There are food trends, and then there are food trends that inspire an entire secondary market. As of roughly 36 hours ago, the Popeyes Chicken Sandwich is now unavailable at any of the restaurant’s 3,100+ locations after massive demand caused the restaurant to sell out of its reported seven-week inventory in just over two weeks.


While Popeyes’ short-term market prospects stand to take a hit from the shortage, the secondary resale market for The Sandwich is still robust, as indicated by new reports of spikes in resale value. Compared to just a week ago, when a Maryland man requested a mere $100 for the privilege of enjoying the crunchy, flavorful, and now completely unavailable sandwich, new figures are suggesting a 900% increase in sandwich valuation.

Hudson Valley radio station WPDH reports of a now-deleted Facebook post, in which a local resident attempted to capitalize on limited supply by charging $1,000 for a sandwich. The original sales pitch: “I am in possession of the last Popeye’s spicy chicken sandwich in existence in the entire Hudson Valley. If you’re a fast food connoisseur like myself, you will realize what a great deal this is for for the price it is listed at. No low ballers or trades, act now, guaranteed to move fast!”


While smaller chicken sandwich dealers test market viability, more visible resellers are likewise making their presence felt. Over the weekend, shortly before The Sandwich was taken off nationwide menus, rapper Quavo took to Instagram to offer his 13.7 million followers a comparable thousand-dollar deal, with what appears to be a more robust supply than the single-unit Hudson Valley distributor:

With no date in sight for the end of Popeyes’ sandwich shortage, any remaining sandwiches will find themselves trapped between skyrocketing appreciation in average price and the rapid depreciation of the physical products over time. Safe to say, now is a wise time to invest in sandwich futures.