Popeyes fans think they've spotted clever marketing strategy with chicken tenders
Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, a Southern fried chicken institution famed for serving up buttery biscuits, mouthwatering sandwiches, and zingy, Cajun-spiced fries, may be on to something with its so-called chicken ‘hack ’, which some die-hard fans are convinced is real.
The restaurant chain, which now has more than 3,000 sites in operation across 48 states, firmly planted its roots in New Orleans in 1972 as a direct competitor to KFC called ‘Chicken on the Run’.
Since then, the fast-food titan has been renamed a handful of times, gone viral for beating McDonald’s to the punchline, and has opened its first stores in Britain, where Popeyes’ Mega Dips recently went on sale.
With so much history, it’s natural that the institution has a cult following.
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Did you know that thousands of fans take to Reddit every week to discuss new products, pricing, and apparent customer marketing strategies?
The latest conspiracy theory touted by various social media users is that staff have taken a leaf out of Five Guys’ book by giving guests more food than they originally asked for.
“I won’t name names, but other restaurants just don’t give a satisfying amount of fries,” Five Guys founder Jerry Murrell once said. “We always give an extra scoop.
I say load ’em up and make sure they get their money’s worth. [Some] people complain that they get too many fries. I just tell them to make hash browns with the leftovers. I teach my managers that if people aren’t complaining, then you’re not giving them enough.”
On Reddit, people are convinced that some Popeyes staff members have a similar ethos, with one fan writing: “Does Popeyes intentionally give you 6 tenders in the 5 piece combo?
“Everytime I go to Popeyes, I normally get the 5 piece combo. Im pretty sure everytime ive gotten it, I get 6 tenders instead of 5. Is this a marketing strategy?”
Surprisingly, it’s not just one fast-food customer claiming they get too much food; others have flocked to the thread to have their say.
“I don't know if the employees were terrible at math or the franchisee/owner just gave zero f***s but my former local Popeyes straight up ignored the tender numbers on the board,” a second Reddit user alleged.
“The 3-piece always ended up being 4 or 5 and the 5-piece would be anywhere from 6 to 9. It got to the point where my wife and I would just split a 5-piece because we knew there would be more than enough food for both of us.”
Another commented: “I want one night after work and noticed that they gave me a larger than normal box. When I got home and opened it there was at least 12 tenders in there. Had dinner and lunch the next day.”
“I get extra a lot at Popeyes. I'm pretty chill and patient since I've worked customer service for so many years. I like to think my guy is just hooking me up for not being a d**k after a long day of people being d***s,” a fourth said.
Others have offered theories for the generosity, including one who said: “Maybe the employee is showing their interest in you by giving you a free piece of chicken.”
A second shared: “My theory is that it’s to make up for the super scrawny pieces. Sometimes I will get two or three very small pieces and the rest of them are larger.”
Meanwhile, a social media user who claimed they used to be a staff member at Popeyes said receiving extra food could be waste-saving measure.
“We had to go through the chicken quickly otherwise it would get tossed. And as others have pointed out, the size difference from one tender to the next can be dramatic. Better to give a bit extra than let it go to waste,” they said.
FOODbible has contacted Popeyes for comment and clarification on whether staff members ever hand out free chicken
Topics: Fast Food, US Food, News, Social Media
Ella Scott