The long, agonizing wait is almost over as Popeyes confirmed today that it will officially be launching its new Chicken Sandwich nationwide on Monday, August 12, 2019.

The much-anticipated Chicken Sandwich features a buttermilk battered and hand breaded white meat chicken filet served on a buttery, toasted brioche bun with two barrel cured pickles and your choice of classic mayo or spicy Cajun spread.

If you happen to be in Long Beach, CA, area, you’ll be able to snag the new sandwich early at Sweet Dixie Kitchen from Thursday, August 8 through Friday, August 9 before it is rolled out nationwide to every Popeyes location on Monday, August 12, 2019.

The Sweet Dixie Kitchen backstory is quite fascinating. Back in 2017, fans discovered Sweet Dixie Kitchen – a trendy brunch spot in Long Beach – was serving Popeyes chicken and calling it their own. Owner Kim Sanchez was spotted walking through the front door with Popeyes bags, and that’s when the situation went viral on social media. The backlash sparked what was aptly named #POPEYESGATE.

Today, that all appears to be water under the bridge as Popeyes has invited Sweet Dixie Kitchen to take the lead in the brand’s biggest product launch in 30 years.

“To be honest, I thought they were calling to sue me,” Kim Sanchez was quoted as saying in a release. “We have a long history with Popeyes, but we’ve always said Popeyes chicken is the best fried chicken we ever had. So, we are thrilled to collaborate with them to launch and serve their delicious Popeyes Chicken Sandwich.”

“We feel honored that the team at Sweet Dixie Kitchen likes our chicken so much. To acknowledge their admiration, we are granting them special access to pre-launch our new Chicken Sandwich for a few days before we launch it nationally. We promise our new sandwich is worth the visit,” said Bruno Cardinali, head of marketing for North America for the Popeyes brand.

On Wednesday, the Long Beach Post reported Kimberly Sanchez will officially close the infamous restaurant and transfer ownership in the coming days.

Sweet Dixie Kitchen is located at 401 East 3rd Street, in Long Beach, California.

Image – Popeyes