‘A sandwich isn't worth a ticket’ –Police try to maintain order during chicken craze

High demand for the popular sandwich from the chicken restaurant is causing traffic to back up near Route 17 in Rutherford.

News 12 Staff

Nov 13, 2019, 10:50 AM

Updated 1,867 days ago

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It seems the people of Bergen County love that chicken from Popeyes.
High demand for the popular sandwich from the chicken restaurant is causing traffic to back up near Route 17 in Rutherford. The traffic has gotten so bad that the Rutherford Police Department put a sign out in front of the restaurant that states, “A sandwich isn’t worth a ticket. Do not delay traffic.”
The Popeyes Chicken is on Meadow Road. Rutherford police tell News 12 New Jersey that there is also a Starbucks that shares the same entrance and that when the drive-thru for the Popeyes and Starbucks gets too busy, it backs up traffic on Meadow Road and onto Route 17. Police say that it is worse during rush hour.
“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,” Chief John Russo said in a statement.
Russo said that in his opinion, it would be much quicker to go into the restaurants instead of waiting on the drive-thru line.
The popularity of the Popeyes Chicken sandwich has caused some chaos around the country, with reports of people getting into violent fights while waiting to try it.
Popeyes even had to suspend the sale of the sandwich for a time earlier this year due to running out of the buns used for them. This prompted a BYOB promotion for the restaurant, urging customers to “bring your own bun.”