---
title: "How The Chicken Sandwich Wars Got Spicy and Became Chicken’s Defining Moment in 2019"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/168259d5-072b-4e54-8479-d6d65d91d359
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/how-the-chicken-sandwich-wars-got-spicy-and-became-chickens-defining-moment-in-2019-2711626
category: "Chicken"
industry: "Restaurants"
segment: "Chicken"
published: 2019-11-15T19:14:02.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T02:31:20.842Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/783a06bb1df958c5883a337e53209d585370.jpg
---

# How The Chicken Sandwich Wars Got Spicy and Became Chicken’s Defining Moment in 2019

**TL;DR:** The Chicken Sandwich Wars between Popeyes, Chick-fil-A, Wendy's, and McDonald's became a defining moment in the QSR industry in 2019. Popeyes' chicken sandwich debut in August 2019 sparked a viral feud, with the brand selling about 1,000 chicken sandwiches per store, per day, and accounting for 30% of sales.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2019-11-15. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/how-the-chicken-sandwich-wars-got-spicy-and-became-chickens-defining-moment-in-2019-2711626).*

## Story

**It started innocently enough—the much-anticipated** **Popeyes Chicken Sandwich** **debuted in mid-August to immediate rave reviews from customers everywhere. Right away,** **Chick-fil-A started some serious Twitter beef** **with the brand over the resemblance to its own spicy chicken sandwich offering. As the demand grew and word spread, a Chicken Sandwich War within the QSR and sandwich segments began, with major players such as** **Wendy’s** **and** **McDonald’s** **throwing their hats in the ring.**

**The viral QSR feud seemed to only stoke the flames of Popeye’s popularity, with the** **fast-food chicken restaurant selling about 1,000 chicken sandwiches per store, per day.** **The chicken sandwich sales also accounted for about 30% of Popeyes sales in the month it was available while store traffic doubled, according to an** **analyst at KeyBanc Capital Markets****.**

**Almost immediately after the release, Popeyes reported** **chicken sandwich shortages** **at select locations across the country. Users all over Twitter** **posted videos** **of long lines and** **sold-out notices** **as they struggled to get their hands on the elusive sandwich. In fact, a customer in Maryland even tried to** **sell one of the chicken sandwiches for $100** **after his local Popeyes sold out. Of course, what goes up must come down, and the Popeye’s wave crashed hard. After only a week, Popeye’s** **tweeted** **that they had sold out of the viral sandwich.**

**Popeyes wasn’t willing to** **give up on the popularity of the sandwich** **just yet,** **embarking on one more marketing campaign** **in which the chain encouraged customers to order a three-piece meal and make a sandwich with their own bun. To promote the idea,** **the brand has released a video showing perplexed customers** **grappling with the idea.**

**2019’s spicy chicken sandwich sensation is** **a prime example** **of how** **social media** **is becoming one of the most** **powerful marketing tools available to franchise brands****. Many brands in the sandwich segment and beyond are continuing to engage with a younger generation on Twitter and other platforms, with online promotional stunts leading to overwhelming demands and** **record sales****. Time and time again, “likes” and “favorites” are equating to a lot more than just numbers on a screen.**

**Besides selling out, the Popeyes sandwich was one of the most successful fast-food product launches in recent memory. The franchise generated $65 million earned media value in the first two weeks after the launch,** **according to Apex Marketing Group****, and even doubled its average store traffic.**

**Regardless, the chicken sandwich trend is no joke—chicken sandwich servings ordered in the year ending February 2019 are up** **4% from the same period a year ago****, at 4 billion servings. By comparison, burger orders stayed flat from orders one year ago, at 8.6 billion. Whether 2019 will be known in the history books as the** **Year of the Chicken Sandwich****, it was clearly the biggest trend within the sandwich segment of the foodservice industry.**

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- Restaurants (sector)
- McDonald's (company)
- Wendy's (company)
- Twitter (company)
- Chick-fil-A (company)
- Popeyes (company)
- qsr industry (topic)
- social media marketing (topic)
- fast food trends (topic)
- chicken sandwich wars (topic)

---
Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/how-the-chicken-sandwich-wars-got-spicy-and-became-chickens-defining-moment-in-2019-2711626). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/168259d5-072b-4e54-8479-d6d65d91d359).