Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen 3 with Phil Rosenthal

"Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen 3 with Phil Rosenthal" is Episode 284 of *Doughboys*, hosted by Mike Mitchell and Nick Wiger. "Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen 3 with Phil Rosenthal" was released on January 21, 2021.

## Synopsis

Phil Rosenthal (*Everybody Loves Raymond*, *Somebody Feed Phil*) joins the 'boys to talk food, travel, and Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen. Plus, Mitch and Emma compete in another edition of Family Food.

## Nick's intro

In 1919, cartoonist E.C. Segar debuted his strip, *Thimble Theatre*, in the New York Journal.

Though successful, it would run for a decade before introducing what would become, not just its iconic character, but one of the most iconic characters in the history of American comics and animation - a strong-jawed, pipe-chewing sailorman with anchor-sized and tattooed forearms. The nautical hero whose canned-spinach consumption confers superhuman abilities would have a legacy long beyond Segar's lifespan (tragically shortened by leukemia at 43); as would the supporting cast: stick-thin love-interest Olive Oyl, hulking bearded antagonist Brutus (aka. Bluto), and perpetually indebted hamburger dipshit, J. Wellington Wimpy.

And the sailorman's name would have such cache that, in 1972, eccentric restaurateur Al Copeland would choose it rename his Louisiana fried-chicken restaurant, formerly known as Chicken On The Run. Copeland hoped, successfully, to use an implied affiliation for marketing with the cartoon sailorman and the main character of the then-hit film, *The French Connection*. And a few years later, the partnership became official, as the chain and the cartoon character entered a contractual arrangement that would last over three decades.

But its pilfered brand name and informal and formal endorsements alone can't account for all of its success.

With its aggressively seasoned chicken and seafood and a range of New Orleans-inspired sides, it expanded nationwide, later affixing "Louisiana Kitchen" to its name to emphasize its bayou roots.

And in one of the biggest fast-food stories of this past decade, in 2019, it debuted its chicken sandwich, dethroning Chik-fil-A in the collective consciousness as the breaded-bird sando to beat.

Today, with over 3000 locations, this Louisiana kitchen has become as ubiquitous and as much as part of American culture as the swollen-forearmed sailorman with whom it consciously shares its name.

This week on *Doughboys*, we return once again to Popeyes.

## Fork rating

The first Doughboys review of Popeyes came in 2016, when Nick rated it 4.5 forks and Mitch gave it 3.5.

The following year, Popeyes was a big part of the Munch Madness: Chicken Fight tournament, where it initially defeated KFC and Church's in the Full Bird Region. It then advanced to the Semifinals where it lost to McDonald's Chicken McNuggets, but due to some shenanigans in the rules, advanced to the Finals anyway. In the Finals, it went up against Wendy's and Wingstop, and in some complicated vote tallying, came in second place.

Then in 2019, they returned to Popeyes, this time focusing on the newest sensation, their Chicken Sandwich. Nick and Mitch each gave Popeyes 5 forks and it was elevated to the Golden Plate Club. (Nick here claims that Popeyes was in the Platinum Plate Club, but Andrew Ti only gave it 4 forks.)

* Cajun Fries
* Mac and Cheese
* Coleslaw
* Biscuits
* Cinnamon Apple Pie
 Mike Mitchell
* 1/4 Lb Popcorn Shrimp Meal
* 3pcs Chicken Meal
	+ 1/2 spicy, 1/2 mild
* 2 Chicken Sandwiches
* 1 Spicy Chicken Sandwich
* 3 Tenders Meal
	+ 1/2 spicy, 1/2 mild
	+ Cajun Fries
* Mashed Potatoes w/ Gravy
* Coleslaw
* Red Beans and Rice
* Mac and Cheese
* Biscuits
* Chocolate Beignet
 Phil Rosenthal
* Spicy Chicken Sandwich
* 1/4 Lb Popcorn Shrimp Meal
* Red Beans and Rice
* Green Beans
* Biscuit

**The Spoonman Bite of the Night** went to the Fried Chicken (thigh piece).

With these scores, despite Nick and Mitch going all-in for it, Popeyes is removed from the Golden Plate Club.

## Family Food

In Family Food, Nick finds a food-related survey, and Mitch and the guest guess the results.

For this episode, Nick has a list of the most popular fruits in the world, by metric tonnage produced. The top-7 answers are on the board. They alternate picks; three strikes and you lose.

Phil had to leave, so Emma steps in to play.

 Orange (**#6**)
 Pineapple (X)
 Strawberry (X)
 Melon (**#3**)

Emma got three strikes, so Mitch wins!

The #1 answer was Tomato and the 7th was Mango.

## Quotes

**Phil**: It pays off in donuts!
**Mitch**: If you hit ungapatchka three times...

## Photos

BiscuitsCajun FriesMac and CheeseColeslawCinnamon Apple PieMashed Potatoes3pc Chicken MealCajun FriesChicken SandwichChicken SandwichPopcorn ShrimpMashed Potatoes w/ Gravy, Coleslaw, Red Beans and Rice, and Mac and CheeseSauces