The Viral Popeyes Chicken Sandwich Is Coming Back Next Month. Are You Ready?

When Chris Isaak wrote the song Wicked Game, he didn’t know it at the time, but he was writing about the way Popeye’s has dealt with its chicken sandwich fandom. It was born the Popeye’s Crispy Chicken Sandwich, but its meteoric rise to fame baptized in ubiquity with its official Christian name: The Sandwich.

As you may remember, less than a month into the Chicken Sandwich frenzy, Popeyes stopped serving the sandwich altogether and made the announcement with a cheeky sizzle posted to Twitter captioned: “Unfortunately we’re sold out (for now).”

But “now” is over and the time has come to once again get in line and hope they don’t run out of supplies by the time you reach the counter. According to a report by Bloomberg, The Sandwich will return early next month, though an exact date has not been released.

The Sandwich will reportedly be available in 150 Popeyes locations, which are owned and operated by Sun Holdings Inc. CEO Guillermo Perales told Bloomberg that the initial demand during the first release was more than the restaurants were equipped to handle. “The first time they weren’t ready,” he admits. This time, though, an additional 400 employees have been hired (about two per location) to cushion the blow of the overwhelming demand for spicy chicken sandwiches.

I’ve tried The Sandwich myself, and I can say it’s worth every tweet and every ounce of hype it gets. It is not, however, worth harassing employees over.

Few fans, however rabid they may be, know The Sandwich’s true origin story. In 2017, Sweet Dixie Kitchen owner Kim Sanzhez was caught serving Popeye’s fried chicken and passing it as her own. Earlier this year, Popeye’s partnered with Sanchez to serve the now-famous Chicken Sandwich at Sweet Dixie Kitchen locations before making its national debut.

While this beloved sandwich will rejoin society around the time of year another poultry bird typically dominates the food scene, come to think of it, a Popeyes Friendsgiving with The Sandwich as the main course doesn’t sound half bad.