The Popeyes Chicken Sandwich is finally returning in November, and to many, that’s a huge deal.
Chicken, lettuce, pickles, mayo, a brioche bun, separately these food items can’t do much, put together though and they can put all of America at a standstill. Almost two months ago we saw Popeyes make headlines as American people formed lines around entire blocks to get their hands on a swiftly sold-out chicken sandwich. Now after months of waiting, and a man even threating Popeyes staff at gun-point, the chicken sandwich is returning.
Just about every over-the-top reaction came about because of Popeyes’ Chicken Sandwich selling out. One man even tried to sue the franchise for US $5,000 (which is suspiciously the same price for a Popeyes Chicken Sandwich on eBay) in damages because not having the sandwich meant he couldn’t feel happiness. Seriously.
While we here in Dubai can’t enjoy the exact same sandwich our American friends can, we can get a laugh at seeing everyone lose their minds over the US $3.99 one more time. According to Bloomberg, not only is the sandwich returning, Popeyes has had to employ hundreds more staff to cope with the hype.
Bloomberg explains: Sun Holdings Inc., which operates about 150 Popeyes locations, will offer the item beginning in early November, according to Chief Executive Officer Guillermo Perales. To prepare, the restaurants are hiring additional 400 employees and may dedicate up to two people per store to make the sandwich, he said.
Popeyes’ corporate arm explained to Bloomberg that:
“Our franchisees have worked to increase staffing,” We have been working diligently to bring the sandwich back to our restaurants soon, as we know our guests are anxiously anticipating its return. “As soon as we’re ready to announce a date, we will let the world know!”
The Popeyes Chicken Sandwich rolled out across America on August 12, 2019 and only 15 days later, completely ran out with no sign of a return. The popularity of the sandwich was so immense that Forbes estimates the news of the sandwich and its subsequent scarcity has raked in more than US $65 million worth of exposure for Popeyes.
Not even Popeyes expected the demand to be so high, soon after the chicken drought, the company said that: “The demand for the new chicken sandwich in the first few weeks following launch far exceeded our very optimistic expectations,” the company said in a statement to Business Insider. “In fact, Popeyes aggressively forecasted demand through the end of September and has already sold through that inventory.”
With a tentative release date of November, it’s not long till we can hope to see more chicken-crazed Americans bust down Popeyes’ doors.
