Popeyes
In a battle with Chick-fil-A, Popeyes has thrown in the towel… for now.
This Cajun fast-food chicken chain has admitted temporary defeat by discontinuing their now-famous fried chicken sandwich. While they said they expected intense demand for their new sandwich, they had no idea it would explode online like this.
Popeye’s promises that it will return someday, but when? We just don’t know.
This sandwich is everywhere. The news. The radio. Many Popeyes locations have had lines out the door every day since it released on August 12th. If you haven’t heard about it yet, let’s give you the download on just what you have been missing.
The sandwich starts with a brioche bun. Brioche is a yeasted bread known for having extra butter in it, making it exceptionally soft. This holds up well against Popeyes breading, which is extra crunchy compared to some other fast-food chains.
It has mayo on the bottom and a few sour pickles for a little extra flavor. The pickles are a classic fried chicken sandwich addition – Chick-fil-A’s all popular sandwiches have a few pickles on the bottom for good measure, too.
Finally, the chicken itself is juicy and tender, with Popeyes signature crispy spiced coating that makes all of their chicken so distinct. The other soft elements, like the smooth mayo and the gentle, springy bun, make the perfect contrast to the breading.
The internet loves this sandwich.
Popeyes tweeted today that they were “temporarily” discontinuing this sandwich, but they pinky-promised that it will make a full-time return on the menu.
The company apparently expected high demand for the sandwich but had no idea that it would go viral. As soon as it was released, people flocked to locations, with some places seeing drive-through lines so long it blocked traffic.
The internet immediately called out Popeyes for taking on Chick-fil-A, and a great debate began. Just which sandwich is better? What makes a great fried chicken sandwich, anyway?
There was no true resolution, and now that it’s gone, we won’t be seeing one for a while.
Popeyes claims the first to be ‘in the know’ when the sandwich comes back will be those who have the app downloaded and push notifications on. While we’re all hoping this crispy treat comes back soon, we’re not holding our breath.
Nothing like a little viral marketing and then cutting off supply to build hype and demand.
If you really can’t wait, some folks are selling the sandwich $4 online for thousands of dollars. We recommend just picking up a replacement at Chick-fil-A for now, and waiting for its return, rather than spending enough money for a European vacation on lunch.
