By Sydney Havens

At the beginning of March, the long-awaited Tully’s Tenders is set to open its doors in Oswego. Their claim to fame is chicken tenders, and these will be the primary menu item. There is only one problem with this — their chicken tenders are dry, unappealing and ultimately just not good.

Tully’s uses immaculate marketing when it comes to their tenders. They advertise having “The Best Chicken Tenders on Earth” and they make sure that this motto is spread throughout upstate New York. Their evidence for this claim is that the chicken tenders are fresh, never frozen, non-marinated and all-natural. However, the restaurant neglects to mention that you will be eating more breading than chicken. 

Due to the overpowering amount of breading, most people are left to either deal with it or spend the entirety of their meal picking off the excess fried coating. The restaurant features three varieties of tenders but still does not offer a grilled version for those who do not like the breading. 

Beyond just the breading, the tenders are typically dry and overcooked. The chicken breast itself is small, ensuring that customers must eat a lot of tenders in order to satisfy their hunger. Not only that, but the coating of the tenders is pale-colored and flimsy, rather than crispy as one would expect. This suggests that perhaps the tenders are deep-fried for extended periods of time. Even loyal customers have pointed out that the tenders lack the delicious qualities Tully’s claims they have.

One Tully’s customer wrote in a Yelp review, “We always enjoyed Tully’s chicken tenders but they have definitely changed. And the change is NOT an improvement. I think Tully’s either uses different frying oil or batter. Besides the different, odd taste, the size of the tenders are now petite. Is it possible that Tully’s has their tenders sourced from another place ? Tully’s has lost us as customers.” 

Some fans of the tenders may argue that their love for Tully’s tenders is subjective. Ultimately, one’s like or dislike for the tenders is all up to personal preference. Despite this, there is no denying the fact that the title of “Best Chicken Tenders on Earth” is a hard feat to accomplish. Tully’s markets their tenders on unfounded claims as a means of swaying their customers’ opinions. 

Not to mention the fact that this restaurant is trying to appeal to college students, yet their tenders are significantly overpriced. The appetizer portion of tenders is twelve dollars and the full meal will cost you a whopping seventeen dollars. For some college students, the nearly twenty dollars that Tullys expects you to pay for chicken tenders could go much further at another establishment. 

Tully’s chicken tenders are simply overpriced for the quality of food that is served. Everything from the breading, to the cost of the meal and even the chicken itself leaves room for improvement. Tully’s may have the best marketing on earth, but they certainly do not have the best tenders. 

Abigail Connolly | The Oswegonian