Photo : jetcityimage ( iStock )

The Popeyes chicken sandwich has been an agent of chaos in an already chaotic year. It has been the purported cause of food fights, fistfights, a car wreck, a threatened shooting, and a stabbing. It could be argued that if people are going to act like assholes, they are going to act like assholes whether there’s a chicken sandwich around or not. But it can be proven that the drive-thru at a certain Popeyes in Rutherford, New Jersey, is causing traffic jams on Route 17, and police have decided they can take action, and that they will.




And so an electronic sign has been posted outside Popeyes that reads, “A sandwich isn’t worth a ticket. Do not delay traffic.”

Very simple, very straightforward. I, personally, appreciate the sternness of it. Rutherford’s police chief, John Russo, elaborated further in a statement obtained by News 12 New Jersey: “What we are seeing is people waiting an extraordinary amount of time on both drive-thrus to get a sandwich or coffee without consideration for those vehicles not trying to get into the establishments.” Russo recommended that people park their cars and actually go inside the Popeyes for their sandwich.


Neither Russo nor the police department would tell the TV station if any tickets had been issued to people desperate for chicken sandwiches.