6 Overpriced Popeyes Menu Items, According To Customers

Is Popeyes out of touch with its customer base? According to what a lot of people say, it's quite possible. The chain, which was founded near New Orleans in 1972, used to play second fiddle to KFC's signature 11 herbs and spices. In recent years, however, it's edged the Colonel out to become America's go-to for crispy fried chicken, second only to Chick-fil-A, according to data gathered by CNBC. While it has risen in the ranks, it sadly still lacks in one important area that the others don't: affordable prices. 

And this is where the out-of-touch part comes in, because if you typed "Popeyes is overpriced" into your search engine and saw how many complaints popped up, you'd probably come to the same conclusion. Now, to be fair, the Popeyes app is apparently where you go if you're looking for deals. But if we're being real, should customers have to download an app in order to access affordable fast food? Aside from the fact that fast food is supposed to be cheap, customers also report Popeyes' portions aren't even what they used to be. 

Popeyes may have earned a reputation for being overpriced, but even still, certain menu items exceed what any fast food chain should reasonably charge. The items featured in this list were selected based on customer reviews from Reddit, Facebook, and TikTok, and further backed up by our own research. At the very least, you'll know which fast food items to avoid ordering at full price.

Imagine paying nearly $3 for a single chicken tender. That's how much Popeyes charges in Los Angeles, where a 5-Piece will bring your total to around $15 with tax. Want to upgrade to a Regular 5-Piece Combo? That'll bring it up to almost $20. And guess what: West Coasters aren't the only fried chicken lovers who have it bad. "Can confirm, just paid $19 for 5 tender combo in NYC," said someone on a Reddit thread about the chain's prices being too high. In other words, you should think twice before ordering chicken tenders at Popeyes. 

"Last time I went to Popeyes my daughter was craving the chicken tenders they were like $17 for 3 tenders and fries," said another person on a Facebook post. Meanwhile, according to a Reddit user, prices have skyrocketed over the past few months. "I just paid nearly $20 for a regular 5 piece tender combo with fries and a drink and I swear when I was here 6 months ago it was like $12," they said.

For further proof, we compared Popeyes' prices to another fried chicken purveyor, Raising Cane's. A regular-sized Caniac Combo, which includes six chicken fingers, two sauces, crinkle-cut fries, Texas toast, coleslaw, and a large fountain drink, costs just under $23 with tax in Los Angeles. Although the Raising Cane's combo is more expensive, you get significantly more food than you would at Popeyes. 

With what Popeyes charges for its Signature Fried Chicken, you'd expect to see white tablecloths, Champagne flutes, and warm lighting inside of its locations. "Why the h*** is Popeye's so expensive!? Like a 12 piece of their signature chicken is over $21!" said someone on Facebook, who seemed to think that they probably would've spent less at KFC.

Even on Reddit, folks aren't too pleased with the price hike. "3 piece chicken with drink and fries almost $30 in GA. When I go to Walmart and see a 12 piece ... drumstick [for] $5.69," said a disgruntled customer on a thread about Popeyes prices being ridiculous. They even wondered if the chicken was being imported from overseas. 

On another Facebook post, a customer who allegedly purchased a 12-piece meal for $47 pointed out how small the chicken at Popeyes had become, saying, "The size of the chicken was so disappointing." If you think those jaw-droppers are bad, they're nothing compared to a customer on TikTok who spent almost $200 for a 30-piece and a couple sides. "I'm sorry ya'll. When did Popeyes get this expensive?" they asked.

Considering where Popeyes ranks on our list of fast-food fries, it doesn't bode well for customers that the fries are also overpriced. "So I haven't ordered from Popeyes in a min but yesterday I decided I was gonna Uber some Popeyes. Tell me why one order of [small] fries was $4.00???" said a Reddit user, who was left wondering if the chain now catered only to the top 1%. Someone on another Reddit thread shared a similar complaint, except, instead of posting a lengthy paragraph, they simply said, "$4.29 worth of Fries from Popeyes," alongside a picture of a pack of less than 15 fries.

