LOEBS: Beak Capitalism, Part 1: Chickflation
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chicken sandwich war on Twitter has people clucking all over the country. It's
chicken chaos in Milwaukee. Long lines outside Popeye's. If you didn't jump on that Popeye's chicken sandwich craze, you're too late. Popeye's is officially sold out.
Beatings, stabbings, and even car crashes. People behaving very badly in Los Angeles and across the country for that fact, trying to get their hands on Popeye's chicken sandwich. In LA, Two people On 08/12/2019,
Popeye's released their famous chicken sandwich. It was a humble fried chicken breast with pickles and mayo on a brioche bun priced at a very reasonable $3.99.
Some people called it a masterpiece. Some others were just thrilled to see a delicious alternative to Chick fil A. To be honest, I can't actually remember whether I had it or not. I'll just say those are really those are really delicious. I totally get it. I get why people love all these sandwiches.
I'm sure you remember what happened after this, Joe. Dozens of imitators were launched. I mean, Taco Bell, of all places, even did a version, a crispy chicken sandwich taco. And Chick fil A came out swinging. They claimed that they and not Popeyes were the original inventors of the chicken sandwich. Meanwhile, Popeyes struggled to keep the sandwiches in stock. Fights broke out. There was even a lawsuit. A guy from Tennessee asked for $5,000 in damages after he couldn't get hold of one, the chicken sandwich craze was pure mayhem, or should I say, mayhem.
But what's really important about the chicken sandwich wars is that they never really ended. Okay. You aren't seeing them hit the headlines in quite the same way anymore, but on menus around the country, chicken is more popular than ever. Burger chains have been launching chicken wings. Donut shops have chicken wraps. So you might have an opinion on who ultimately won the chicken sandwich battle, but the real winner of the war was the chicken itself. Or maybe I should say the real winner is the American eater.
Yeah. There are more chicken products on offer than ever. In fact, America's consumption of chicken continues to grow even as appetites for other types of meat, like beef, have stalled. The average American consumed a whopping 16 pounds of chicken in 2023, and that number is only expected to grow, making chicken by far the most consumed meat in America. Each of us is eating something like 20 adorable chickens worth of white meat every year, and what's interesting is that's been happening even as poultry prices have surged. Fresh whole chicken used to cost about a dollar 60 per pound a decade a
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