The Dark Side of Popeyes’ Chicken Sandwich

The real-world implications of a fast-food craze gone viral.

Thumbnail for Popeyes post

David McNew/Getty Images – A Popeyes fast-food restaurant sign illuminated in the Los Angeles skyline.

A national emergency was virtually declared when fried-chicken chain Popeyes announced that its restaurants have exhausted the supply of its glorified chicken sandwiches.

Any minute now, a frenzy of hungry customers will take to the streets, wondering why the esteemed sandwich that was proclaimed to “save America” has suddenly turned its back on honest American citizens.

In the face of this burgeoning crisis, the White House has not yet issued a statement on this very, very serious matter.

Now left to our own devices, we are faced with endless questions no one can seemingly answer.

Who will pay for this Tennessee man’s ill-fated plight of spending “countless [hours] driving” from one Popeyes to the next in search of this elusive delicacy?

How will we get our hands on delicious chicken sandwiches on Sundays now?

But perhaps most importantly, why did I not order the spicy mayo variety instead of the plain?

While poking fun on the viral sandwich sensation is all the rage these days, this post will take a calculated glimpse toward the exacerbating labor conditions the unheralded service workers encountered during America’s foodiest hour.

(Note: less than a day after this blog post was published, Popeyes employees in Houston were held at gunpoint by a group of men over the sold-out chicken sandwiches. That’s right: a harmless chicken sandwich war has indeed turned into a harrowing situation for Popeyes employees on the so-called frontlines.)

Furthermore, this post will examine the repercussions of the ballooning social media marketing that was prominently displayed during the mania.

Buckle up kiddos, we’re in the endgame now. But first, a history lesson.

A social media promotion that struck gold – and struck out

 Author’s GIF – Popeye’s new chicken sandwich is good but not “viral national frenzy” good.

On August 12th, Popeyes Lousiana Kitchen genially launched the delectable $3.99 combination of crispy chicken breast, pickles, and mayonnaise on a brioche bun to the masses.

Nobody – not even Popeyes themselves – could have predicted that they have just unleashed the company’s most successful product in its entire history.

Indeed, the surprising nature of the product’s debut was made all the more evident when the coveted chicken sandwiches sold out in just two weeks – nearly an entire month before they were supposed to.

Just like that, the craze was decidedly over almost as soon as it began. So what exactly started the phenomenon that captured the (fast-food) nation’s imagination?

A chicken Sandwich war with all the beef

Fifteen minutes. Fifteen minutes is all it took to ignite a war.

As an excellent article from the New York Times vividly depicted:

“At 1:43 p.m. on Aug. 19, Bruno Cardinali, a marketing executive for Popeyes, got a WhatsApp message from a colleague: That morning, one of Popeye’s fast-food rivals, Chick-fil-A, had tweeted what appeared to be a thinly veiled critique of the new [Popeyes] fried chicken sandwich…

Mr. Cardinali quickly convened a group of marketing officials in a small room on the fifth floor of the Popeyes headquarters in Miami.”

Adapted from “15 Minutes to ‘Mayhem’: How a Tweet Led to a Shortage at Popeyes“

The task force of sly marketing officials worked through quickly and strategically, laboring at every angle, exhausting all possibilities.

At glorious last, after a rapid-fire brainstorming session, our daredevils resignedly pressed “send” and braced themselves for the cataclysmic unknown:

In a shot heard around the Twitter-verse, a viral sandwich feud was forged.

Of course, because these fast-food companies can never let sleeping dogs lie, other restaurants joined the fray.

In any case, the sandwich’s debut immediately became a culturally unifying event during a time where polarization was dismally the norm.

popeyes deep-fries the internet

The Great Chicken Sandwich Feud swiftly spread on social media in a blazing inferno. Now everyone craved a bite of the action, eager to not miss out on the latest edition of “FOMO.”

Mayhem ensued shortly after the sandwiches’ immense popularity led to shortages at many Popeyes locations.

A deluge of cars and hungry costumers snaked throughout the perimeter of the restaurants, resulting in hazardous traffic conditions.

Brawls over the limited sandwiches instantaneously transformed Popeyes to local dinner shows.

Those who were fortunate to survive the 45-minute lines were sometimes met with the cruel announcement that the sandwiches were just then sold out.

Lather. Rinse. Repeat. Everyday bore the same surreal outcome in Popeyes all across the nation until the chicken sandwiches as a whole officially sold out.

An unconvenient truth

For those sitting at the comfort of their homes and watching the madness unfold, it was amusing – and relatively harmless – at first.

The memes kept pouring in and collectively added to the overall spectacle.

Adrift in the flowing sea of memes, however, was a particular meme that compelled everyone to take a hard, long look at the viral chicken sandwich phenomenon.

The culprit in question was a minamalist photo of a visibly exhausted Popeyes worker in the aftermath of their shift.

