Popeyes chicken sandwich to return on Sunday, chain says
And you thought the chicken sandwich wars were over.
Two months after announcing that it could no longer keep up with demand for its coveted new chicken sandwich, fastfood chain Popeyes said Monday that it’s bringing it back.
The sandwich, which proved so popular that it prompted long lines, will make its return Sunday. The chain made the announcement in a video that took a jab at rival Chickfil-A, which is famously closed Sundays in keeping with its founder’s Christian faith.
Popeyes began selling the chicken sandwich nationwide Aug. 12 to rave reviews. A writer for Thrillist called it “the best new thing in fast food.” A critic with The Dallas Observer called it a “a game-changer in the fast-food world.”
A week later, Chick-fil-A, threw shade at the chain, writing on Twitter “all the (HEART) for the original.” Popeyes responded simply, writing “… y’all good?” and so launched a social media fight seemingly crafted for the dog days of summer.
As Shake Shack, Wendy’s and other chains weighed in, lines grew at Popeyes restaurants across the country. Employees worked overtime as locations sold out of the sandwiches.
A supply intended to last three months ran out in just two weeks, The Wall Street Journal reported, and, Aug. 27, Popeyes said on Twitter that the sandwich was sold out.
The item would be back soon, it said. And nearly 70 days later, it will make good on its promise.
Popeyes and its owner, Restaurant Brands International, have spent much of the ensuing time working to secure ingredients and negotiate prices with suppliers, hoping that the sandwich will also drive an international expansion, The Journal reported Sunday.
Only time will tell whether that strategy will prove successful, but the sandwich appears to have already been a boon domestically.
In a statement Monday, Restaurant Brands said the results in the third quarter for Popeyes — during which the sandwich debuted and sold out — was one of its best in nearly two decades.