Popeyes has launched a new variation of its wildly successful chicken sandwich through a partnership with Truff, a Southern California-based hot sauce brand. The new Spicy Truff Chicken Sandwich is now available in restaurants nationwide and for delivery for $5.99.
The sandwich features Popeyes’ original chicken sandwich topped with Truff’s Spicy Mayo, which includes red jalapeno, mayo and black winter truffle. That mayo is also available for purchase on digital channels for $1.
“Both Popeyes and Truff have reimagined our industries, and now we are coming together to challenge the status quo on the concept of ‘fancy food,’ but for every day,” Sami Siddiqui, president of Popeyes, said in a statement. “’We Don’t Make Sense, We Make Chicken’ is the ethos behind Popeyes culinary innovation and this collaboration is no exception. It initially might not make sense to a food connoisseur to crave truffle on a fast-food chicken sandwich, but Popeyes food defies all logic with its homemade traditions and vibrant flavors.”
Since its 2017 launch, Truff has gained a dedicated social media following and a vote of approval from Oprah, among other celebrities. The company labels its products as “luxury condiments,” describing its hot sauce “as if truffle and sriracha had a baby.” According to the company, the Truff Hotter Hot sauce is about two to three times the heat level of its original formula, or about 5,000 to 7,000 on the Scoville Scale (for context, Tabasco Sauce measures about 2,500 SHUs).
To celebrate Popeyes’ new sandwich, the company is hosting a “So You Think You’re Fancy” TikTok contest design to inspire guests to showcase “how they bring fancy to life in everyday ways” using the #PopeyesContest hashtag. The contest is hosted by content creator Wisdom Kaye. Winners can earn a spot on “the Popeyes yachtsteraunt,” which sets sail in the spring.
“Our chicken sandwich pays homage to time-honored cooking techniques one would find at a fine-dining restaurant. Combined with Truff, our new sandwich boasts new bold, flavorful ingredients typically reserved for white tablecloth settings and we recognized an opportunity to lean in on being lavish,” CMO Jeff Klein said in a statement. “We launched a TikTok contest anchored to the launch of our fanciest Chicken Sandwich yet and designed the campaign to inspire guests to take to social media to spotlight fancy moments in their everyday life.”
In a statement, Nick Ajluni, co-founder and co-CEO at Truff, said the company is “pleased to work with Popeyes to redefine ‘fast food’ and offer an experience where an elevated product like Truff mixes seamlessly with the Popeyes chicken sandwich.”
This isn’t the company’s first foray in the QSR segment. Last year, the company teamed up with Taco Bell for a Nacho Fries with Truff’s Hotter Hot Sauce launch.
Notably, since Popeyes initial chicken sandwich launch in 2019 ignited an industrywide chicken sandwich war, many brands have added variations to meet continued demand. For its part, Popeyes has also created a Blackened Chicken Sandwich. McDonald’s rebranded its sandwich as the McCrispy and also introduced a Bacon Ranch McCrispy, while KFC experimented with an Ultimate BBQ Chicken Sandwich and Spicy Slaw Chicken Sandwich. Wendy’s came out with a hot honey chicken sandwich, while Chick-fil-A recently launched a Honey Pepper Pimento Chicken Sandwich.
Contact Alicia Kelso at [email protected]