But simple food isn't always easy to execute, and not every location has delivered solid versions of the State Fair of Texas treat.
Around the day our story published, Observer contributor Daniel Rodrigue visited a Golden Chick in Denton and received truly terrible-looking corn dogs.
???????????? Sadly, worst corny dog(s) ever....had to drive-thru to try the supposedly Fletcher's Original Corny Dogs. But these...
Posted by Daniel Rodrigue on Friday, September 4, 2020
“The texture was 'off' as well. Not even lukewarm either. Like they stacked them off to the side in a pile away from a heat lamp.... (saw another friend post a photo of one they got served and the batter was a raw liquid still),” he wrote.
Rodrigue isn’t the only one to share a scary story about presentations of these corn dogs. On Fletcher’s Instagram posts, among some praise, commenters lamented their experiences, too:
Here's a smattering of thoughts:
“Have not been good at any locations I’ve tried. Overcooked and not the same batter as at the fair, no sweet taste or taste at all actually.”
“They were not good at the one in Richardson! Did not taste like fletchers at all!! I was soo disappointed! Not worth $5!”
“Disappointed. Cornydog tasted like the GC tenders (I do like the GC tenders). Cornydog flavor is being overpowered by the flavor of the oil they are fried in. This was at the GC on US 380 between FM 423 and FM 720.”
“These were just absolutely disgusting. A cold, old corn dog that tastes like chicken grease. A starving dog wouldn’t finish this trash. So damn disgusting.”
Fletcher’s responds to those comments, sometimes straight from the account of Amber Fletcher, who heads marketing and event operations for her family’s brand.
Both Fletcher’s and Golden Chick representatives tell the Observer mistakes were more or less expected.
The Fletcher family’s response:
“Prior to the launch of this limited-time promotion, the Fletcher family worked closely with Golden Chick’s culinary team to teach them their techniques for how to best hand-dip corny dogs. With 187 stores taking part in this promotion, a learning curve and some missteps were anticipated. Members of the Fletcher family have been out in the field this past week with Golden Chick Operations team members to personally work with select stores to provide additional hands-on training. Fletcher's is pleased with the urgency in which Golden Chick has responded to customer feedback and their commitment to correct any disappointment a customer has encountered.“
Golden Chick’s Mike Jensen, senior vice president of operations, agrees it’s not always easy to succeed at something simple. He also says to give it another try.
“When we teamed up with Fletcher’s Original Corny Dogs to bring a taste of The State Fair of Texas to fans, we knew it was no small feat. There is an art to making the ideal corny dog and perfecting it takes time. We have been overwhelmed with positive feedback from our guests, but we are continuing training sessions to ensure that all who purchase a corny dog get a top-notch product,” he says. “To those who visited during this time and were not satisfied, give us another chance to make you smile before October 25. We will continue to strive for Fletcher's Original Corny Dog perfection that we all know and love.”
Despite the varying results in quality, the first week of the partnership turned out to be the one of the busiest the fast-food business has had. As of Saturday, it had served more than 136,000 corn dogs.
We stand by our specific experience at the Oak Cliff Golden Chick, where the corn dogs certainly (and thankfully) didn't taste like chicken and they looked pretty in that State Fair way. But maybe it was just luck among those 187 locations.
Either way, even Rodrigue says he'll try another one at a different location soon. "Fingers crossed," he says.