And that's because people very much convinced themselves these are the greatest donuts ever, even though the donuts from the local bakeries are as good or better tasting.
And this is what we got here. Kudos to Corporate Marketing.
I'm with you, and I think a lot of this is in fun (for me, anyway, because I haven't even eaten one of these sandwiches) ....
....except fried chicken is a little different - decent fried chicken - isn't really that easy to come by. Sure, I can pan fry it at home. But where I grew up, in SWLA, there weren't a ton of places that did good fried chicken. Not even as good as Popeye's. I could get a good burger - better than McDonald's easily. I could get a good pizza - better than Domino's easily. I could get a donut - better than Krispy Kreme easily. But find fried chicken that was better than Popeye's?
Not so easily, actually.
I think Popeye's legitimately does a good fried chicken - even compared to some other "local" joint, with some legit cred speaking for it
And so, I think, in this case the reason the 'marketing' is working is because Popeye's has a good fried chicken. And I'm also with Dave Chang when it comes to his valorization of their red beans and rice. So, people know Popeye's makes good fried chicken (because they do). I don't see the same sort of 'gotta have it!' if, say, Burger King announces a new fried chicken sandwich.