Indubitably, hidden in plain sight was the unnerving nature of the capitalistic takeover that appeared to blindside the unfortunate Popeyes workers.

Slowly but surely, the community began to realize the tangible toll the online craze held over the lives of our blue-collar peers.

While Popeyes and the general populace were reveling in the festivities, the Popeyes service workers were left to bear the brunt of opening Pandora’s Box with a side of dry biscuits.

The fun and innocence of the profoundly seasoned façade inevitably started to wither.

The unsung heroes of the chicken sandwich wars

The grueling labor conditions of the understaffed Popeyes workers during the two-week ordeal left little to the imagination.

Indeed, Popeyes employees have reported 65-hour weeks, entire shifts with no breaks, and hellish threats from customers.

Earlier in August, an exhausted employee from Florida was hospitalized after collapsing from greasy floors caused from the overwhelming work environment.

What’s more, individual orders for the sandwiches ranged from one to a taxing 35 chicken sandwiches.

When the chicken sandwiches eventually sold out, the ravenous customers inexplicably vented their frustrations towards the downtrodden employees.

Specifically, customers have both verbally threatened and physically attacked Popeyes employees because they couldn’t get their grubby hands on the status item of the season.


Image/Twitter – A sign indicating that chicken sandwiches are sold out is displayed at the Popeyes location in Inglewood, California. Note: The user has since deleted the tweet.

Despite the pouring testimony and evidence of the inhumane treatment of Popeyes’ workers, the Popeyes CEO chalked it all up as just a “tough week.”

Combined with the prevalent issues of problematic algorithmic scheduling and a company-mandated 180-second window to complete drive-thru orders, Popeyes’ labor conditions will continue to intensify for the worse.

Fast-Food Nation: Popeyes Edition

Simply put, the fast-food industry is the most unequal in the US Economy.

For instance, the understaffed Popeyes cooks, whose employers have generated $5.35 billion in revenue last year, who have endured hazardous working conditions and are expected to work much harder, will not be reaping the benefits of this entire sandwich craze.

Unfortunately, there are no existing indications that Popeyes service employees, who are largely responsible for the majority of sandwich’s success whether by transporting, prepping or selling it, will be compensated despite the escalating demand.

Even before the chicken sandwich frenzy, Popeyes employees were paid starvation wages of $9.54 an hour.

Although it is known that the injustices of fast-food laborers cannot simply be solved by raising the minimum wage, it would provide immediate relief for the workers living in poverty.

Moreover, national programs that allow for both secure unionization and accessible health care benefits for the millions of fast-food workers who are left uncovered will serve to elevate the well-being of workers everywhere.

On a side note, further taxing the CEOs who make 12 times more than the average workers – even without the 300% bonus – could be a good starting place to fund these programs (wink, wink).

At any rate, it is certain that these exacerbating labor conditions cannot be effectively transformed without radical reform.

That harsh reality is further illustrated when you realize that Popeyes sources its chicken from chicken plants whom employ an immigrant, largely Latinx workforce (you know, like the one that got raided by ICE last month).

Moving forward, a sandwich product that is considered to be unethical, elitist, and racist is not an ideal look for Popeyes.

The real-world Impact of social media

You would think that over 23$ million of free press and advertising would enable Popeyes to throw a bone at its employees.

What is even more remarkable about the aforementioned estimate is that it was crunched up for only the first 11 days of the social media storm.

With just one viral tweet, Popeyes now possesses the potential to match its sales figures to that of its largest competitor in Chick-fil-A.

This scenario was a dream come true for Popeyes Chicken, especially since Twitter users themselves did all the work for the company.

To be clear, Popeyes’ success was not due to ingenious marketing strategy.

The company just chose to resonate with the youth community on Twitter by incorporating “internet speak” (hence, the “…y’all good?” tweet).

Still, its promoted social media marketing initiated an incredulous internet sensation that swept the nation.

That very same sensation has absolutely led to far-reaching consequences in the real world.

Whether it was by forcing fast-food companies to alter their trajectories in order to make the next best chicken sandwich, causing mayhem that affected the lives of consumers and employees alike, or by sealing the fate of the countless chickens who will be sacrificed to satiate the masses’ newfound obsession.

The latter point – as I touched upon in a previous post – will lead the meat industry to further destroy rainforests like the Amazon, causing long-term ramifications that have yet to manifest.

As the generations who have grown up in the digital age get older and more numerous, it would be intriguing to observe what social media marketing will evolve into next.

Why can’t we have nice things, America?

Will you be waiting in line when Popeyes’ chicken sandwich relaunches?

Whatever you do, just please do not try to resell them for $1000 (I’m looking at you, Quavo).

Author: Joshua P

Hey, I'm Josh! A UCLA grad in Psychobiology and Cognitive Science, I write about a myriad of personal interests (e.g. mental health, lifestyle, travel, pop culture).

5 thoughts on “The Dark Side of Popeyes’ Chicken Sandwich”

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