Popeyes Had A Special Treat For The Mardi Gras Clean-Up Crew

People associate a variety of foods with Mardi Gras. According to Delish, revelers have celebrated with Shrimp Po' Boys, beignets, jambalaya, and fried catfish. And while Popeyes' delicious fried chicken sandwiches can easily fit into the festivities, these creations probably don't immediately spring to mind when you imagine party beads, ornate floats, and a seemingly-endless street party. But Popeyes aimed to change all of that by celebrating a very important part of the annual event in New Orleans: the Mardi Gras clean-up team. 

In a recent YouTube video, a worker claimed that the March 1 festivities resulted in "five miles of trash" that stretched across the street and noted that the clean-up team is the last official crew of Mardi Gras to walk the streets. Well, Popeyes decided to honor these workers by handing out fried chicken sandwiches to the late-night employees who ensured the roads would be trash-free by the morning.

According to WGNO, the workers honored by Popeyes seriously earned the treat. Revelers create an average of 608 tons of trash that needs to be swept up each year, and Popeyes felt they deserved to celebrate their hard work with a full-on feast, which hopefully provided them with some much-needed protein, and a much-needed break, amid their efforts to restore New Orleans to its pre-Mardi Gras appearance.

Popeyes has a history of celebrating Mardi Gras, and it only makes sense that they want to honor the workers who make the holiday possible. According to Serious Eats, the chain has released a Mardi Gras Cheesecake dessert, speckled with green and purple sprinkles. The chicken chain even found a way to attach their fried chicken boxes to Mardi Gras beads, per Food & Wine. With such a long history of celebrating this party holiday, it makes sense that Popeyes would join in by helping those cleaning up after the fun comes to an end.