Popeyes Chicken Sandwich

Launched in August 2019 and sold out nationwide in two weeks. The Popeyes Chicken Sandwich generated $65 million in free media coverage, crashed the Popeyes app, caused a line-related stabbing in Maryland, and ignited the "Chicken Sandwich Wars" that forced every fast food chain to respond. Popeyes had not planned for this — they simply made a good sandwich and Chick-fil-A's social media team accidentally amplified it. When it returned in November, some locations had 3-hour waits. The sandwich generated $400 million in incremental revenue in its first year and permanently doubled Popeyes' chicken sandwich sales category.