The Chicken Sandwich War between Popeyes and Chick-fil-A has come to the Star City.Â
With the release of Popeyes' chicken sandwich two weeks ago, the chain's restaurants across the nation have been overwhelmed with extra business. The excitement has also birthed a social media storm with the competing chains throwing shade at each other via Twitter.
Lincoln appears to be buying into the hype.
With four locations in the city selling out their supply each day, Popeyes' customers seemingly can't get enough of the boneless fried chicken breast served with pickles and spicy mayonnaise on a toasted brioche bun.
"It's a thick, extremely moist chicken breast on a bun with the perfect amount of mayo and pickles. The original one is very good, but the spicy one is even better," said Lincoln resident Alexis Nyholm as she ate lunch Tuesday at the West O Street Popeyes.
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Another Popeyes customer, Joe Abebe, agreed it was a quality sandwich, but said much of the craze is driven by social media and is likely a fad.
"I think a lot of the reason people are going nuts is because it's just another side to pick. I think some people are just curious and actually want to know whose chicken is better, but also they probably just like being part of the whole drama," he said.
The drama came in the form of various tweets from both Popeyes' and Chick-fil-A's official accounts. The passive-aggressive conversation prompted responses from other chicken franchises, including Bojangles Famous Chicken 'n Biscuits and Zaxby's.
"For a lot of people it’s just a fad that’ll die out," Abebe said. "They just want to know what everyone is talking about."
But how does the Popeyes sandwich compare to that of Chick-fil-A, which recently opened locations in the Nebraska Union at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and 48th and O streets?
"I think the Popeyes one is better. It's juicer," said Tyler Barker, a graduate student at UNL and an occasional customer at the on-campus Chick-fil-A. "Sometimes I think Chick-fil-A's sandwiches can be greasy, and Popeyes sandwiches don't have that."