Popeyes Sandwich Returns in Hudson Valley, Causing Traffic Delays

The viral Popeyes' chicken sandwich returned to the Hudson Valley and we were shocked when we went to try one.

Sunday happened to be National Sandwich Day and boy, was it a special day for fast-food eaters. Sunday also marked the long-awaited return of Popeyes' chicken sandwich.

The sandwich went out of stock in August, just weeks after it debuted. Demand saw lines snaking outside the chicken chain's restaurants. Popeyes' sold out of its chicken sandwich within two weeks, selling out of supplies that were supposed to last until the end of October, Business Insider reports.

It returned Sunday, and all indications are that it's still popular. The closest Popeyes to me is in New Windsor. It opened on Sunday at 10:30 a.m. I arrived about 15 minutes after the store's opening and was shocked by how many people were already there.

The line of cars waiting at the drive-thru was massive. I counted over 20 cars in the drive-thru, with the line nearly spilling onto Route 32. So, I decided to go inside.

The line inside was only about 10 people, but it took about 40 minutes to receive my sandwich because there was such demand for the sandwich. While waiting, one person ahead of me ordered 15 chicken sandwichs while another person ordered 11.

There was really nothing staff could do, as the sandwichs were made they handed them out to customers. The poor cashier mentioned to me she was supposed to be off on Sunday. I bet she wishes she didn't agree to come into work.

Also while waiting to order, around 11:15 a.m. a man entered and said he was just hired and was ready to work on his "first day." Popeyes had announced they were hiring more staff to try and keep up with the demand of the chicken sandwich, but it probably would have been better to train new staff before the sandwich returned.

After I got my sandwich, I said "good luck" to the cashier because the line inside and outside the store had only gotten worse and I assumed it would get worse as the lunch rush really picked up.

Hours later, I decided to see how long the line was and wasn't surprised to see drive-thru line now extended onto the street, with around 10 cars waiting on Route 32 to turn into Popeyes. Others reported the line was still on Route 32 around 8 p.m., causing traffic on Route 32. A New Windsor police spokesperson refused to comment on the traffic and Popeyes has yet to return a request for comment.

I will say the sandwich is really good. However, it's not lifechanging or worth waiting as long as I did. After I enjoyed my sandwich, I watched the New York Jets lose to the previously winless Dolphins. So, waiting 40 minutes for a chicken sandwich wasn't the dumbest thing I did on Sunday.