Skip the coleslaw at O’Charley’s. The Southern casual-dining chain lands dead last among the casual-dining coleslaws ranked, and the reasons are the ones you can taste before you finish the first forkful: too much dressing, not enough cabbage, and a cup that too often shows up warm.
That last part is the dealbreaker. Coleslaw earns its place on a plate by being the cold, crunchy counterweight to fried and heavy food. When it lands lukewarm, it has already lost the one job it had.
Below, ten chain coleslaws drawn from three separate rankings and lined up here from the one you should walk right past to the one actually worth ordering.
10. O’Charley’s
In The Daily Meal’s ranking of chain coleslaws, O’Charley’s finished at the very bottom, and the complaints stack up in every category that matters. The chain gets the balance wrong, leaning heavy on dressing and light on the actual cabbage mix. The Daily Meal quotes a GrubHub reviewer in Hickory, North Carolina who summed it up this way: “The coleslaw was pretty bad, as it was more dressing than cabbage mix and IT WAS WARM.”
The flavor does not rescue it. Yelp reviewers have called the coleslaw bland, which is arguably worse than calling it strong or strange, because there is nothing there at all.
The slaw is not an outlier, either. Chowhound reported that amid store closures and financial struggles, diners have started noticing what feels like a slide in O’Charley’s food quality, from bland flavors to lukewarm meals. When a kitchen cannot keep its slaw cold, it belongs last.
9. Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen
The word “Scratch” is right there in the name, so you would expect a from-scratch slaw to be a strength. It is not. Reviews across locations point to the same problems, which suggests the chain has a consistency issue rather than one bad cook. One TripAdvisor customer, in an otherwise happy 2024 review of a Florida location, mentioned “the cole slaw being a bit 2sweet 4me,” and another said their most recent batch did not taste like it usually does.
The cabbage itself gets flak, too. Reviewers keep describing it as tired rather than crisp. A sugary slaw made with tired cabbage is a hard combination to defend.
8. Raising Cane’s
Cane’s fans are famously loyal to the crinkle-cut tenders and the sauce, and famously cool on the coleslaw. Mashed put it near the bottom of its fast food ranking, calling out a funky flavor and an unappetizing whitish mash. The minced cabbage barely registers as a taste at all.
The most telling detail comes from the customers themselves. On Reddit, people ordering the Caniac combo routinely swap the slaw for another slice of Texas Toast or an extra scoop of fries, which is not something you do to a side you actually want. One reviewer called the slaw “underwhelming” and added, “A good coleslaw can be magic and this is not it.” When a chain’s biggest devotees trade the slaw away, that is your answer.
7. El Pollo Loco
Coleslaw is an odd fit on a fire-grilled Mexican menu, and El Pollo Loco does not make a strong case for keeping it there. The chain sells it as shredded green and red cabbage and carrots in a creamy sweet-and-sour dressing, but The Takeout named it one of the worst in fast food, with one diner happy about the mac and cheese and fries but flatly unimpressed by the slaw, and another complaining it did not even come with enough dressing.
The style is thinner and more vinegar-forward than the potluck version most people picture, with a coarser chop. That could work, but the execution lands watery and weakly seasoned. The red cabbage and carrot flecks add color to the platter and not much else. There is barely any tang or pepper coming through.
6. Red Lobster
Red Lobster’s slaw sits in the murky middle, which is to say it is not offensive so much as forgettable. Reviewers have called it underwhelming, and one TripAdvisor diner described it as damp, which is not a word you want anywhere near a side dish. A few people even name it the best part of their meal, but usually in a resigned way rather than a glowing one.
Mashed was harsher, noting the dressing coats the roughly shredded cabbage in a slimy slick and that the sauce reads more like a poppyseed dressing than a classic slaw emulsion. Overly creamy and overly tangy at the same time is a tough sell. You can get greenery on your plate without this one.
5. Applebee’s
Applebee’s has poured plenty of energy into refreshing its music and remodeling its dining rooms, and none into fixing its coleslaw. The texture is the first thing that goes wrong. One TikToker called it “thin,” and the dressing is watery and light on the mayo, so it never gets the creamy body a classic slaw needs.
The flavor does not compensate. A good slaw layers zesty, tangy, sweet, and sharp; Applebee’s version has no real pop to pull you back for a second bite. It is not the first Applebee’s dish to disappoint diners, and the coleslaw does nothing to change the pattern. If you are here, spend your side budget elsewhere on the menu.
4. Red Robin
Red Robin sells its coleslaw as bottomless, offering endless refills alongside its gourmet burgers. That is a generous idea that only pays off if the slaw is worth refilling, and this one is not. One TripAdvisor reviewer, who liked the rest of the meal, wrote that the coleslaw “just wasn’t tasty, so try a different side dish.”
One reviewer even reported that the coleslaw seemed old, which is a strange complaint for a chain that presumably moves a lot of it. Either word has gotten around that regulars should skip it, or the kitchen is not turning it over the way it should. Bottomless only counts as a perk when you want the second serving.
3. Zaxby’s
Zaxby’s is a Southeastern favorite for its Chicken Fingerz, and its finely diced, mayonnaise-heavy coleslaw is the weak link on the tray. Mashed flagged the biggest issue: the vegetables taste stale. Think of the bagged shredded cabbage at the supermarket that has gone a little off-color and a little stinky, and you have the general idea.
A TripAdvisor diner in Gardendale, Alabama wrote back in March 2020 that “the coleslaw tasted old,” and a Yelp user refused to finish the portion, which is a bad sign for reasons that have nothing to do with being full. In fairness, at least one taster enjoyed the tanginess of the dressing, so some batches may land better than others. But a damp clump of cabbage is not going to be the reason you drive back.
2. Church’s Texas Chicken
Church’s Texas Chicken is built on original and spicy fried chicken, but the coleslaw quietly keeps people coming back too. It is both creamy and tangy, and served at exactly the right chilled temperature to cool down your mouth after the spicy tenders and honey-butter biscuits.
Diners are genuinely enthusiastic. In Facebook comments collected by The Takeout, one wrote, “I love Church’s coleslaw. It has just enough sweet flavor and it’s always cold, just like I like it,” and another called it “an awesome side along with the great tasting chicken.” One YouTube reviewer even suggested mixing it with a little gravy, which is a step too far for most of us, but it speaks to how much people like the base recipe. Cold, balanced, and genuinely craveable, Church’s earns the runner-up spot.
1. KFC
No surprise here, and no argument either. KFC makes the coleslaw the rest of the industry is chasing. The sweet, zesty side comes with shredded carrots, cabbage, onion, and the chain’s creamy signature dressing, and it has built the same loyal following as the fried chicken built on the 11 herbs and spices KFC’s own history page says Colonel Sanders perfected in 1939.
Writing in The Takeout, Brian Boone put the appeal down to the finely chopped vegetables, the look of it, and the chilled temperature, and to the refreshing contrast it provides to the rest of the menu. Customers agree. On a Reddit thread about KFC in Australia, one poster called it “actually pretty tasty” with “a nice crunchy texture too,” while another went further: “I love it, it’s my favorite coleslaw from any joint I’ve tried if I’m honest.”
That is the whole point of coleslaw done right. Finely cut cabbage, a dressing that hits sweet and tangy at once, and a cup that comes out cold. KFC nails all three, which is exactly why it wins and O’Charley’s does not.
