It’s tempting to refer to ChickenBonz and Jersey Mike’s Subs as two sides of the same coin. After all, the casual restaurants, which prepare meals for dining in or taking out, share the same building at the front of the Century Village complex on Bend’s west side.

Both serve quality ingredients at fast-food prices. Both offer friendly service and comfortable dining. But parallels end at that point.

ChickenBonz is a relatively new company. Owner David Borenstein’s original Springfield location opened in 2002, and although in past years it has expanded to Sherwood (southwest of Portland) and to Las Vegas, those restaurants had closed before Bend’s ChickenBonz franchise opened last year.

“No two Bonz locations look alike,” the company website states. That’s an easy call when there are only two locations.

Jersey Mike’s, by contrast, has been around for 60 years. Established in Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey, in 1956, it still provides training there for managers of more than 1,000 stores across the country, including 14 in Oregon. The original Bend store opened in 2014, and the company has recently added a second restaurant in the Walgreens Plaza on Third Street.

ChickenBonz

I find ChickenBonz to be charming in its informality. The ambience is at once playful, rustic and throwback, like a spacious, 60-seat man cave with dark wood floors and corrugated aluminum siding. Four pinball machines invite play. Old record-album covers and automobile license plates hang on the walls between skis and snowboards. Three TVs hang in the corners of the room, and classic rhythm-and-blues music plays in the background.

Even before diners walk through the front door, they find themselves looking at the order counter. In other words, you can’t miss it. A large board offers a choice of “bonz” (chicken wings) or “bonzless” (chicken tenders) in orders of five to 100 pieces, as well as combos (with fries and a drink), burgers, side dishes and a salad bar.

That salad bar is a nice touch, and something I was glad to have as an accompaniment to my “bonz.” I found the selection just big enough to complement a meal without being overwhelming. There was crisp green lettuce; a choice of about a dozen vegetables, including tomatoes, mushrooms and black olives; perhaps a half dozen dressings; and an option of Parmesan cheese and sunflower seeds for a final touch.

I’m a big fan of chicken wings as a protein-rich snack or meal, and ChickenBonz didn’t disappoint. Priced at just under a buck a bone, they were tender and meaty, not overly breaded, and cooked in a choice of a dozen different sauces, ranging from “sweet and sour” to “damn hot.” My favorite tastes were a spicy barbecue sauce and a sweet chili garlic sauce.

Visitors with big appetites can pay $13.25 for “all you can eat bonz.” The only caveat is they must be consumed in-house. If you’re scheduling a party, you can get as many as 100 wings, with five different sauces, for $89.95.

Jersey Mike’s

The sub shop is a little more intimate and contemporary, with 34 seats on a light-wood floor surrounded by windows that welcome available light. Two small televisions and a surfboard — a reminder that this company got its start on the Atlantic seaside — are the extent of the limited décor. Classic rock music plays in the background.

But attention is, and should be, directed to the service counter, where the shop proudly exhibits the meats and cheeses that go into its sandwiches. The menu features a selection of more than a dozen hot and cold submarines, in combinations that take advantage of ham, turkey, roast beef, pastrami, salami, pepperoni and other meats such as cappacuolo and prosciuttini.

I love a good Philly cheesesteak sandwich, so I ordered Jersey Mike’s Famous Philly. It may not be the best in town, but it passed my personal taste test with flying colors. The warm hoagie bun was soft and yeasty, and was filled with sliced beef, grilled onions and green peppers, melted together with provolone cheese. Variations (for another time) include a cheesesteak with chipotle mayonnaise, and another with added mushrooms and jalapeño peppers.

Menu classics include the Original Italian, the Club Supreme and the Pastrami Reuben, all available in mini (5-inch), regular (7-inch) and giant (14-inch) sizes. In addition, there are a half-dozen chicken cheesesteaks and five wraps (best with chicken, turkey or vegetables). Diners on gluten-free diets can opt for the Sub in a Tub, with sandwich toppings served on a bed of greens.

The menu also offers a tuna fish option “freshly made on premises!” I’m guessing it’s tuna salad, and not the fish itself, that’s made here.

— Reporter: janderson@bendbulletin.com.