The Time Instagram Called Out Popeyes' For Its Beignets

New Orleans is widely regarded as one of the best food cities in the United States, and if you've visited the southern city before, you probably know why. There's tons of mouthwatering grub to chow down on when you're in the Big Easy, like crawfish, po' boys, gumbo, and etouffee, and when you've got a hankering for something sweet, locals and visitors alike will probably point you in the direction of a 24-hour coffee shop for beignets.

Described by neworleans.com as "doughnuts without the holes," the deep-fried pastry has a lengthy history in the vibrant city that dates all the way back to the 18th Century. The sole food item offered at the infamous Café du Monde, beignets are considered to be one of the most iconic cajun foods you have to try before you die. There's even a festival held in honor of the pillowy treats each year.

Needless to say, beignets are rooted pretty deep in N'awlins culture, so it should come as no surprise that Popeyes — the fried chicken chain founded in New Orleans — often has the sweet treat on its menu. Per Eat This, Not That! the Louisiana Kitchen first launched its Hershey's Chocolate Beignets nationwide in December 2020 and has regularly brought them back ever since, most recently in August (via Chew Boom). The chain celebrated the pastry's return with several social media posts, though one, in particular, didn't go over very well with fans.

Popeyes fanatics went wild over the chain's Instagram nod to Rihanna in September, but a separate post about its chocolate beignets that was shared just a few weeks later didn't receive quite as much hype. Seemingly inspired by the ever-popular cheese pulls that have been infiltrating the social media for years, the Popeyes team shared a video in October demonstrating how to do a beignet pull with its chocolate-filled beignets. "We've watched this at least 12 times already," read the caption of the clip that showed a nicely-manicured set of hands breaking several of the powdered sugar-coated pastries in half.

Unfortunately, it seems that not everyone re-watched the post that much, as many in the comments section expressed dissatisfaction with the beignets in the video. "Looks dry AF!!! After tasting [Café du Monde] these are an insult," one person on Instagram said. "This isn't giving what it was supposed to be giving," another quipped, while a third said they'd, "rather eat those acrylic nails than those beignets."

The callouts do not appear to have phased Popeyes, as there have not been any responses to the negative comments. However, for the sake of the chain's reputation, hopefully the eatery's social media posts about the dessert will be a bit more appetizing upon the item's next return to the menu.