I’ve lived in this area my entire life, and I remember going to Duguay’s Chicken on the Gardner/Templeton line as a treat, since I was very young. Duguay’s isn’t a weekly meal staple if you’re watching your waistline at all, but it sure is delicious. We have a weird, yet loosely-followed rule in our house. If someone thinks about Duguay’s, and says it out loud, we have to get Duguay’s takeout.
Any conversation involving Duguay’s will include someone’s opinion about Jo Jo’s. A Jo Jo is similar to a very thick french fry (my definition). It’s about the size of a large dill pickle spear, which is then pressure fried so it’s crispy on the outside and semi-soft on the inside. Jay’s not a fan, but the rest of us make sure there are no leftovers.
Our typical order at Duguay’s involves boneless pressure fried Chicken Tenders, Jo Jo’s, Mac & Cheese Bites, Onion Rings and their fantastic homemade Cole Slaw.
Despite the restaurant burning down in 2010, after being in business for 40 years, Duguay’s was back a year later. Another shout out to Duguay’s, is that there have been several times I’ve seen them post during very cold weather that if people just need to come in from the cold, they are welcome to come in and not feel obligated to buy anything.
Duguay’s Chicken & Seafood is located at 632 Parker Street in Gardner. They are open 11am – 9pm Wednesday through Sunday, and closed Monday and Tuesday each week. Here’s a link to their menu, and their Facebook page.