Popeyes Is About to Stop Selling Its New Fried Chicken Sandwich
The Popeyes chicken sandwich mania has yet to settle down, despite Twitter arguments with other major chains and taped up 'sold out' signs in franchise windows. If you've yet to have the coveted sandwich, citing frenzies and wait time, you might just have to wait a little bit longer: Popeyes announced Tuesday that it's officially sold out of the treasured chicken sandwich.
Or it's about to sell out of it. Or so the chicken chain claims.
"It has been amazing to see our guests share their love for our brand and for the new Chicken Sandwich on social media and beyond, and we are truly humbled and grateful for their support," a Popeyes spokesperson told Thrillist. "The demand for the new Chicken Sandwich in the first few weeks following 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."
Because of this, as the spokesperson confirmed to us, Popeyes is expecting to completely sell out of the chicken sandwiches by the end of this week.
"We, along with our suppliers, are working tirelessly to bring the new sandwich back to guests as soon as possible," they added.
Popeyes, however, did not offer details as to which parts of the chicken sandwich supply chain had broken down. Did the company completely sell out of boneless chicken breasts, the core of the sandwich? And how does a nationwide fried chicken restaurant run out of chicken? Were there not enough barrel cured pickles? Has the stock of brioche buns been completely demolished?
It certainly doesn't hurt the buzz around the sandwich for Popeyes to issue a press release stating that its product is just so damn popular, they can't keep up with the overwhelming demand. In a brash move, Popeyes is suggesting fans of the sandwich download the Popeyes app in order to be the first to know when the social media sweetheart returns.
Whether or not the sandwich is truly sold out, this feels like a familiar fast food song and dance: take away a beloved menu item in order to cause another hysteria upon its return. We've seen this play out with Wendy's spicy nuggets, McDonald's Szechuan Sauce, and Taco Bell's Nacho Fries.
If the "sold out" sandwich is indeed a marketing hoax, it's a good one. We now breathlessly await word from Popeyes about the return of the glorious chicken sandwich.
MORE: Does Popeyes actually have the best fast food chicken sandwich?
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