When Popeyes launched its fried chicken sandwich on August 12, it got a lot of positive attention — the Twitter announcement got more than 31,000 likes, which is pretty impressive considering that their posts usually get less than 400. What the world didn't know was that tragedy was soon to strike. Popeyes ran out of chicken sandwiches before the month was over. But what's the real reason it disappeared? And when will the Popeyes chicken sandwich be available again, if ever? To find out, we have to go back to the beginning.
For the longest time, Popeyes only sold chicken pieces and tenders, with no sandwiches on their menu. They have a loyal fan following nonetheless, including the late Anthony Bourdain, who is said to have once eaten at a Popeyes buffet for three days in a row. The Popeyes chicken sandwich, made with their signature crispy fried chicken on a spicy mayo-slathered brioche bun and topped with pickles, was bound to be a hit with fans, but it had a few competitors who wanted to make their presence known when the newcomer started getting attention.
Chick-fil-A, a big name in the chicken sandwich game, was compelled to tweet out an equation alluding to the fact that they have the original chicken sandwich, stating:
"Bun + Chicken + Pickles = all the [love] for the original."
Popeyes wasn't having it, tweeting a simple "… y'all good?" in response. While Chick-fil-A's tweet got more than 23,000 likes, the reply from Popeyes got almost 325,000. Round one goes to Popeyes.
Wendy's, with its notoriously on-point Twitter game, also tried to get in the fight, posting a tweet that said:
"Y'all out here fighting about which of these fools has the second best chicken sandwich."
But once again Popeyes' reply —
"Sounds like someone just ate one of our biscuits. Cause y'all looking thirsty."
— got way more engagement from customers. The fast food chicken sandwich war has officially begun.
It's not just social media hype, either. The masses seem to agree that Popeyes chicken sandwich really is superior to Chick-fil-A's chicken sandwich, calling it better and cheaper. CBS This Morning's Gayle King, who called 15 different Popeyes locations trying to get her hands on one, said on her first bite,
Even celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse gave his version of a five-star review. He posted on Twitter that he was about to try the Popeyes chicken sandwich, and when a fan asked what he thought of it, Lagasse replied with two explosion emojis, the picture version of his famous catchphrase.
But not everyone managed to try one of the chicken sandwiches. Just 15 days after they launched, Popeyes made an announcement on Twitter, dashing the dreams of hopeful diners.
"Y'all. We love that you love The Sandwich. Unfortunately we're sold out (for now)."
A Popeyes spokesperson told CBS why the sandwich sold out so quickly, explaining:
"The demand for the new Chicken Sandwich in the first few weeks following its launch far exceeded our very optimistic expectations. In fact, Popeyes aggressively forecasted demand through the end of September and has already sold through that inventory."
The chain hasn't said exactly when the Popeyes chicken sandwich is coming back, only that they, along with their suppliers, are quote, "working tirelessly to bring the new sandwich back to guests as soon as possible." If you want to know the second it becomes available, you can download the Popeyes app and enable push notifications. You'll get an alert as soon as the sandwich hits stores, so keep gas in your car and a go-bag by the door, because you never know when the call might come.
And don't worry — once the Popeyes chicken sandwich becomes available it won't be disappearing again. According to a Popeyes spokesperson, the chicken sandwich is permanently on the menu. That's great for fans of the chain, but the question remains: What are we going to do with ourselves while we wait for its return?
Watch the video to find out the real reason Popeyes ran out chicken sandwiches!
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