Fast food lovers rejoice, because after 10 long weeks of its absence, the famous Popeyes chicken sandwich is set to make its return to more than 100 menus nationwide. According to Bloomberg‘s Leslie Patton, the famed sandwich will return to 150 Popeyes locations in early November.
“We have been working diligently to bring the sandwich back to our restaurants soon, as we know our guests are anxiously anticipating its return,” Popeyes said in a statement to the outlet. “As soon as we’re ready to announce a date, we will let the world know!”
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Although the chain didn’t nail down a specific date, an investigation by Thrillist revealed that the sandwich should return as early as Oct. 23 to sometime in November.
Anticipating the crowds that will come, the company’s CEO, Guillermo Perales, told Bloomberg that the chain is taking steps to prepare for the rush, including hiring an additional 400 employees to manage the hype as well as allowing restaurants to designate up to two people per store to make the menu item.
Hitting the menu on Monday, Aug. 12, Popeyes chicken sandwich sparked a firestorm, with fans clamoring to sink their teeth into it before it sold out and forcing employees to work long hours. One Popeyes location Houston even saw a “group of people with guns” rush through the doors demanding the dish.
“We have seen an extraordinary demand for the new Popeyes Chicken Sandwich following our nationwide launch on August 12,” a spokesperson for the fast-food chain told The Blast. “It has been amazing to see our guests share their love for our brand and for the new Chicken Sandwich on social media and beyond, and we are truly humbled and grateful for their support.”
“The demand for the new Chicken Sandwich in the first few weeks following launch far exceeded our very optimistic expectations. In fact, Popeyes aggressively forecasted demand through the end of September and has already sold through that inventory,” it continued. “As a result, Popeyes restaurants across the country are expected to sell out of the Chicken Sandwich by the end of this week. We, along with our suppliers, are working tirelessly to bring the new sandwich back to guests as soon as possible.”
Just two weeks after its launch, the chain announced that the sandwich had sold out. In its absence, Popeyes launched the “Bring Your Own Bun” deal, encouraging customers to order the three-piece tenders and place it on the pre-brought bun.
For those still hoping to get their hands on the chain’s famed chicken sandwich, you can keep up on when it’s in and out of stock on the Popeyes Twitter account here.
