The Plight of a Man Without a Chicken Sandwich
This Week’s Wacky Wednesday: The Plight of a Man Without a Chicken Sandwich
Do you remember the chicken sandwich craze from a couple of years ago? If you do, then you know just how passionate people can become over poultry. There was a row between two chicken giants, not to be confused with giant chickens. Chick-fil-A took a swipe at Popeyes, saying that their chicken sandwich was the original. This set off the Twitter account for Popeyes and created a social media storm. Who had the best chicken sandwich? How could the world find an answer to this highly important question?
Of course, it wasn’t long before other fast food places got in on the action with their own version of chicken sandwiches. They were all vying for the title of having the best chicken sandwich. Many will agree that Popeyes Louisiana Chicken was generally considered the chicken champ, but everyone has their own tastes and preferences. Although the chicken-pocalypse had some unintended consequences.
The popularity of the chicken sandwiches was such that many of the Popeyes restaurants were running out of chicken. Even those who did have a lot of chicken would often have massive lines with long waits. The anticipation was part of the thrill of getting the sandwich for many people. However, some people will go to great lengths to get what they want when they want it.
This Guy Really Wanted a Chicken Sandwich
However, one man from Tennessee was not thrilled when his local Popeyes restaurants ran out of chicken for the sandwich. Craig Barr filed a lawsuit against the restaurant in August of 2019, saying that they were using deceptive business practices and false advertising. According to the lawsuit, he was trying to get $5,000 in damages for not getting a chicken sandwich on the day he wanted it.
Barr acted as his own representation in the case. Interestingly, the court documents show that he’s not only upset at the restaurant but also being scammed out of $25 by a friend of someone who said—in a Craigslist advertisement of all places—that he worked at Popeyes and knew that they had sandwiches in hiding and that he could get them. Whether it was his desperation for that delicious, crispy chicken sandwich that caused him to believe he could trust a Craigslist ad because his name was Craig is unknown. But he did, and the $25 is likely gone for good.
However, the man’s story gets worse. It seems that his vehicle suffered damage to the tires and rims for a total of $1,500 when he was driving around from one restaurant to the next looking for chicken sandwiches. He also says he suffered and was humiliated when his friends laughed at him due to his incredible journey looking for chicken.
The case was set to go to court in October of 2019, but there aren’t any follow-ups to see how the case ended up playing out. As humorous as the case might seem, Barr did seem to go through an ordeal, even if may have been at least partially his own making. Restaurants run out of items all the time, and it’s generally not a good idea to sue them whenever they do. Now that the chicken sandwich is a permanent part of Popeye’s menu, perhaps Barr finally got to get the chicken to see what all the hype was about.
This is just one in a long line of lawsuits that have been levied against fast food outlets over the years. In some cases, they are frivolous, and other times they are serious. Regardless, they are always fun to read about.