Popeyes captured lightning in a bottle when it introduced its chicken sandwich in August, creating such a frenzy that it sold out of its entire two-month inventory in just two weeks. It’s about to see if it can do so again.
The chain is expected to bring back the sandwich early next month (an exact date hasn’t been announced). And some franchisees are staffing up to make sure they’re ready.
One owner of 150 Popeyes locations told Bloomberg he planned to hire an additional 400 people to handle demand. Popeyes has advised people waiting for the sandwich’s return to download its app if they “want to be one of the first to know.”
The chicken sandwich was a gamble that paid off for Popeyes. It was the first time in its 50-year history the company had offered a sandwich. Popeyes is hardly the only fast food company to try and replicate Chick-fil-A’s growing popularity. In July, McDonald’s franchisees called on the company to launch a Southern fried chicken sandwich of its own, saying Chick-fil-A is the competitor the Golden Arches should be most concerned about.
But Popeye’s is the first to really give the Atlanta-based company a real run for its money. Demand was so strong that, after the sandwich supply was gone, the company took the unusual approach of encouraging people to bring their own buns to the stores and create the sandwich themselves, using chicken tenders.
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