Popeye’s Spicy Chicken Sandwich Return Date Announced, Company Takes Dig At Chick-Fil-A In Announcement

Popeye’s has announced the return of its beloved and hugely-popular spicy chicken sandwich, taking a dig at competitor Chick-Fil-A in the process, CNN Business reports. The sandwich will return on November 3.

Back in August, Popeye’s rolled out its spicy chicken sandwich, and then almost immediately ran out. The company had secured a supply of the patties and brioche buns that they’d hoped would last the better part of two months. However, the sandwich buzzed on social media, and soon customers found themselves in hour-long lines to get their hands on the sandwich. The supply ran out after two weeks.

That left customers in the lurch, having gotten a taste for a new product that they couldn’t get enough of, and yet there wasn’t enough. What’s more, it would be months before the company had their ducks in a row and could bring the sandwich back.

On Monday, the company announced that it has secured a stable supply chain for the product, and is hiring more employees, in what is expected to once again be a high demand. This time, says Bruno Cardinali, head of marketing for North America at Popeye’s, those problems won’t repeat.

“We plan to offer it to our guests for a long time. We are confident that we’ll be able to meet the demand,” he said.

Y’all…the sandwich is back Sunday, November 3rd. Then every day. ?? pic.twitter.com/JDxyCIv0zz

— Popeyes (@Popeyes) October 28, 2019

In announcing the return of the sandwich, Popeye’s took a subtle (or not-so-subtle, depending on your point of view) dig at its competitor, Chick-Fil-A. As Thrillist reports, the company announced the return of the sandwich with a video showing a Popeye’s sign next to a Chick-Fil-A sign. Underneath the competitor’s sign were the words, “Closed Sunday,” while underneath the Popeye’s sign, the words, “Open Sunday” appear. Moreover, the date of the release of the sandwich, November 3, is a Sunday.

Chick-Fil-A, which is owned by evangelical Christians, is closed on Sundays. That means that on the day Popeye’s brings back one of its most popular items ever, its competitor’s locations will be shuttered.

In fact, the two chicken chains’ social media feud with each other may have played a role in the extraordinary popularity of the Popeye’s sandwich back in August.

As Thrillist‘s Tony Merevick writes, “Insults were hurled. Jabs were made. Memes were meme’d. More fast food brands chimed in, the tweet went viral, and Popeyes earned a stupid amount of free publicity.”

Those looking forward to the sandwich’s comeback can see Popeye’s announcement on its social media accounts.