANYONE would give PDQ in Lakeland less than 5 stars. There's absolutely nothing to complain about! Food: The food is amazing! The honey mustard sauce is out of this world. They handmake all their dressings/sauces there, so they are fresh and yummy. Their chicken is pretty darn amazing too. In fact, I have had nothing had here. Best of all, they have a coke freestyle machine and jeoffrey's tea - my favorite! Service: Service is phenomenal. The servers help with anything they can and cater to you as much as possible. GREAT place - go there! read more

We frequent this PDQ often, the food is always good (nuggets are veiny and have gristle, also the fries are hit or miss) but you have to check your sauces because they will short you. (Would get 5 stars except two things that always irritate me.) 1st, the girl at the register speaks sooooo fast and cuts you off all the time when you're ordering (we get it, you're good at pressing the buttons on your register fast - relax). 2nd, the sauce issue - um I'll pay extra for sauce like ranch or honey mustard but let's scale back the attitude a bit when people ask for extra sauce, we spend a lot of money here. They do offer an 8 oz sauce option for $4! - kinda steep. read more

I absolutely love this place. Great fresh food, great people alwaus clean and management bring food to the table. Great service

Love this place except for internet. Great seating, comfortable A/C, sociable people and courteous staff. The food is awesome and they have some unique things like blueberry coleslaw, Cheerwine soda, and wonderful buffalo chicken on sandwiches or in a salad. Tgeir ingredients are authentic and a lot of it is made right before your eyes. I love their Coca-Cola machines too. You can mix and match all kinds of yummy Coke concoctions with their wizady device. We tried using their guest Wi-Fi and it truly sucks. I was going to help some friends out with their social media and the internet hardly loads. It's terrible! read more

PDQ Chicken - Using their Wi-Fi really sucks though. I was trying to help them with their Ride For God social media and we couldn't. - Fast Food Near Me - Lakeland, Florida

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This place was good food and lived up to its name when it was time to be served. I always get great service here. The food comes out quick, but is missing the gross taste of fast food. They also have a large selection of home made sauces that are great. Buffalo Bleu Chicken Tenders sandwich is out of this world, apples with toffee dip are to die for, nothing tastes too greasy (not even the fries) and everything just seems so fresh. Amazing food, great service, and the manager Drew is so awesome! read more

Not only is the food absolutely amazing(perfectly made and fresh every single time), they never EVER forget my sauces, milkshakes are the best I've ever had.. but the best thing about this place is Justine. Shes somehow always in such a pleasant mood, always puts a smile on my face. Love pdq, love Justine. read more

Not what it use to be. I use to drive clear across town to eat here. It was my favorite quick spot. But then I had a baby and couldn't frequent as much bc it's a drive from our home. Today I had to go to the doctor which is close to pdq so I decided to stop for lunch. My daughter ordered a chicken nugget kids meal and I got a 4 piece meal with ranch. My daughters chicken was stringy and not tender at all. Both our fries were hard. This has never happened before. Also, the cups their sauce is in has gotten much smaller. To make matters worse it was FROZEN. Even the lids were iced! It was disappointing. read more

If all you do is chicken tenders then you better blow me away. Pdq did not. Tenders were small, over breaded and overcooked. Dry and lukewarm. Fries were greasy and salty. My wife enjoyed he blueberry coleslaw very much but I don't like coleslaw so I can't comment. I wish a manager had come and spoken to us but no one did. I won't be back. read more

Excellent customer service! I love their tenders because it is fresh cook to order! I think the fried zucchini is great and taste amazing!

Customer service was outstanding but the food was not so good. Chicken Tenders were small and very greasy as were the fries. Everyone likes different things and its not for me. read more

I got the buffalo chicken sandwich because the cashier recommended the sandwich to me, claiming that it was the "best thing on the menu." The sandwiches were drowning in buffalo sauce. The fries were covered completely with salt. Probably the worst sandwich I have ever eaten. I was literally sick afterwards. The only good thing about my visit was probably the lime Fanta that I got from the soda machine. I won't be returning. read more

I have been to this PDQ 3 times, and every time the good is great, service is great, and the place is clean! People will naturally compare it to Chickfila and Zaxbys, but I think PDQ is better. I like the shoestring fries much better than CFA waffle fries, and the PDQ dipping sauces are great. The chipotle one is my favorite. read more

This place is like Chick-fil-a but good. Delicious sauces. Chicken tastes fresh and not as processed as chick-fil-a. Fries are the best in town. read more

I thought the food was great! Better chicken than Chic-fil-a, but I think Chic-fil-a has better fries. Will be back again!

Awesome! Quality fresh & excellent service!! You just can hear how the lettuce crunch in your mouth!! Plenty of avocado, homemade dressing everything fresh! read more

I will start off by saying the customer service here cannot be beat! The manager greeted me as I pulled in and every one was very nice. I ordered a grilled chicken sandwich without the bun and the order taker advised me of their carb-friendly grilled chicken lettuce wrap (which I don't think was listed on the menu) but basically it was a head of iceberg cut in half with the chicken in the middle. It was more of a lettuce bun instead of lettuce wrap. Either way, it was very messy and the honey mustard was so watered down that it was running down my hands. I would not order it again. I might go back one day and try something different but won't go out of my way to do so. read more

Edited: After some months I have visited again and again! I have tried the crispy chicken sandwich and love it. I still have to stand with this dirt like after taste in either the chicken or seasoning. I don't know what it is but I notice it more on the grilled chicken sandwich. Other than that, I love PDQ's customer service and crunchiness/freshness of the veggies on the sandwiches. The creamy garlic sauce is also a must for fries, tenders, or even sandwiches! The fries have definitely improved. They are SO good when straight out of the fryer but yes, they do get soggy a little too quickly and I can never finish them before so. The blueberry coleslaw isn't my kind of thing. It's kind of tangy and I prefer sweet. I will be coming back all the time. They have grown on me and I look forward to trying other items on the menu. read more

Great food! Great service! Always clean and neat! Can't go wrong! Food is fresh & cooked to order!