Joliet Popeyes Chicken Sandwich: Food Review

JOLIET, IL — Sunday marked the official debut of the new Popeyes Chicken Sandwich at fast-food restaurants across America. The much-hyped sandwich supposedly was so popular that Popeyes restaurants ran out of sandwiches during its initial debut over the summer. I needed to see if the new chicken sandwich was worth all the hype so my son and I went to the Joliet Popeyes restaurant on West Jefferson Street. The place was packed, as I figured.

The drive-thru line was incredibly busy, so we ate inside. There was a line inside, too, but the staff was quite efficient. Our orders were ready in five minutes. So was the chicken sandwich worth all the hype? I'm not so sure it was.

I thought the new Popeyes chicken sandwich was good; it comes with a pickle and a tasty sauce, but I don't believe the new chicken sandwich will become the go-to staple for Popeyes. I will be surprised if I'm wrong. I just didn't feel like the sandwich lived up to all of the marketing hype surrounding Popeyes and this new chicken sandwich.

Next time I'm in the mood for Popeyes, I will probably go with a two-piece or three-piece chicken dinner, just like I had in the past.

Overall, I thought the new sandwich is fairly priced at $3.99. The value meal we got was $6.99.

Considering Sunday's huge turnout at the drive-thru on West Jefferson Street, this had to be the Joliet Popeyes' busiest day in quite awhile.

But I don't see that trend continuing. I think the interest in the new chicken sandwich will fade in a couple days, for sure by Thanksgiving.

Popeyes new chicken sandwich comes in a wrapper that closely resembles the chicken sandwich wrapper at Chick-fil-A.

On our drive home, my 11-year-old son exclaimed that he still preferred the chicken sandwich at Chick-fil-A. I'd have to agree.

If I'm ordering a fast-food chicken sandwich, I'm still angling for Chick-fil-A. However, until the much anticipated Chick-fil-A opens (perhaps in 2020) near the Louis Joliet Mall at the former Lone Star Steakhouse property, the Popeyes chicken sandwich is a good alternative.