Famous for their Chicken Fingerz, Zalads, and delicious milkshakes, Zaxbys is opening its first New Jersey location in Magnolia on Monday, December 15. Actually, according to the Zaxbys press release, this will also be the brand’s first location in the entire Northeast region of the United States!
So likely we’ll see big crowds of people coming in from a large area, eager to try the iconic “We need a Zaxbys” restaurant!
I stopped by this evening for a preview of the brand-new restaurant during their Friends and Family event, and had the chance to try an order of Chicken Fingerz and a Cobb Zalad—both were excellent!
The new Zaxbys is located at 804 N. White Horse Pike in Magnolia, directly across the side street from the Lowe’s Home Improvement Center. The approximately 3,000-square-foot restaurant was previously an Arby’s but has been fully remodeled to showcase Zaxbys branding and updated kitchen requirements. Inside, there are about 40 seats, and the restaurant also features a drive-thru.
Doors open Monday, December 15, at 10:30 a.m. The full menu and complete Zaxbys experience will be available at opening, although this is being considered a soft opening. The official grand opening and ribbon-cutting event, along with giveaways, is planned for early January. But to be clear—Zaxbys Magnolia will be open and serving customers on December 15 at 10:30am.
For my visit today I arrived a few minutes early for the friends and family session, with the intention of capturing photos before the crowd arrived. The new layout is very spacious, with plenty of seating, yet it doesn’t feel cramped.
There’s a large ordering counter, and Zaxbys is doing things the old-fashioned way it seems. While online ordering is available through the Zaxbys app for convenience, inside the store there were no self-ordering kiosks during my visit. All orders were placed directly with an employee standing at a register.
The dining room area design offers a variety of seating options, including cushioned bench seating and booths, along with a dedicated area for pickup orders.
The restaurant also features a self-service soda fountain. Lemonade, however, is prepared and handed out from behind the counter.
There is ample parking available, but for the next several days—and possibly weeks—Zaxbys Magnolia is expected to be very busy, with customers traveling from surrounding areas to try the new restaurant.
During the event, I chatted with one of Magnolia’s council members who also attended, who mentioned the town experienced similar “new thing” excitement previously when Royal Farms opened its first South Jersey location in town, drawing large crowds from well beyond the immediate area.
Zaxbys was founded in 1990 and is headquartered in Atlanta. Today, the brand has more than 950 locations across 17 states.
Zaxbys serves fresh, made-to-order Chicken Fingerz and Wingz, tossed in a variety of bold spices and sauces.
Their Zalads are also extremely popular and generously sized—honestly, they feel almost like a meal for two. The menu includes unique sides such as Chicken Bacon Ranch Loaded Fries and a fan-favorite: Fried Pickles.
During my visit, I kept things a bit more traditional and tried the coleslaw for a side, which I thought was very good. Milkshakes were recently reintroduced to the national menu. While I didn’t get to try one this evening, options like the classic vanilla or birthday cake milkshake sound especially tempting!
I sampled two entrées: the 4-Piece Chicken Fingerz Meal and a Cobb Salad with Grilled Chicken.
My Chicken Fingerz meal came with 4 fingerz, crinkle-cut french fries, coleslaw and Zaxbys toast. For a drink I went with a freshly made lemonade.
The chicken fingerz were excellent, with a light crunch on the breading, flavorful seasoning, and high-quality chicken that’s breaded and cooked fresh in-store. Zaxbys offers a wide variety of sauces, and I went with the classic Zax Sauce, which is definitely a go-to choice offering a mild tangy flavor to the bite.
The crinkle-cut fries were a natural-style fry (not coated) and a top contender for me! The Texas toast had a nice crispy bite with a buttery garlic flavor. A pleasant surprise was the coleslaw, which I really enjoyed with it’s refreshing cool sweetness… perfectly balancing the Chicken Fingerz and Zax Sauce.
I hadn’t planned on ordering a Zalad, but after chatting with a few of the young employees as I walked in—who recognized me from my videos—and seeing the salads they were eating, I was impressed by the portion size. I initially thought they had made something special just for themselves, but it turns out that’s the standard serving.
I chose the Cobb Salad with grilled chicken, which included fresh lettuce, bacon, hard-boiled egg slices, tomatoes, cucumbers, cheese, and more. I don’t usually think of ordering a salad at a fast-food restaurant, but this one stood out—and I would absolutely order it again!
The fun starts Monday December 15th at 10:30am when the doors open! Absolutely expect a busy restaurant that first day and through the week and beyond. The Grand Opening will take place early January and will feature giveaways. More details on that to come!
Links and Location
Zaxbys – Opens Monday December 15h804 N White Horse PikeMagnolia, NJ 08049