The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle says that the first location to run out was in Rochester, with cars filling the parking lot and spilling out onto the street. Hungry chicken fans then drove to another location, which also ran out of chicken.
"It was quite the promotion," a shift manager at a local Popeye's told the paper. "It was phenomenal. We had people trying to place multiple orders. The promotion allowed only one order per person. It got crazy at the end."
Meanwhile, on Long Island, police were called in after chicken-related traffic started to cause serious problems during rush hour. Eventually, the entrance to the Popeye's was cordoned off with crime scene tape.
Popeye's runs out of chicken in Rochester [Democrat & Chronicle] (Thanks, Tristan B.!)
(Photo:Morton Fox)
I saw Biscuitville franchises all over NC on vacation last year. Now I will have to try one out since I have verification that they're awesome. I suspected they were anyway since there's so many of them!
My 90 year old grandma has baked biscuits every morning for most of her life. As you could imagine,her biscuits are AWESOME.
]]>@tbonekatz: Eeeeee... Im sorry! Yuck!
]]>@Barney_The Plug_ Frank: I went to one about a year ago, and immediately noticed the line at the counter, with no one behind it to help. It took 15 minutes for anyone to even acknowledge the growing waiting line. All attention by the employees were focused on the drive-thru. When I finally put my order in (after forever!), and finally got my food (after forever!), my chicken was dry and chewy like jerky from the heating lamps, and the crispy coating of the fries were peeling down like when you peel a banana! The inside potatoe part of the fry that was exposed was limp and cold. I made the manager re-cook me more fries, just to receive the same garbage. Oh yeah! And there was no ice in the soda fountain machine. Every customer while I was in the restaraunt had to bother an employee behind the counter to give them ice from the back. No employee would even take the time to fill up the soda fountain machine with ice! Not only that, there were no napkins, lids, and straws available for customers. I took it upon myself to open the cabinets below the straw/napkins dispenser area and open boxes and replace these items for myself and other customers! After I threw out my half eaten food, I went to use the restroom, just to discover that the womens toilet seat was broken, with the seat itself laying on the floor! The other Popeyes I visited a month ago had such poor customer service through the drive-thru. Although this one wasnt nearly as bad as the other Popyes, I was pretty ticked off when the condiments and dipping sauce I requested for my dry ass chicken strips were not in the bag, along with no napkins, straw for my drink, and fork for the sides. Is it really that hard?
]]>Even here in the South, you can get bad fried chicken. If Popeye's up there are half as good as they are down here (I prefer Church's, but it's all flavor preference between them, Bojangles, and Popeye's--all of which beat KFC by miles), I can totally see traffic problems and such for such a promo.
]]>Plus their Jambalaya, Collard Greens, Catfish, and Shrimp are to die for. I mean, not literally, but if I ate Popeye's every time I had a craving, I probably would end up like Jerry Garcia. Nothing against the man, but I've planned out my last day on Earth and I plan on seeing it through: It starts with a threesome with Kate Beckinsale and Zooey Deshanel and ends with me dying in a hail of police gunfire while the last third of Bon Jovi's "Wanted Dead or Alive" blares in the background. Naturally, I'm being shot, out of jealousy, over the threesome.
]]>@snowburnt: one of my favoritest movies :)
I can't believe something like that didn't happen here in Arkansas! Seriously! That's cheap,and we do love our fried yardbird down here
I've never had Popeye's,but my wife and mother-in-law have. They said it's quite tasty,but I don't think they would kill or maim for it.
]]>Hey LadySiren,
If you are looking for Popeyes in NC, I believe there are two. One in the RDU airport(It's worth buying a ticket just to go to popeyes), and the other one is on I40W/85, exit 138 towards greensboro, its inside the TA service station.
]]>@ZekeSulastin: Disemvoweling is censorship and unamerican.
leaving the power to silence in the hands of the few is too easily corrupted.
Gawker should switch to a USER regulated voting system, like digg.com
]]>I hope if Popeye's was smart, the next time they run this promotion it should be $10 for an 8 piece meal with a 2 sides, 2 biscuits, and 2 drinks included.
]]>My husband and I used to eat at our local Popeye's pretty often. Then he had to do a plumbing job there and after he saw the kitchen, well, no more Popeye's.
]]>@WOPDingo: How dare you call all the fatasses in this Country "portly." They prefer to be referred to as "Gravitationally Challenge."
Be a little more sensitive next time.
