The Supposed Secret About Popeyes Cajun Rice Diners Weren't Supposed To Know

Unlike its competitor KFC, which focuses more on the old Southern charm of fried chicken, Popeyes sells itself as Louisiana and Cajun-style cooking in your own backyard. With offerings such as fries dusted with Cajun spice, rice and beans, and shrimp alongside their famed fried chicken, the Florida-based restaurant chain has lots to offer compared to other big-name fast food chicken players.

Of course, like any restaurant, Popeyes has had some less than savory PR from time to time. For example, Courier & Press reported in 2019 that an Indiana location served a woman and her son a chicken sandwich that was nothing more than wet raw chicken with breading on it. This isn't to say that the chain is a bad restaurant in any way, but perhaps there are some things that are best left hidden behind the New Orleans jazz jingles.

According to one supposed employee on Reddit, there is one particularly dirty secret about the Cajun rice, one of the restaurant's most popular former sides. The issue can be summarized with the phrase "green gravy."

On Reddit, a former Popeyes employee stepped up to take questions from anyone curious about the inner workings of the Louisiana-styled chain. Having worked there for six months before leaving, the user offered up their timesheet as proof of employment at the chain. Among the usual comments of asking about biscuits and the annoyance of hearing the Creole-themed songs all the time, one comment mentioned the Cajun rice as "the best menu item." The original poster responded by revealing a supposed secret about the dish.

"I don't recommend the Cajun rice even though so many people stand by it," they stated. "It's quite literally just white rice with a meat gravy mixed in. But it makes me want to puke making it since the gravy is bright green and very unnatural." The self-identified employee also revealed other truths about what she had seen while working at the restaurant. They claimed to have seen a worker drop a chicken sandwich on the floor and still serve it to a customer without them knowing, and that they had eaten chicken that was so undercooked they could see the blood.

While it's up for debate whether or not these claims are true, Popeyes removed Cajun rice from their menu back in 2021 (via Thrillist).