In a world increasingly preoccupied with calorie counts, uber-organic meals and slowly cooked fare, fried-food shack Chicken Lou’s trumped its Best of NU competition for the eighth year in a row. ‘It’s delicious death,’ said senior communication studies major David Brodsky. That’s not an uncommon testament either to exactly why students choose lunch at Chicken Lou’s instead of the Stetson West salad bar.
Masses share Brodsky’s ethos and devote themselves to extolling the virtues of the shack’s crispy, hot-sauce smothered, artery-clogging menu items ‘- all spruced up with nicknames like the Cholesterol and the Chicken Cordon Lou. Students swear by the spicy fries, for instance, and have created two honorary Facebook groups ‘-‘ one boasting nearly 50 members. Thirty-five patrons have reviewed the shop on Yelp, giving it an average rating of 3.5 stars out of 5.
‘ ‘ ‘ Among other things, patrons relish how quickly things move in the heat of the moment at Chicken Lou’s; it takes about a minute on a busy day for servers to siphon you through the tight confines of their dynastic shop. Though it’s barely the size of a proverbial breadbasket, Chicken Lou’s epitomizes the hustle-and-bustle of the city. It’s loud, chaotic and fast-paced and operates under its own grab-n-go etiquette; you’d best know what you want, and how to order it, before you walk inside.
Brodsky’s favorite sandwich is the shack’s best-selling TKO:’ a grilled sandwich stuffed with chicken, bacon, honey mustard and Swiss cheese.
Brodksy said his only qualm is limited seating outside, and he lives off campus.
‘But it’s worth it,’ he said, ‘when the mood strikes.’

‘- Danielle Capalbo, News Staff