Aside from numerous customer complaints, it's worth noting that Popeyes approaches combos a bit differently than most fast food chains. For example, if you order a large combo, instead of it coming with a large side like one might expect, it instead includes two regular size sides. You actually have to pay a few bucks for each side to size up to a large, which can be a bit misleading. Because of this misleading approach, some people have mistaken a regular size fry for a large fry, simply because they ordered a large combo, expecting all the items to also be large. 

And here's the kicker: Based on the reported sizes of the fries, it appears that two regular-size fries contain less than one large. Understandably, that can make people who order the combos feel as if they're being overcharged.

Word on the interwebs is that Popeyes has smaller than normal chicken wings. So small, in fact, that customers have made them into running gag. "Their chicken pieces are tiny! My parrott has bigger wings, heck, and pigeon has bigger wings," said someone in response to a negative Facebook review. While on another Facebook post, a self-proclaimed "old man" who was clearly frustrated with paying $6.99 plus tax for wings said, "They don't have wings they have half of a wing and by the looks of it they came off of a dove." Suffice it to say, customers are fed up with not getting what they're paying for, noting that the chicken is not as substantial as it used to be. 

The worst part is that, while the amount of meat has gotten smaller, the amount of breading hasn't. One Reddit user said, "I think the wings are just too small and don't have enough meat for their standard breading." That aside, shrinkage isn't the only thing customers have been complaining about. Allegedly, the boneless wings aren't actually chicken wings, either. "I used to like the nuggets, but when they rebranded them as 'boneless wings' and doubled the price I stopped ordering them," said someone on a different Reddit thread. Furthermore, one of our reviewers said the dry rub wings were a fowl flop — yet another reason not to order them.

Traditionally, sides have always been cheaper than main menu items. But at Popeyes, the sides not only cost as much as some main menu items, but their price rivals the price of entrées at other chains. "A large mac and cheese is $9.49 without tax in my city, and they don't even fill it up all the way," said someone on a Reddit thread about the chain's expensive sides. For reference, that's more than what Popeyes charges for its chicken wraps and sandwiches, which both include more ingredients and are main menu items. The price gouging isn't exclusive to cheesy mac, though.

On Reddit, someone shared a picture of a regular size coleslaw, barely half-full and small enough to fit into the palm of their hand. In the caption they said, "How is this 4.50? ... When i saw this i was surprised at how little is actually in it." The thread garnered nearly 200 comments at the time of writing, many of which criticized the ever-shrinking portions of Popeye's side dishes (which our taster tried and ranked). 

The chain is not only charging a lot for sides; it's also skimping on the quantity. Or, at least that's what the general consensus seems to be. "I ordered a side of small Mac for $4 and they gave me 1 scoop literally. At least give me my moneys worth," said a frustrated customer on Reddit.

A combo meal is supposed to be a money-saving alternative to buying individual menu items. But at Popeyes, the combo savings are so minimal that they might as well be non-existent. To give you an example, in Los Angeles, a Classic Chicken Sandwich Combo ($11.49), which includes one side, and one regular drink, is about $2 cheaper than if you were to purchase each menu item separately. With paltry savings like that, it's no wonder so many customers complain about how much the combos cost.

"When the f*** did Popeyes become so expensive?" asked a TikTok user, who was surprised to be charged $17 for a 5-piece Spicy Chicken Tenders Combo with fries and a drink. But sadly, this user isn't the only victim of the chain's prices, as evidenced by a TikToker who paid even more for the same combo. "I just got a 5-piece combo. So that's the five tenders, some french fries, and a drink for $20," they said. In another TikTok video, a woman said that they got dinner for three people — three five-piece combos and a side of mac and cheese — and it ended up costing $78. 

To determine which Popeyes menu items are overpriced, we sourced customer reviews from Reddit, Facebook, and TikTok. We then narrowed our list down to menu items that had received a considerable number of complaints for being overpriced. Next, instead of only relying on the number of customer complaints, we took the extra step of providing our own evidence as to why these menu items are overpriced, such as minimal portion sizes, chicken-to-breading ratio, and how much the same menu item costs at competing fast-food chains.