]]>Can we maybe get an option to ignore it or just remove the post/thread in question?
]]>no, it's pretty amazing. ironic band name, perhaps?
]]>I saw a picture in my head of a thousand chickens in the road, milling about because they forgot how to get to the other side.
]]>I agree. I've gotten sick there twice. Now I don't go no more.
]]>Ohhhhhh the joys of a cold, cold piece of watermelon on a hot, hot day...
Come on, summer. I'm ready for ya.
]]>I would....one cold piece of fried chicken (preferably a breast or a leg) and some grapes and milk. THE PERFECT LUNCH.
Damn, I need to go get some chicken now.
]]>I like them too but man they make your tummy feel really really FULL.
Oh wait...I wasn't supposed to eat 17 of them?
]]>What about Church's Chicken?! That would be worth a fight!
]]>I used to love Popeyes, until I moved to San Antonio and had the worst experiences at each one near my house. I gave up. No more beloved Popeyes for me! =~(
]]>"Yt gn, cnsmrst tryng t mk thngs cs f th rcssn t mk thngs ppr t b wrs thn thy rlly r. Ths hs nthng t d wth th rcssn - nytm smn ffrd dl lk ths thy wld gt fldd wth cstmrs.
Stp th fr nd dm mngrng, cnsmrst."
I think that means you liked the chicken?
]]>Please don't respond to the person with insults; this is only going to make the situation worse. Two wrongs don't make a right. Ignore trolls -- by responding, you're just encouraging them.
Thanks to all the commenters who did email me. It's always appreciated!
Now back to your regularly scheduled free chicken thread.
]]>@Rss Svg:
Yt gn, cnsmrst tryng t mk thngs cs f th rcssn t mk thngs ppr t b wrs thn thy rlly r. Ths hs nthng t d wth th rcssn - nytm smn ffrd dl lk ths thy wld gt fldd wth cstmrs.
@Rectilinear Propagation: I've seen 'em in Maine.
]]>One almost has to wonder if this promotion had anything to do with people being robbed for their chicken at gunpoint here in Jacksonville?
]]>1) lower income areas
2) large commuter areas
3) major highways
So I think it ends up being a yes and no answer. Yes its prejudice, but its prejudice thats based around data that just perpetuates the prejudice. You cant fault the company for doing it, people have to make money, but at the same time it only re-enforces whats already assumed.
]]>So, the stores in predominantly white neighborhoods were extremely successful (and might I mention quite tasty and reasonable on calories, fat and sodium), whereas the locations in black neighborhoods were a colossal failure and sunk the company completely within a few years time.
Is what I just said racist or prejudiced?
]]>Where I live now, we have neither White Castle, nor its ghetto southern cousin, Krystal. I would kill for a tiny burger on a square steamed bun...
]]>@LadySiren: I e-mailed links to trollboy's comments in to the mods, but alas, no response. Here's hoping...
]]>check cashing place?
liquor store?
popeye's?
Floor it! and don't stop!
]]>Further, it's not a typo it's a complete conceptual meltdown. The implication of "Recession Watch" is that the story is related in some way to the recession, not necessarily the CAUSE as you said in your post. You're right, the cheap chicken doesn't have much to do with the recession and I don't think the consumerist has painted it as such.
Now I'm going to make fun of you for misspelling neither, misusing commas and abusing "fail".
]]>@Cafezinha: I'm the same way. My cabinet is generally full of whole grain, minimally processed foods but popeyes is irresistable
]]>@vildechaia: I'LL FIGHT YOU FOR IT.
Let the fisticuffs begin, as someone said so elqquently before.
Seriously, I'm generally a hippy dippie organic whole foods kind of gal, but certain things, friend chicken skin being one of them, set off my OMG YAY buttons like no other.
]]>@INsano: With the way the dollar is inflating we could use a little deflationary action to counterbalance it.
@dohtem: You know, I have always said that I enjoyed eating crab legs precisely because you HAVE to eat it slowly, because of the work involved in cracking it open. You may have a point.
]]>@Raekwon:
I wouldn't eat KFC if it was free. I think it's the worst of all the chain chicken joints.
]]>@snowburnt: Yet again, a immature and pompous commentator shows that he has no point and thinks by making fun of typos it makes him/her somehow morally superior.
Its nieither the cause nor the effect, and you fail, idiot.
]]>One Popeye's in the entire state??? I'd have to move.
]]>Seconded. My friends, white and black, seem to enjoy it equally. That's also true with watermelon, BTW.
