Georgeanna Smith, Contributing Writer

The décor at Ted’s Kickin’ Chicken is almost exclusively made up of NASCAR paraphernalia, biker bandanas tacked to the ceiling, dollar bills bearing graffiti, and license plates. Bright orange booths dot the walls. Worn floors bear testament to the shuffle of hundreds of boots and thousands of dropped beers.

Despite its rough interior, Ted’s seems polished and just as it should be. Every beer sign in its place, every life-size, cardboard NASCAR celebrity perfectly positioned. Ted’s may be a biker bar—it’s Thursday “Bike Night” regularly draws over 700 enthusiasts—but it isn’t a dirty biker bar. The atmosphere is just as warm and inviting as the spicy taste of Ted’s delicious barbeque chicken sandwich. The sauce and the restaurant may have a little kick to them, but they both present just the right flavor.

And apparently, it’s a taste that many enjoy. Ted’s has five locations: in Winston-Salem, Northern Wilkesboro, Mooresville, and Pfafftown (just out of Winston on Robinhood Road). The fifth location, in Mount Airy, just opened last Friday.

Part of Ted’s success is most likely due to its simple, we’re-a-chicken-place menu. The chicken is rotisserie cooked with a tangy, mildly spicy, vinegar-based barbeque sauce. My chicken sandwich ($3.25) contained chunks of fall-off-the-bone-tender meat. The sandwiches are made to order, so I added the traditional mayonnaise-based cole slaw. Besides the sandwich, chicken is offered in parts; you can order a half ($5.95), upper ($3.95), or lower ($2.95) section of the bird. If rotisserie chicken isn’t your type of bag, Ted’s also offers tenders (two for $3.15, three for $4.25) that are so juicy they live up to their name.

Sides are added on per your request. In addition to mayonnaise-based cole slaw ($1.10), they serve the distinctly North Caroline variety of barbeque-based cole slaw ($1.10), as well as baked beans ($1.10), potato salad ($1.10), and seasoned French fries ($1.50). Also listed under the “Side Orders” section of Ted’s Spartan menu are “dessert” ($2.75), which is not described beyond being “dessert”; cheese sticks ($5.25), and “Kickin’ Peños” ($5.25). The “Peños,”—cheese stuffed Japaleño peppers—seemed promising, but they weren’t so “kickin.’” My date pointed out that they might as well have been stuffed green peppers for all the punch they packed.

In addition to chicken, Ted’s serves “Shrimp & Fries” ($5.95). They also offer 10, 25, 50, and 100 piece orders of Jumbo Hot Wings, which range in price from $6.25 for 10 wings up to $46.95 for 100. They prepare the wings in barbeque, regular, “XHot,” or “Suicide” sauce. The “Suicide” sauce out-hots many restaurants’ hottest sauces, and can be purchased in bulk by the brave.

Like any true biker-based establishment, Ted’s serves up several beers at reasonable prices. It’ll cost you just $2 for basics such as Bud and Pabst Blue Ribbon and $2.50 for the fancier stuff. They also offer souvenir items such as shirts, hats, and koozies in a case behind the register.

Speaking of the register, make sure you bring cash when dining at Ted’s Kickin’ Chicken; they don’t accept checks or credit cards, so being caught cashless means you’ll have to pay a $1.75 surcharge to their ATM. Also, who knows, you might have so much fun you’ll want to tape your own autographed dollar bill to the wall.