On Aug. 12, 2019, the world (or at least the parts with a Popeyes) was introduced to the Popeyes chicken sandwich. However, few people noticed this new menu item. It was not until weeks later, when the Popeyes’ Twitter account attacked Chick-fil-A, starting the now famous chicken sandwich war, that hype for the Popeyes sandwich began to grow at an alarming rate.
Drive-thru lines wrapping twice around the parking lot, hour-long waits inside the restaurant, exhausted workers, and stores running out of sandwiches by 11 a.m. were all byproducts of this extreme competition. However, disaster struck when Popeyes, unable to meet the unexpected increase in demand, ran out of the sandwich.
Many felt robbed of the sandwich, never having had the chance to indulge in it. But fear not, on Sunday, Nov. 2, Popeyes, confident they could meet demand, reintroduced the sandwich, putting it back into the hands of eager customers.
Upon reintroduction, the same lines of hungry people were seen, with many even longer due to the hype around the sandwich that grew during its absence. On the release day, I took a trip up to my local Popeyes. The drivethru line was wrapped twice around the sizable parking lot, even spilling over onto Roswell Rd. and creating a huge traffic hazard.
Aiming to outsmart this line by parking across the street and sneaking into the store, I hoped for a shorter line inside. However, it was to no avail. After waiting for half an hour, and not getting remotely close to ordering, I gave up, with plans to return the next day.
That Monday, Nov. 4, the lines had tapered off considerably, and I was able to walk into the store, wait about 20 minutes in line and another 10 after placing my order to receive the sandwich. At long last, I finally obtained the legendary sandwich. At $3.90 per sandwich, it is a relatively cheap option, but still almost a dollar more expensive than its counterpart, the Chick-fil-A sandwich.
What it lacks in price point, however, it makes up for in taste. The first bite is a mouthwatering combination of quality fried chicken, a great brioche bun, and a mayonnaise and Popeyes sauce. All of the flavors blend together beautifully to create a unique taste.
Originally, I had concerns that the chicken would be undercooked. These concerns turned into fears upon seeing multiple Instagram posts of pink or even red chicken in these sandwiches. However, I was delighted to find that mine was cooked perfectly – juicy and showing no signs of being raw.
As I continued to eat the sandwich, it continued to impress. The pickles were a great addition, really rounding out the great overall taste. In my opinion, when presented with an option to choose the Popeyes sandwich or any other fast food sandwich, I would choose Popeyes 10 times out of 10. It is a one of a kind taste, worthy of long lines, high demand, and even full fledged fights. However, I would advise that you wait until the lines die down before going to grab your own slice of heaven.