From August to November 2019, the internet erupted into discussion, mainly praise, about the new Popeyes chicken sandwich in August. From instagram food bloggers to twitter controversy, everyone was talking about it. The sandwich sold out in just fifteen days, however, in response to the demand, the chicken sandwich is now on Popeyes’ menu indefinitely.
Popeyes first released their sandwich to at a Los Angeles restaurant in early August, then released it to the rest of their locations later that month. Many waited hours to try the highly praised sandwich for the short time that it was there.
The Popeyes chicken sandwich also received attention from other fast-food chains. Immediately, Chick Fil A began to promote their sandwich in fear of losing their customers to Popeyes, and then Twitter started to debate who had the better sandwiches of the two. Wendy’s then tweeted directly attacking both of the franchises.
Who has the better chicken sandwich?
When surveyed, 46 WIS students and faculty preferred the Popeyes chicken sandwich was more popular than the Chick Fil A sandwich narrowly beating it by only 4.6 percent.
The sandwich sold out before many new customers could try it. Popeyes wasn’t prepared for the long lines and demand. The influx of customers made work more difficult for their minimum wage employees. In one case, Popeyes fired an employee because he brought his child into work to help lessen the sandwich demand.
At the beginning of November, Popeyes brought back their chicken sandwich as a regular menu item, and they continue to receive a similar amount of attention and demand for the sandwich.
In November, the demand for the became so high sandwich a man was fatally stabbed at a Prince George’s County, Maryland location over a chicken sandwich according to NBC news. The victim of the stabbing, Kyrell Tyrell Davis, had cut in front of the perpetrator Ricoh McClain leading to the two verbally arguing before going outside of the restaurant where McClain stabbed Davis.
The attention online is still very present. Scrolling through Instagram food pages, it is likely you’ll see your explore page filled with posts of the sandwiches, and those still debating which brand’s sandwich claims the title. Even celebrities and social figures like Lil Yachty have posted giving their input on the sandwich.
The sandwich definitely deserves the media recognition it has received. The combination of crispy chicken, pickles and mayonnaise based sauce results in a delicious sandwich. The addition of the mayonnaise sauce helps cut the saltiness of the chicken, and the acidity of the pickles helps balance out the sandwich.
In my opinion, Popeyes has a much better sandwich than competitors like Chick Fil A and Wendy’s. The breading on Popeyes’ chicken is a lot crispier and more moist as breading retains moisture and adds a crunchy layer. Whereas Chick Fil A and Wendy’s chicken’s breading is wetter, and their chicken is dry. Additionally, the addition of a mayonnaise based sauce makes the dimensions of the sandwich a lot more interesting because of different flavors combining to one great sandwich.
Overall, the Popeyes chicken sandwich is worth seeking out despite likely having to wait in a long line to try it. The months of hype on social media is an accurate reflection of the quality of the sandwich.
