Bolton’s is tasty but a bit overpriced and inconsistent for me. We ordered medium level (low heat) and mild heat (slight step up from medium). My poor partner ordered the medium but man they 100% gave him a HOT level. It made the meal inedible and unenjoyable. If they could get the heat levels consistent and correct, this would be a top hot chicken place for us! Outside of that, the meal wasn’t too bad taste wise. They have a nice outdoor seating section. Parking: Do not park in the Bolton’s spots if you’re not there for them only. They will tow your car so fast!!
Parking: They check constantly to see if the cars parked match the people inside. If you leave the premise and your car remains in the parking lot, even if you have bought food from them, they will have your car towed. This happened to my husband tonight when there were only a few other cars in the parking lot. The majority of parking spaces were open. He carpooled down the road to grab some icecream with his friend and when he returned his car was gone.
PSA: If you go anywhere near Bolton's, walk don't drive. If you do drive, do not park in the lot that they rent next door. There's a high likelihood that your car gets towed, no matter if you're a customer of Bolton's or at Hawkers next door. _________________ Here's what I know: 1) Bolton Matthews and his wife Dollye opened Bolton's Spicy Chicken & Fish in 1997. The grew and earned the distinction of quality hot chicken and fish over the following ~24 years. 2) Bolton was named after his uncle Bolton, who was a staffer at Prince's Hot Chicken. Now that's a lineage to grow from. 3) Bolton Matthews passed away in 2021, and his wife, Dollye, started a couple of new ventures during the pandemic, including Bolton's Spicy Cafe (Bell Road) and an establishment in Midtown Foods near Marathon Village (from Nashville Scene) 4) This original Bolton's Spicy Chicken & Fish, appears to be managed (perhaps owned) by people who are not maintaining the original vision and customer service. __________________ Here's our experience, with the management, not the food. We recently met a friend for lunch at Hawkers, next door to Bolton's. While the small Hawkers lot was full, there was room in the parking lot adjacent to Bolton's, a short walk over to Hawkers. We proceeded to park in an unmarked parking spot. The others, along the Bolton's property were each marked by the sign you can see in the pictures below. Our spot (now occupied by the charcoal Hyundai) was not marked at all. Upon returning to our car, it was missing and towed to Copeland Towing's impound yard. I went inside Bolton's, waited about 15 mins for the group in front of me to order their food. When I asked about our vehicle and stated that it was not in a marked spot, the person behind the counter said, "Take me to court," and walked away. Copeland's tow truck returned to the lot as we were arranging a rideshare to their yard, and they actually seemed a little embarrassed, or sheepish, at best. The proprietor of Bolton's came out during that time to identify more cars to be towed. To conclude: a) We retrieved our vehicle for the $231 mentioned in prior reviews.($210 plus 10% fuel surcharge or $21) b) Overall, Copeland's was pleasant to deal with despite our frustration with the situation. c) I do understand that mis-use of personal/business parking can be a challenge. I'm sure that Bolton's has some arrangement (lease) with the parking lot owners (nearby church), but the tenacity of towing customers, innocent parkers or intentional parkers if excessive. d) This appears to be a revenue generator for Bolton's, given how much energy they put into getting cars towed. Some commission, or kick-back, perhaps. My speculation of course. e) While originally enticed to try Bolton's Chicken in the future, given it's history of quality chicken, we will not be doing so. No need to pad the pockets there any more than we already have. R.I.P. Bolton Matthews. God rest his soul. Parking: See review. Approximately 12 marked parking spots. Heavily monitored by the management and frequently towing customers and non-customers.