Popeyes says it’s been stockpiling chicken nuggets for six months amid inflation spike

Fans of the fast-food chain, Popeyes, will be happy to hear that there’ll be a new addition to the menu later this month. As of July 27, they will be turning their famous chicken sandwich into bite-sized nuggets.

Popeyes vice president of culinary innovation Amy Alarcon said: “We have invested the time to perfect a product that leverages our classic techniques and Louisiana flavors that will change how people think about and experience Chicken Nuggets. We think we did it again with Chicken Nuggets,”

“Now we can offer this famous recipe in pieces with the launch of Popeyes Nuggets.”

This time around, however, the company is taking every precaution necessary to ensure there isn’t a repeat of 2019’s chaotic chicken sandwich release. The hotly anticipated release prompted incredibly long queues and physical fights to break out after the chain failed to meet customer demand for the sandwich.

Fears of a ‘part 2’ have forced Popeyes to stockpile six months' worth of meat amid inflation spikes. Popeyes’ Americas President Sami Siddiqui told Fortune they are ‘planning appropriately’ as ‘demand is very high right now, and consumer spending is surging’.

Rising inflation means the cost of many consumer items - including food - is rising in America.

Stockpiling ingredients that can stay frozen is a hedge against increasing costs.

According to the US Department of Agriculture, whole raw chicken can be frozen for up to a year Getty Images

“Just like our game changing Chicken Sandwich, our new Chicken Nuggets are unlike anything you may have experienced before. We aim to show the world once again the magic of Popeyes® chicken with our new Nuggets. We believe that these piece(s) of crunchy, juicy delicious chicken will have guests question how they ever enjoyed chicken nuggets before this,” the Popeyes president said in a statement.

Ranging from four to 36 pieces, you can treat yourself to the Popeyes nuggets in-store, online, or on the Popeyes’ app from July 27.