Popeyes' chicken sandwich returns to enthusiastic fans
Popeyes Chicken brought back its acclaimed spicy chicken sandwich Sunday, more than two months after it first sold out.
The sandwich originally launched in August and quickly became a big hit for the fast-food chain, selling out in about two weeks amid a Twitter feud with fellow fast-chicken purveyor Chick-fil-A. The sandwich drew so much attention to Popeyes that its sales were still 17 percent higher than average two weeks after it sold out, according to analytics firm Second Measure.
It apparently took Popeyes this long to bring back the sandwich because it had to lock down suppliers for the brioche bun and small chicken breast, The Wall Street Journal reported earlier.
Popeyes’ decision to bring the sandwich back on Sunday — which also happened to be National Sandwich Day — appeared to be a marketing stunt designed to reignite the feud with Chick-fil-A which is closed on Sundays, and in a marketing gaff sent out emails ahead of National Sandwich Day enticing customers to come in, even though it was a Sunday.
Chick-fil-A apologized to customers about the mix-up in a follow-up email.
“Well … this is awkward,” the chain wrote.
Meanwhile, Popeyes fans shared their excitement about the chicken sandwich’s return on Twitter Sunday.
DID CHICK-FIL-A-FORGET IT’S CLOSED ON SUNDAY?
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Even long lines reported at some locations didn’t stop people from getting in on the chicken sandwich mania.
WHY IT TOOK MONTHS FOR POPEYES TO BRING BACK ITS CHICKEN SANDWICH
Some Twitter users even reported people lining up outside Popeyes restaurants before they opened.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether Popeyes would sell out of the sandwiches again, but the chain was assuring fans on Twitter that they weren’t “going anywhere.”