How a Fried Chicken Sandwich Became the News Event of the Year

2019 was a year full of huge news in franchising, particularly in the QSR sector, but one story created more commotion and stood out clearly above all the rest: the infamous Popeyes fried chicken sandwich. It was dubbed by The Takeout , maybe somewhat hyperbolically, as “the biggest food news story of 2019 and maybe our lifetime,” but there’s no arguing that this story wasn’t huge.

In a QSR space where Chick-fil-A cornered the market on a Southern-style fried chicken sandwich, Popeyes was truly the first successful challenger. It was so successful it sold out , came back , sparked twitter fights , real fights and more. Ultimately, one chicken sandwich potentially changed the fast food game forever, but why?

According to CNBC , there are a few key reasons that put this crispy bird above the rest. For one, it was just downright good. Popeyes didn’t cut any corners on crafting this new menu item, and CNBC reported that the entire development process took two years. While some would argue that this sandwich was modeled after Chick-fil-A in style, the slow, careful rollout was also taking a page from Chick-fil-A’s book, a franchise that is notoriously discerning about everything from customer service , to new franchisees and new menu items .

Another advantage Popeyes had was taking advantage of a slow time of year. The Popeyes sandwich was launched August 12, a time when other restaurants are typically winding down from summer business and gearing up for fall.

While a few other QSRs tried to throw their hat in the ring following the Popeyes frenzy, it was all just too little too late. In 2020, it’s likely that even more challengers will enter the fried chicken wars, but will likely see more leeway with the same level of careful consideration, recipe testing and development that Popeyes put forth into their chicken sandwich.