Popeyes Selling Out of Their Chicken Sandwich Again? Odds Favor No

Popeyes shook up the fast food scene during the summer of 2019 in a big way. The marketing team at Popeyes did such a good job that the sandwiches sold out completely only two weeks after going on sale.

Recent news has popped up indicating that the sandwich would be making it’s long-awaited comeback after selling out. Some are wondering if there will be a repeat happening where the demand outweighs the supply and another sell out happens.

Odds Popeyes Sells Out of Their Chicken Sandwich Before Jan. 1st, 2020

Odds taken Oct. 30

There was a lot of chicken sandwich posturing happening this summer. Wendy’s, Chick-Fil-A, and Popeyes all upped their social media game in the name of boasting the best poultry between buns. The sandwich roll out happened in mid-August with the company projecting a big September.

Popeyes would end up being sold out of the chicken sandwich before August ended. Since that initial sell-out, the company has been regrouping and readying themselves for the return of America’s seemingly most popular fast food item.

Chicken Sandwich Here to Stay

Popeyes had almost too much success. According to Consensus Metrix, the sandwich ended up selling double what analysts had projected. In fact, the parent company, Restaurant Brands, reported that the chicken chain had one of their best sales quarters in two decades.

It also brought in larger amounts of people from different demographics. Prior to the sandwich, Popeyes generally had boomers as customers but the advent of the chicken sandwich created growth amongst millennial customers.

This little boy gets into the Halloween spirit as the Popeyes chicken sandwich: https://t.co/PzOGcOX1Yw pic.twitter.com/ekkiNu8s2y

— ABC News (@ABC) October 30, 2019

The demand for the deliciously elusive sandwich caused some pretty wild incidents to pop up. At a Houston location, a disgruntled customer pulled a gun on a Popeyes worker when news that there were no chicken sandwiches trickled out.

People were trying to sue the company in lieu of the sandwich not being available when they wanted them. The frenzied, impassioned reactions from customers created a lot of organic advertisements for the product too. It seemed inevitable that this tasty treat would make it’s return and now we’re just days away.

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

— Popeyes (@Popeyes) October 28, 2019

The date being on Sunday is a fun little jab a Chick-Fil-A, their main competitor which is of course closed on Sundays.

So perhaps the chicken sandwich wars will resume, but I feel Popeyes will have more artillery this time out. The appropriate amount of staffing will be a big part of it as there were multiple reports of workers being taxed to the point of exhaustion to satisfy the ravenous demand.

At the height of the sandwich’s popularity, they were selling a thousand per store, per day. I think the company has had more than enough time to evaluate what they need to do going forward. They have added more staff to their locations, they have a stronger sense of what the demand is going to be, and the supply will be sufficient enough for it to become a permanent menu item. I say ‘No’ to the idea of them selling out like they did the first time.

Pick: No (-300)