Popeyes Just Brought Back The Perfect Menu For Indecisive Eaters
Consider all the nights you've went back and forth with your family trying to come up with a decision on what to eat for dinner. Nothing at home sounds good. No restaurants sound good. It can be pretty frustrating to watch the clock tick down and still be indecisive — and hungry! If this sounds familiar to you, this might put your mind at ease: There's science behind why it's so hard to choose.
A 2018 study by the California Institute of Technology explains what you're dealing with is called choice overload (via Science Daily). Simply speaking, it's difficult for the brain to make a choice when so many options are presented. The official study contained several parts, but one notable component was a scenario where 24 jam samples were available at a tasting table. Though customers stopped by to try the flavors, few purchases were made. On the other hand, when the tasting table only had six options, the likelihood of a purchase increased by 10%.
All in all, your brain seems to have a much better time processing fewer choices. That might be why Popeyes is bringing back a meal that makes decisions easy.
An end to the uncertainty
On July 19, fast food chain Popeyes announced the return of the IDK Meal. The tagline for the meal is, appropriately, "Don't know what to eat? We got you." The meal will be served for $6, according to Chew Boom, and it limits consumers to just a few choices: Will your chicken sandwich be original or spicy, and do you prefer classic lemonade or strawberry lemonade? Patrons can also choose if they want their lemonade chilled or frozen.
According to Kxan, no decisions had to be made for the original IDK Meal, which debuted in 2021. It came with just a crispy chicken sandwich, and classic lemonade was provided for free only if you placed the order online or through the Popeyes app. The price was also lower, listed at $3.99 (this is likely a combination of inflation and because it offered less of a variety). It's unknown why the Louisiana chain chose this particular combination for the IDK Meal, but it likely has to do with how successful (and delicious) the Popeyes chicken sandwich is.