Why We Always Avoid Ordering Coleslaw From This Chain Restaurant

Coleslaw is America's most classic and beloved side dish. Crisp, creamy, and refreshing, no barbecue is complete without some — and it's the addition that makes the best sandwiches even better – but at one chain restaurant, it somehow manages to make everything worse. You may be wondering, which chain restaurant? BJ's. In Chowhound's ranking of nine chain restaurant coleslaws, BJ's coleslaw came in dead last despite looking good at first glance. Seeing that bowl of finely chopped cabbage and carrot in a celery-seed filled mayo, you'd probably expect a zippy bite — something bright and balanced. But somehow the crunch is gone, replaced by what our reviewer described as a "squelchy" consistency. Yikes. In fact, all it was were mushy vegetables drenched in a dressing so weak it just tasted like "cabbage-flavored water."

I mean, if anything, it's almost impressive how much went wrong, especially compared to other chains that manage to keep things crisp and punchy. The BJ's version sounded like it had maybe been sitting out too long, and quite possibly, the only thing it pairs well with is regret over ordering it in the first place. 

For us to understand just why BJ's coleslaw failed so miserably, it may be helpful to look at what the others chains got right. Our ranking winner Cracker Barrel and runner-up Bonefish Grill both proved that coleslaw's simple ingredients of cabbage and carrot can shine when treated with care, dishing out slaws that were both crisp and dressed well. Cracker Barrel's version came in first by embodying the quintessential classic coleslaw, loaded finely shredded white and red cabbage that retained its snap even in a beautifully creamy dressing. And Bonefish Grill went a whole other route that worked just as well, creating a more Asian-inspired slaw that skipped the heavy mayo and instead leaned into a lighter and umami-rich dressing that brought all the vegetables to life, despite initial reservations.

Because really, a great coleslaw is not that hard to achieve but it does need a few little things to be done right — such as the ratio of dressing to cabbage to carrot, of mayo to vinegar, and the consistent cut of the vegetables — all marks that BJ's missed. We actually have a list of ways to elevate coleslaw that some of these chains could do with taking note from — perhaps BJ's would be smart to start there.