Next up, fish sandwich wars?
After the massive success of its chicken sandwich, Popeye’s (QSR) is out with a new sandwich menu item, the Cajun Flounder Sandwich.
Beginning Thursday, Feb. 11, it will be available in restaurants and for delivery nationwide for $4.49. The Pacific-water fried fish is “light and flakey and seasoned in a blend of the Louisiana-rooted brand’s Cajun mild and spicy seasoning” — and topped with tartar sauce, according to a tantalizing description provided by the company.
It also shares a couple of attributes with its poultry counterpart: Both are served on a toasted brioche bun and come with Popeyes’ trademark pickles.
Shortly after its introduction in 2019, the company’s chicken sandwich rocketed to viral fame, spawning a fierce intramural competition among competitors like Chick-Fil-a, Wendy’s (WEN), and Shake Shack (SHAK).
The fish sandwich represented Popeye’s latest bid to “reset industry standards,” boasted Sami Siddiqui, Popeyes President for the Americas, in a release.
On launch day only, to entice customers to give this new fishy menu item a try, Popeyes will have a “Sandwich Insurance” that costs 15 cents on the digital app. If customers purchase the “insurance” but don’t like the new fish sandwich, the restaurant will allow a trade-in for a prized chicken sandwich.
Since the launch of this chicken sandwich, consumers have also seen the launch of chicken sandwiches at other fast food chains including KFC (YUM), Arby’s, Jimmy John’s, and McDonald’s (MCD), which is set to debut Feb. 24.
Back in August, Jose Cil, Restaurant Brands International CEO, told Yahoo Finance the chicken sandwich “helped tremendously” to boost the company’s bottom line.
Restaurant Brands International is set to release its fourth quarter earnings report on Thursday morning. Shares of Restaurant Brands International, Popeyes’ parent company, ended modestly lower in Tuesday’s trading, and are down 6.20% from a year ago.
Brooke DiPalma is a producer and reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter at @BrookeDiPalma.
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