We all remember The Great Chicken Sandwich Wars of 2019: Popeyes (YUM) launched a sammy to try to compete with Chick-Fil-A, immediately triggering both companies to throw salt in each other's eyes on Twitter.
Soon enough drive-through lines leaked around the block and into the streets as folks rushed to obtain this holy grail of a sandwich, which promptly sold out, creating even MORE hype. Like, people stormed the fast-food franchise with guns in tow. It was, frankly, the kind of madness that only an intense case of FOMO could fuel.
Let’s fast forward to today, where the return of Popeyes’ Cajun Flounder Fish sandwich for its second limited run is a clear ploy to try to reignite people’s fried sandwich fever (translation: give us your money). Packed between buttery brioche slices and a healthy slathering of the brand’s trademark tartar sauce and loaded with chunky pickles, it sounds like the perfect lunch pick for fried food devotees – not to mention an ideal pick for those who observe Lent.
Popeyes is also encouraging customers to order the sandwich in its app by offering 150 rewards points for each one purchased. The chain’s reward program allows users to access discounts during Happy Hour events, earn free food, and more.
Popeyes
So What’s New About Popeyes Sandwich?
To put a new spin on the sandwich (which was first launched in 2021), Popeyes now offers it in two flavors, Classic and Spicy. To promote it, the company also collaborated with social media personality New York Nico to see what New Yorkers really thought of the fishy delight. To the surprise of no one, every person on camera loved what they ate.
One thing Popeyes chose not to bring back this year was its “Sandwich Insurance” offer when the sandwich launched in 2021, which let customers who purchased it on launch day add insurance to their order for an additional 15 cents. This ensured that anyone with unsatisfied taste buds could trade the half-eaten meal for a shiny new chicken sandwich. So if you don’t like the flounder when you get it this year, you best bring an extra five bucks to buy something else.
Can a Fish Sandwich Get Popeyes’ Head Above Water?
One downfall of meteoric growth is that good old adage about gravity: what goes up must come down. And Popeyes certainly did, with a decline of 0.4% worldwide and 1.8% in the US as reported in its fourth-quarter earnings. But when you consider that at one point in 2019 it was making $400k per restaurant, a steep drop was inevitable. Inflation and the labor shortage also aren’t helping, which may soon result in price hikes and menu changes for Popeyes.
All that said, many on social media are feeling pretty lit about getting their chops on some flounder. “Omg Popeyes Flounder Fish sandwich, Fat Tuesday indeed,” wrote one user, while others peppered the news with heart-eyed emoji. One extraordinarily passionate fan even belted out a love song to it behind the wheel of his car. So there just might be hope for the chain’s latest move after all.
