- There is a singular Hawaii-inspired Chick-fil-A location in Fayetteville, Georgia.
- On a recent road trip, I visited the restaurant to see what the hype around menu items was about.
- People love the tropical nuggets. I thought they were tasty, but you could easily replicate them at your local Chick-fil-A.
On a recent road trip through three Southern cities (Charleston, South Carolina; Savannah, Georgia; and Atlanta, Georgia), I stopped off in Fayetteville to try the viral Hawaii-themed Chick-fil-A location called Truett's Luau.
Truett's Luau has been showing up on TikTok with videos raking in as many as 5.6 million views. TikTokers have documented long trips and vacation detours made in an effort to taste company founder S. Truett Cathy's attempt to "bring Hawaii to Fayetteville, Georgia," with a tropical-themed menu and decor. Though experts in Hawaiian cuisine and culture previously told Insider they don't think there's anything Hawaiian about this restaurant or its food.
Still, I drove around 45 minutes to the restaurant from my hotel in Atlanta and ordered myself one of everything that was unique to this location. I wasn't able to try the cod sandwich or tacos as the location hadn't gotten its supply in on the day I visited.
After tasting everything available on the Hawaii-themed menu, I was most delighted by the tropical nuggets (an eight-count order cost me $4.69, 50 cents more than plain nuggets), one of the more well-known menu items. They're a saucy play on the chain's famous chicken nuggets, which traditionally come dry. The menu at Truett's Luau didn't offer an ingredients list or name which sauce was used on the nuggets.
First, I tried the sauce on its own. I felt it had a slight bit of heat, but nothing significantly spicy. It was goopy and tasted mostly like traditional sweet chili sauce but with a hint of cocktail sauce mixed in, which wasn't a bad thing at all. The visible pepper flakes floating around were an aesthetic plus, in my opinion.
When I asked an employee about the ingredients, I was told the nuggets were covered in a special "tropical sauce," but a quick search on TikTok revealed loads of copycat recipes that combined two of the chain's popular sauces: Polynesian and Sweet and Spicy Sriracha. (Truett's Luau does offer an already-made sweet chili sauce option.)
After tasting the entire dish, I think it's a home run.
As always, at least in my experience, the chicken was moist and slightly sweet in flavor.
I loved that these nuggets retained their crunchy exterior texture even though they were doused in a thick, sticky sauce. The breading didn't get mushy or soggy, which I found to be impressive.
I nearly finished the entire serving (which says a lot since I was there to taste a total of 10 items), but I knew there was nothing particularly unique about this dish, even though I loved it. I think you could create a similar flavor at your local Chick-fil-A by playing around with sauce ratios.
Truett's Luau is temporarily closed for a remodel, according to the website, so if you want a taste of what the restaurant has to offer, you may want to try saucing up your own nuggets at home. If you're going to try making them, I would recommend serving or eating them immediately so that those crispy bits don't soften and you get to experience that true textural magic.