Popeyes is sold out of chicken sandwiches nationwide after selling through a batch in 2 weeks that was supposed to last until October

Dennis Green/Business Insider

• Popeyes has sold out of its new chicken sandwich at restaurants nationwide.
• Popeyes said it sold as many chicken sandwiches in the last two weeks as it expected to sell through the end of September.
• The company said it doesn’t know when the sandwich will return.
• Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.

Popeyes said Tuesday that its chicken sandwich is sold out, just two weeks after launching the new menu item.

"We love that you love The Sandwich," the company tweeted Tuesday. "Unfortunately we’re sold out (for now)."

In a statement to Business Insider, Popeyes said it sold as many sandwiches in the last two weeks as it expected to sell through the end of September.

"The demand for the new chicken sandwich in the first few weeks following launch far exceeded our very optimistic expectations," the company said. "In fact, Popeyes aggressively forecasted demand through the end of September and has already sold through that inventory."

The company provided no timeline for when the sandwich would return to its restaurants. 

"We, along with our suppliers, are working tirelessly to bring the new sandwich back to guests as soon as possible," the company said.

Popeyes is encouraging customers to download its app and turn on push notifications to find out when the chicken returns to its restaurants. 

Demand soared for Popeyes’ new chicken sandwich after the company engaged in a Twitter battle with Chick-fil-A over the rollout of its new menu item. 

The sudden popularity of the sandwich led to chaos at some Popeyes restaurants, with some employees working overtime to handle demand, as Business Insider’s Shoshy Ciment and Kate Taylor reported. 

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See Also:

• A Chick-fil-A employee gave out chicken sandwiches to ‘stressed out’ Popeyes workers amid viral battle between the 2 chains
• ‘I was working like a slave’: Exhausted Popeyes employees describe a harrowing situation amid chicken-sandwich chaos, including working 60-hour weeks and shifts with no breaks
• KFC rolls out first plant-based fried ‘chicken’ with Beyond Meat

SEE ALSO: ‘I was working like a slave’: Exhausted Popeyes employees describe a harrowing situation amid chicken-sandwich chaos, including working 60-hour weeks and shifts with no breaks

Source: Business Insider – hpeterson@businessinsider.com (Hayley Peterson)