A Chattanooga, Tenn., man is suing Popeyes for not having any more of its widely publicized chicken sandwiches.
“I can’t get happy; I have this sandwich on my mind. I can’t think straight,” Craig Barr told the Chattanooga Times Free Press last week. “It just consumes you.”
Barr’s lawsuit accuses the fast-food chain of false advertising, deceptive business practices and making him waste “countless time driving” to and from local restaurants just to try the beloved sandwich.
The East Ridge resident is also upset about getting duped. Barr tells the outlet he was hustled out of $25 by a guy on Craigslist who alleged he could get the fried-chicken sandwich from a restaurant that stashed a few in the back. He reportedly paid the man $5 for the sandwich and $20 for his troubles. Instead, the man went inside the eatery and never returned.
Barr also alleges to have incurred rim and tire damage after driving to the different locations and suffered embarrassment from his friends when they laughed at his ordeal.
The hubbub surrounding Popeyes’ new chicken sandwich started as a jovial back-and-forth between the fast-food chain and Chick-Fil-A via social media. From there, curiosity about which restaurant had the best chicken sandwich led to long lines at Popeyes.
Barr, a business owner in the automotive industry, alleges Popeyes intentionally publicized the sandwich and undersold it to merit more popularity.
“It’s totally deceptive. Who runs out of chicken? It’s a big fiasco. Someone has to stand up to big corporate,” Barr said. “Everyone is captivated by these sandwiches. They’ve got everyone gassed up on them.”
Popeyes announced the company was completely out of sandwiches, yet after being scammed $25, driving back and forth to different locations, and running into car troubles, Barr is suing the company for $5,000. He filed the civil action last week.
