Sizing up the Popeyes chicken sandwichSizing up the Popeyes chicken sandwich

Popeyes originally planned to launch its chicken sandwich in a quirky collaboration with Sweet Dixie Kitchen, a Southern-themed restaurant in California that previously rose to internet infamy by selling reheated Popeyes chicken from its own kitchen. Clearly, Popeyes doesn't mind going a bit off script, but the story of its chicken sandwich took on a life of its own soon after it was released in August.

In fact, the Sweet Dixie partnership was all but forgotten after one well-aimed tweet.

"Y'all good?" Popeyes wrote in response to Chick-fil-A declaring themselves the "original chicken sandwich purveyor". And the Chicken Sandwich wars began.

Lauren Silberman, a Credit Suisse restaurant analyst, believes the passion for this particular sandwi...