How Popeyes Really Feels About Restaurant NFTs
It sure seems like everyone is jumping on the NFT (or non-fungible token) bandwagon these days. You've probably heard of NFTs by now, but may not know exactly what they are. As the BBC explains, an NFT is a unique digital asset with no tangible form that conveys "ownership for virtual or physical assets." Initially within the realm of memes and digital art, NFT's popularity has since spread to the culinary world. Chefs like Martha Stewart, Tom Colicchio, and Marcus Samuelsson have all issued their own NFTs or announced plans to, ranging from images of themselves to recipes. There are also plans for an NFT marketplace for celebrity chefs (via The Standard).
Fast food restaurants have also started getting in the game. Taco Bell and Pizza Hut were early adopters in March 2021, with Taco Bell releasing its "Taco art" NFTs while Pizza Hut Canada released digital images of their pizzas as NFTs, according to the EconoTimes. Since then, White Castle, McDonald's, and Burger King have all announced that they too are issuing their own version of NFTs. However, it seems that not everyone in the restaurant industry is on-board with NFTs as the next must-do trend.
Popeyes doesn't have any plans to issue NFTs
Popeyes recently took to Twitter to announce, "WE'RE NOT ON THAT WAVE" along with a photo of a hand-written sign that says, "OUR FOCUS IS ON MAKING REAL CHICKEN THAT'S 12 HR MARINATED, HAND BATTERED, AND BREADED, CRUNCHY + DELICIOUS. STOP ASKING US FOR A CHICKEN NFT." As some commenters pointed out, Popeye's message seemed awfully similar to Kanye West's recent Instagram post on the topic of NFTs, where he stated, "STOP ASKING ME TO DO NFT's .... FOR NOW I'M NOT ON THAT WAVE," along with a handwritten sign that reads, "MY FOCUS IS ON BUILDING REAL PRODUCTS IN THE REAL WORLD, REAL FOOD, REAL CLOTHES, REAL SHELTER, DO NOT ASK ME TO DO A F*KING NFT."
Whether or not anyone was actually asking Popeyes to do a chicken NFT, they've certainly made their current position clear. And fans seemed to appreciate the sentiment, with comments that include, "Another reason Popeyes is the superior chicken establishment" and "This is why you guys are the goat." One fan remarked, "The only NFTs I'm accepting from Popeyes are Nice Free Tenders" only for Popeyes to counter with, "Nice Fried Tenders." You may not be able to get an NFT at Popeyes, but you can bite into a tasty tender instead.