Since Popeyes has released their new chicken sandwich, some distasteful souls have started to argue that Popeyes has matched Chick-fil-A, and beaten them at their own game. Not only do I whole-heartedly disagree with such comments, but I also find it laughable to even compare Popeyes, an average (but eatable) chicken establishment, to Chick-fil-A, a fine dining restaurant with superb customer service.
Though I agree their new chicken sandwich is surely mouth-watering, Popeyes has much to learn if they wish to catch up with Chick-fil-A. Their chicken sandwich was a nice try, but is severely lacking.
First and foremost, Popeyes overall lacks variety. The fact they are just now producing chicken sandwiches—not to mention for a limited time—further proves my point. While Chick-fil-A offers breakfast and opens at 6 am for those up early or headed to work, most Popeyes do not open until 10 am, and they definitely do not serve anything near breakfast, except for, perhaps, the world’s driest biscuit.
Also, if you want healthier options, Chick-fil-A offers many healthier meals such as grilled sandwiches and nuggets, fruit sides, soup and their Spicy Southwest Chicken Salad. However, Popeyes’ healthiest menu options consist of their disgusting green beans, unappetizing coleslaw and water. Also, if a vegan or a vegetarian wanted to eat out with their meat-loving friends, they would be able to have a full and enjoyable meal at Chick-fil-A, but they would only be able to eat an unpleasant side item at Popeyes.
According to Josh Fruhlinger of Thinknum Alternative Data, this lack of variety greatly impacts Popeyes’ sales and revenue. For a sense of scale, Chick-fil-A’s revenue in 2018 was $10.5 billion, which is double that of Popeyes’ reported revenue of $5.4 billion.
Equally important, Popeyes is no match for Chick-fil-A’s award-winning customer service and satisfaction. According to Kate Taylor of Business Insider, Chick-fil-A claimed the No. 1 spot on American Customer Satisfaction Index’s annual restaurant report for the fourth year in a row.
Chick-fil-A prides itself on the welcoming and kind environment that every single one of their restaurants strives to provide, and there has even been stories of employees going the extra mile for their customers. According to Anthony Pura with 10 News, a Chick-fil-A employee jumped out of the drive-thru window and saved a man’s life in the parking lot.
While I have personally never felt unwelcome at Popeyes, the increasing demand of their chicken sandwich has overwhelmed their workers, which is likely linked to the increase in violence, as reported by Alexia Fernández Campbell with Vox, within multiple Popeyes restaurants over the last few weeks. In light of the increased fights over chicken sandwiches, Popeyes has also been under scrutiny for underpaying their workers while overworking them due to the high demand.
Last but not least, Chick-fil-A’s chicken sandwich is, and always has been, the best, and Popeyes’ chicken sandwich is good but still ranks below Chick-fil-A’s. My go-to meal at Chick-fil-A is the Spicy Deluxe Chicken Sandwich with bacon.
Though I like to add bacon and remove tomatoes, the unaltered Spicy Deluxe still beats Popeyes’ chicken sandwich. It comes with cheese, the portion size is far bigger than Popeyes’, and the flavor reminds you of what The Last Supper before Resurrection Sunday must have been like. 
Popeyes’ chicken sandwich, on the other hand, has potential to be great, especially if you could add more options to it like cheese or a specific sauce. Unfortunately, it just does not have the properties for a top-tier chicken sandwich.
As an avid Chick-fil-A eater, I must say Popeyes’ chicken sandwich and the recently trending debate over which restaurant is better is certainly cute, but there is simply no denying Popeyes could never successfully compete with Chick-fil-A in their current state. Although, I must admit— I do look forward to eating Popeyes’ next attempt to catch up to Chick-fil-A. Chick-fil-A simply cannot be matched as they are, as stated by our ownHunter Cloud, the Lord’s food.