Wawa and Quick Chek now have a new competitor in the area... and they've brought their "famous chicken" to town:

Royal Farms, a convenience store chain based in Maryland, has slowly been creeping into Pennsylvania and New Jersey. On Thursday, the first Royal Farms in Burlington County opened at Route 38 and Larchmont Blvd. in Mt. Laurel

Business seems to be booming. Every time I've passed by since last week, the parking lot has been packed... so I decided to check it out to see what all the commotion was about.

On first look, Royal Farms looks very similar to a Wawa, QuickChek or Sheetz.  (If you never traveled to Western PA, you're probably saying, "What's a Sheetz?")

The store offers gas, and at least on the day I was there, the price for a gallon of regular unleaded was 10 cents cheaper than a nearby Wawa and Lukoil.

Credit: Dave McKay
Credit: Dave McKay
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Other similarities include the multiple varieties of coffee flavors, free air to fill your tires, public restrooms, a lottery ticket self serve machine, and ordering food on a touch screen, but one glance at the store and you'll probably realize what makes Royal Farms different than those other convenience stores --- it offers "World Famous Chicken."

Credit: Dave McKay
Credit: Dave McKay
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When I first walked into the store, I was hit with the smell of fried chicken (and when I left, my clothes also had that smell).

Other than chicken, Royal Farms also offers burgers and fries (plus, other hot and cold food choices). They also offer Krispy Kreme doughnuts.

Credit: Dave McKay
Credit: Dave McKay
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And a Reese's Peanut Butter flavored coffee:

Credit: Dave McKay
Credit: Dave McKay
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So, the big question is...how is the fried chicken?  I ordered a chicken breast and a small order or Western Fries.

Credit: Dave McKay
Credit: Dave McKay
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Even though I ordered one piece of chicken, I got 2.  The fries were under the chicken, which caused them to taste a little greasy.  The chicken was good.  Personally, I wouldn't call it great, but I not be the norm, because there was a line of "fans" of the chicken waiting for their orders.

If you try it, let me know what you think. Chat with me on the PST app.

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