]]>Delicious chicken knows not the color of your skin.
]]>@bologna_wallet: It's just like the encyclopedia says, he loves that chicken!
/dave chappelle
]]>@AlxFherMana: I loved their mashed potatoes. The gravy is the nectar of the Gods!
]]>Billion dollar question: if the market research shows a location that correlates with a stereotype, is it still prejudice? Should locations be moved in spite of market research simply to avoid the mere appearance of prejudice?
]]>@edwardso: I'll go with "orgasm pucks". I remember the first time my sister-in-law ever had Popeye's biscuits - usually she hates fatty foods - and her eyes popped open and she couldn't get over them.
I love my spicy breasts with jalapenos at Popeye's.
]]>Too bad it wasn't McDonald's 20 cent hamburgers... or as we used to call them "motorized snowball fight ammo" (if you could get them to fly open and stick on the windshield you scored extra points)
]]>@bodah: I dunno, man...as good as the chicken might be, it might have been quite the mob scene. Are you prepared to fight for your fried chicken?! :D
]]>@unobservant: A turkey in bowling
]]>@edwardso: We also have "you're a fat American slob" and an overly harsh sentence for an innocuous crime--getting in a car wreck over fried chicken. It's like a triple bonus play!
]]>I'm really glad that I just have no taste for the flesh of defenseless animals. I get a huge one-pound bag of TVP from the bulk store down the street for $1.49.
And now, for the nonsensical ending statement about wrecking into each other in chicken-fueled fury... um... nope. Sorry. You win.
]]>@Russ Savage: Damn! I thought my webcam was turned off
]]>@snowburnt: One of my favorite quotes repeated every time my husband drives by a getty station or KFC
]]>+1
]]>Facebook commenters.
]]>@Cafezinha: next up: "I use my rewards card to buy chicken then pay off the balance every month"
]]>@LegoMan322: How sad is it that I opened the post fully expecting some sort of violence? Somehow, running out of food just doesn't seem as newsworthy anymore...
]]>@edwardso: But he gave us a good start on our Consumerist bingo board.
"You should make your own *insert food here* anyway...it's cheaper and better for you, plebes!"
]]>Then it took just as long to get the chicken as it did to get out of my parking space.
]]>Must be vegetarian in-joke humour.
]]>@Russ Savage: How about a disemvowel for Russ?
Calling people stupid, fat and cheap then wishing a car accident on them is low class and adds nothing to the discussion
]]>@ScarletsWalk: "Popeye's chicken is the SHIZZZZNIT."
]]>@SkokieGuy: Blasphemy! The skin is the best part!
*thumps chest*
Sorry, had to restart my heart. :D
]]>@HFC: at least they are expanding, I found one in Denver last time I went home
]]>I know! Fried chicken is better than crack. More addictive, too.
]]>Mind you, if someone where handing out MKS's for $5, well, then that would be worth my time. But c'mon, chicken?
]]>http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/dpp/news/Fracas_over_Popeyes_Fried_Chicken_Price_april_22_2009
]]>@HFC: It's one of the things that makes living in Virginia tolerable, the other is Wegmans
]]>Am I the only one surprised they have these up North? For some reason I thought this was a regional thing.
]]>Worse, its right across the street from a join called (I kid you not) US Pizza and Chicken.
]]>@Yoko Broke Up The Beatles: popeyes stimulate the colon more than anything else
]]>I ordered two meals yesterday, without a problem in the Chicago area. Guess the weren't holding to the 1 per customer limit.
Of course I pulled the skin off to make it healthier, then ordered biscuits to completely negate the skin-free healthiness.
]]>The problem is no one eats just ONE piece of chicken.
The sides they offer though, yuck.
]]>I think we have one Popeye's in the whole state of MN and I guess they decided not to honor this promotion but people still heard about it anyway and caused a big scene. I can't seem to find a news link about it even though they played it on the radio.
]]>"Offering chicken at this price is a way to get people who would otherwise not spend - to spend. It's a good way to stimulate the economy."
I would venture to guess that lowering prices in a recession to spur consumer spending is a good idea for ALL sectors of business!
]]>Same thing happened when White Castle had their 75th
anniversary back in '96...they sold sacks full (20 in a sack for $2)
There was blood spilled that day...
I remember the ambulances screaming to the scene...
Cue minority stereotype comment in 3...2...1...
]]>I love popeyes and propose they rename their biscuits to orgasm pucks, because that's what they are
]]>