Island Deli Should Not Be Allowed to Call "The Wicked Willow" That When They Don't Use Willow Tree Chicken Salad Anymore

I made this using IG stories lol

I hate to shit on a small business because that is genuinely not my swag. I love small businesses. Fuck big corporations. That doesn't mean I'm ok with lies, and the truth of the matter is Island Deli is deceiving its customers with false advertisements. 

The sandwich shop with more former locations than the Super Bowl makes a delicious sandwich. Or I should say, used to since they've recently started using inferior ingredients. 

Since I no longer live in Gansett and ID closes at like 4 pm, I haven't been there as much as I'd like the last few years, but I got a Wicked Willow (arguably their signature sandwich) in September when I was in town for my fantasy draft (that I ended up winning on NYD 2023). Chicken Salad is arguably the best form of salad, and the old school Wicked Willow (no fuckin' tomato) was delicious.

I can tell whether or not chicken salad is willow tree just by looking but one bite of this thing and it’s confirmed for the worse

— Doz #HireDozo (@DozonLife) September 4, 2022

My memory may be fading as a form of self-preservation, but the big man never forgets a disappointing meal!

Proof from other customers that they've fallen off and that I was once a huge fan.

Look, I get that it's tough to compete as a small business in today's world. I understand the cost of goods is fucked up rn, but that doesn't make it okay for you to keep increasing prices while decreasing quality! That's what big sandwich does. You're Island Deli! Have some pride and decency! 

I don't know exactly when ID stopped using Willow Tree Chicken Salad in the Wicked Willow, but the fact of the matter is they no longer do. Their website no longer says Willow Tree while listing the ingredients of the sandwich.

Tomorrow is 4/20 and every year, ID has a $4.20 special for Wicked Willows. They advertised that on their IG today.

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I'm been in a no fucks given mood lately (did you see my last blog?) and expressed my disappointment in the comments. Who the fuck is this Zach loser calling ME a fascist (which he clearly got from the "fuck fascists" in my IG bio)???

Calling me a buzzkill doesn't change the fact that I'm right, if anything you're just conceding that what I said was accurate. Look at petty ass Island Deli liking his comment.

I had to clap back at that rude and incredibly inaccurate fascist comment. 

The way I see it, Island Deli has two options: change the name from Wicked Willow since that's a lie OR start using Willow Tree Chicken Salad again in your sandwich literally named after the product. At least retire the name if it's just run of the mill peasant "chicken" salad. Hang the Wicked Willow number in the rafters if you can't afford to use the products that made customers fall in love with you.  Again, I don't take pleasure in publicly bashing a small business, but what they're doing to their customers is fucked up. Imagine if Pizza Hut started selling Stuffed Crust Pizzas without cheese in the crust and still called them Stuffed Crust Pizzas AND jacked up the price? Willow Tree Chicken Salad is divine and whatever they're using now tastes like cat food. Just because what I said hurt your feelings, doesn't mean it's not true. I may be "Woke Dozo" now to some but please remember that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. Calling a quasi-Wicked Willow the real thing is an injustice to the good people of southern Rhode Island. This wasn't a fun blog for me to write. I've supported Island Deli since 2010 when me and my buddies got it for lunch while my dad made our Physics Olympics canoe (s/o Vector Martinez & our third place overall finish). But for $12+ after tax, customers deserve quality chicken salad. Shame on you Island Deli! To quote the great Chris Rock, "you can boo if you want to, but ya know I'm right."


P.S.

If ID is using Willow Tree again, I take back everything I said and publicly apologize. Like I said, I'm not in Gansett anymore...but this blog (likely) proves that they no longer use Willow Tree, which is fucked up!

Double P.S.

Does this guy want to meet in the Island Deli/Dunkin Donuts/Dry cleaning place/Liquor Store parking lot???

Triple P.S.

It's soooo encouraging to see there's still people out there who support my journalism and the truth. "Give me willow tree or give me nothing!"