I still haven’t tried Howlin’ Rays because I was never in the mood to stand in a 2+ hour line for it. Little did I know that I would end up waiting for 1.5 hours in anticipation of Popeye’s gone viral on social media fried chicken sandwich. I guess that’s the power of the gram.
It all started with Popeye’s announcement of their new sandwich.
Then Chick-fil-A got huffy.
Which got a sassy response from Popeye’s. (Props to their community manager).
And then the social media posts began. The internet loves a good debate, right? Whose fried chicken sandwich is better?
Personally, I’ve always been a fan of Popeye’s and was very pleased they came up with a Chick-fil-A contender. Regardless of which one was better, I’d happily support Popeye’s. To my delight, Popeye’s fried chicken sandwich IS really good. Getting your hands on one isn’t easy though.
First, a lot of locations run out of stock and so if you’re pulling up to a Popeye’s and see some white signs put up on the windows or on a standee, chances are they’re letting you know that sadly, they’re sold out. We encountered such a misfortune the other evening.
Getting smarter the next day, we set out at 10:30 AM to track down a sandwich. We ended up in the Glendale location. No white signs and no line out the door like the La Brea location!
As soon as I walked in, the cashier announced that all orders would take at least an hour or an hour and a half. Well, I was already there, I was committed. 1 hour it is.
I put in my order and the husband and I indeed waited an hour and a half in the car until our order was ready.
What we ordered (for 4):
4 hot chicken sandwiches
1 large order of cajun fries
1 regular order of red beans and rice
The hot chicken is the way to go because honestly, modestly mild is a more accurate description. Since it’s such a time commitment, you might as well order some sides, and fries are great for sharing. Lastly, I’ve been a longtime fan of their red beans and rice, originally introduced to me by a childhood bestie. We used to go to Popeye’s and just get that side.
Total kudos to Popeye’s for generating the hype and for the most part, living up to it.
JULIENNE CARROTS 