When tasked with writing a tantalizing Food and Drink post for Editor Elizabeth, Blogger Jake Sonderman dove into the history of the chicken sandwich and the modern-day war of the sandwiches.
By Jake Sonderman
Chicken, bread, two pickles, and some special sauce–what is it about these four things that has sent Americans into a frenzy?
To understand this chicken-sandwich frenzy, we must rewind to 1946 to a little Georgia diner called the Dwarf Grill. It was here that Truett Cathy, co-owner of the restaurant, discovered that with a pressure cooker, boneless fried chicken sandwiches could be made just as fast as hamburgers. Equipped with the knowledge of the chicken patty, buttered bun, dual pickles, and special sauce, Cathy transitioned from the Dwarf Grill to the first Chick-fil-A at the Atlanta Greenbriar shopping center in 1967 (chick-fil-a.com). Though the franchise was formerly located almost entirely in shopping malls, in the 21st century, Chick-fil-A started to ride with the big dogs. In 2018, Chick-fil-A had the 8th most locations for a fast food chain but had the 3rd largest sales, behind only McDonalds and Starbucks (Business Insider). But in 2019, Chick-fil-A was no longer the only one making the sacred chicken sandwich.
In August of 2019, Popeyes released not just a chicken sandwich, but a SPICY chicken sandwich that was composed of a chicken patty, buttered bun, dual pickles, and special sauce. Chick-Fil-A immediately struck back the same day of the release on Twitter, tweeting “Bun + Chicken + Pickles = all the ❤️ for the original.” Popeyes responded with “… y’all good?” It was Dance Moms with multi-billion dollar chicken companies. Within two weeks, Popeyes had sold out of their sandwich nationwide. The public was so desperate for this new spicy chicken sandwich that guns were pulled on employees who had no more of the sandwich (CNBC). When the sandwich was re-released (on a Sunday), a man was fatally stabbed after he cut in line at Popeyes (CNBC). A war was being waged, but all the players were not yet at the table.
Fast-food juggernaut McDonalds entered the war with the introduction of two new crispy chicken sandwiches that both have–no surprise–a chicken patty, two buttered buns, pickles, and sauce. Fried chicken specialist, Kentucky Fried Chicken, also threw its hat into the ring in early 2020. And on October 27th, 2020, Wendy’s entered the fray, offering its new classic chicken sandwich FREE with any purchase (Business Insider).
Has a new era of fast food begun? Did Truett Cathy have any idea what he started with a chicken patty, buttered bun, two pickles, and sauce?
Sources:
https://www.chick-fil-a.com/about/history
https://www.businessinsider.com/wendys-new-chicken-sandwich-promotion-coupon-how-to-get-free-2020-10
https://www.businessinsider.com/popeyes-chicken-sandwich-started-civil-war-customers-2019-11
https://www.businessinsider.com/how-chick-fil-a-took-over-america-2019-8
Food & Drink Editor: Elizabeth Shay
I am proud (I guess?) to say I have never had a chicken sandwich from any of these fine establishments.
Capitalism is alive and well in our fast food industry. I understand in the spirit of competition Popeye’s offers theirs on Sundays while Chik-fil-a is closed. But here’s my query… is there an unwritten law that a chicken sandwich must have bun, patty, 2 PICKLES, and sauce! Is the wayward tomato, or onion a travesty, a forbidden element?
Un-American? Viva La Fish Filet Sandwich!