McDonald’s has a suspiciously familiar new sandwich, and Chick-fil-A probably isn’t going to be too happy about it… If you’ve been craving a crispy chicken sandwich but you can’t be bothered with Popeye’s lines and you’re bored with the usual, this fast-food giant has the solution.
While it’s only testing in a few markets right now, if it sells well we can expect this to become a national-wide item, and quickly. There’s no chance that McDonald’s, of all places, will sell out of buns after all.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know how popular Popeye’s chicken sandwich is. They sold out earlier this year weeks before it was planned, and the internet was obsessed, with some going on eBay for literally hundreds of dollars.
Popeye’s hired more staff, secured a proper bun supplier (seriously, that was the issue. They couldn’t keep buns in stock), and relaunched the sandwich as a permanent menu item. Since then, fights have broken out over long lines, and one person in Maryland even died.
Not to be left out, McDonald’s has now stepped in the ring and shared on Twitter this week that they are releasing their very own southern fried chicken sandwich to rival the competitors.
The big question is, what does this McDonald’s fried chicken sandwich have inside, and is it going to be better than Popeyes? Let’s set our sights a little more realistic, maybe – is it going to be better than KFC’s?
According to information from McDonald’s themselves, the sandwich is going to be on a toasted, buttered potato roll with crinkle-cut pickles. That’s it, very simple, very classic. And very Chick-fil-A, let’s be honest here.
If you want the “Deluxe” version of the sandwich, you can get it with mayo, lettuce, and tomato.
McDonald’s official Twitter tweeted a picture of the chicken sandwich, all done up in its wrapper, saying “Lunch tomorrow? No beef.” Included is a chicken emoji and a winky-face.
That’s right. If you’re excited about this sandwich, you’d better live in or near Houston, Texas or Knoxville, Tennessee, because these are the only two test markets for the sandwich as of right now.
It’s going to be available for sale between December 2 and January 26, so you have plenty of time to snag one if you’ll be traveling through the area for the holidays. If you’re not there, well, you’re out of luck for now.
This isn’t McDonald’s trying to jump on the bandwagon, at least not entirely. Apparently, franchise owners have been asking the company for a fried chicken sandwich to help bring back their customers for years.
The National Owners Association, a collection of franchise owners, sent McDonald’s an official email in July asking the company to make developing a chicken sandwich as competition a “top priority”.
“…we do not compete in the premium chicken sandwich category, either grilled or crispy.” The letter argues. McDonald’s released in a statement in October, two months ago, saying they were working on a solution to the chicken sandwich dilemma, and to “stay tuned”.
If this sells well in the test markets, consumers can expect to get their grubby hands on this fried chicken sandwich sometime next year.
