I’m putting in my Fast Pass order today for pick up later this week. I need to read all the notes to figure out what I’m going to order…not to mention the secret menu items…
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Wait, have you ever been before??? If not, can’t wait to hear your reaction.
Nope…it’s my first time ever! I’ve an aversion to lines for food…haven’t done it since my 4-hour experience during the Kogi heyday. Have refused to wait in line for food like that ever since. Side note…Kogi was delicious…but never gonna do that again.
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Hi @attran99,
Woo hoo! Nice. 
Can’t wait to hear what you think. Hope you have a great meal.
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Waiting that long for Kogi is enough to traumatize anyone.
Get the Mario style fries. Also, individual wings are a great way to try the various spice levels.
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My fast pass has been moldering for several years, so any recommendations from your experience will be deeply appreciated.
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My wife is going to be out of town for my birthday, next month. Maybe I’ll use the fast pass I have, on myself. I’m sure I can easily gorge on $50 worth of chicken, and $4.99 on TUMS.
Bonus, it will teach her a valuable lesson LOL
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Do you guys tip on your fast pass orders? I tipped last time. Just wondering if it’s the norm.
I always get fried pickles and a bunch of comeback sauces. They don’t provide any extras for fast pass pickups like they do when you wait in line (understandable).
Yeah I tipped $10. Probably not expected though.
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Used one of the Fast Passes to skip the line today. Following @Chowseeker1999’s advice, we arrived 10 minutes early…and it was about 10 minutes after opening. That line is no joke…at 11:10AM, the line was more than 30 people deep and already 3 storefronts long.
Can I say that the team here is exceptional? Once we let them know that we there for a pre-order, they invited us in and passed out free pickles to snack on while we waited. The whole staff could not be more welcoming and gregarious. There’s something so awesome to see people who genuinely love what they do and to bask in the glow of their hospitality. Chef Zone and and his team are consummate professionals, but they are so gosh-darned fun. The music was playing and everyone was so happy. We did get to chat with Chef Zone for a bit and that was super cool. We also got extra pickles and extra comeback sauce, too.
On to the food…I used my order to share with my office…so it was more of a pick up mission. However, I did stop to enjoy a wing at an empty table to enjoy it at it’s peak. That wing was the best wing that I have ever had. Perfectly juicy and moist…seasoned so well…and at mild, there’s so much flavor. My palate was hit with a symphony of spices. And I adore the house made pickles that come with the chicken.
Then it was back to the office to share our loot. The chicken sando is the best chicken sandwich I’ve ever had. It’s just so well balanced. The hot, juicy and crispy chicken…the buttery bun…the cool and refreshing slaw, and the delightful comeback sauce…this puts so many chicken sandwiches to shame.
There were a couple of daredevils in my team. They each went in for a wing at Howlin’ ++. Complete with Howlin’-provided gloves, they tore into it. One survived…one did not. They gave it a valiant effort. Another daredevil had the sando at Howlin’ +, and lived to tell the tale. He said it was the tastiest spicy chicken sandwich that he had ever had…he and I both agree that Howlin’ > Dave’s Hot Chicken.
A couple of people went in for the X-Hot. It was too hot for them to enjoy. I had a tiny bite of the X-Hot…and good Lord! It starts off gentle and fun…until it becomes a hot inferno in your mouth. While that one bite hurt, there’s just so much flavor to it. That’s so impressive alone.
We all had a great office lunch. I can now see why Howlin’ gets so much love on FTC…consider me a huge fan of Chef Zone and his team. I cannot wait for another vault drop so I can bank more passes.
Side note: I also ordered a batter’s box in mild to take home to my family later this evening. And I’ve got collard greens and a country wing to try. I’m coming off an illness so it’s harder for me to eat the volume that I would normally eat. Looking forward to tasting more tonight. Our order was pretty hefty…we also had a bunch of sides so I tipped the team upfront when paying for my Fast Pass order.
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So glad you enjoyed it!!!
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million dollar quesion: would you spend 2 hours lining up for there?
I haven’t waited in line for food since the Kogi explosion years ago…that was the first and last time. I’m only coming to Howlin’ if I’ve got a Fast Pass in hand and a pre-order to pick up. Which is why I’m probably going to buy 5 the next time they do a drop. But would I willingly wait 2 hours? No…ain’t no one got time for that 
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i share that sentiment
Just had it today, let’s just say there ain’t any explosion anymore since I walked right up to order during lunch.
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HELL NO
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great report glad you enjoyed it.
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yeah Kogi truck these days is great.
I would do it once for the experience (I actually did it twice haha). Second time I did it was because I was waiting for my parents to do shopping in Chinatown so I had nothing else better to do and it was about an hour 1/2.
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Hi @attran99,
Yay! So glad you enjoyed your first visit to Howlin’ Ray’s? So good, right? 
Chef Zone and his team are consummate professionals, the kitchen is run like a high end restaurant (reflecting his background), and everyone is just so nice.
But beyond that, the Fried Chicken is just outstanding. I’m glad you appreciated the nuanced spices even in the Level 2 Mild, which puts to shame most places that are trying to cash in on the hot chicken craze with their one note spiceness.
Hope you enjoy your sides tonight.
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