The streets of Green Bay are abuzz as construction on a Popeyes Chicken due to open later this year has begun off of Mason St. on the west side. The destruction of the old building has been a top tier subject on the radio and television as well.
Businesses that create hundreds of jobs, or medical centers that offer wellness services to hundreds don’t get this much static. Although the restaurant will certainly do the former and some would argue the latter.
But it’s just fast food chicken.
Now, let’s not get this wrong. When they’re on, Popeyes Chicken is one of the best fried chicken experiences out there. A well done combo featuring a crispy and juicy two piece with fresh fries and a hot and soft biscuit is just plain great.
But Popeyes is the grumpy step-son of fast food.
When he’s in a good mood, you get the experience I described above. Someone who wants you to be proud of him and is meeting his true potential so well that you just want to applaud.
Then you get the other side. The side that screams “You’re not my dad!”.
This means cold fries that have been sitting in a bin for a half hour. The cold and hard biscuit that resembles drywall more than an edible piece of bread. The empty iced tea dispenser.
And the dreaded undersized combo. You know what I’m talking about. The drum, wing, or thigh, that is just sad and makes you wonder if the tone of your voice made someone angry for that particular piece of chicken to be selected.
And you get that for a price that is usually almost $7 dollars or above. And don’t forget about the Popeyes employees working in front of a fryer for hours at a time for a wage that doesn’t allow them to really care about your experience.
It could go either way.
We also have to take a look back at the Chicken Sandwich tease. The Popeyes Chicken Sandwich was a smash and rightfully so. It was good and the public rejoiced.
But then, like a cruel king from the dark ages, they took it away from the people. A marketing technique to spike demand upon it’s return.
And when it came back, customers were stuck waiting in line for hours. Cars rolled out of their parking lots on to streets like Mason causing back ups.
That’s what we have to look forward to. And you’ll be there. I’ll be there too.
But we all need to relax. After all. It’s just a Popeyes Chicken.