One Direction: Liam Payne Tweets May Be To Blame For Chicken Fries Resurrection

One Direction member Liam Payne created a trend last year that could be to blame for bringing back chicken fries. Burger King re-introduced chicken fries to their menu last summer after a tweet from Payne went viral. The fast food giant may have misinterpreted Liam’s tweet, but it looks like chicken fries are here to stay, according to the Verge.

Burger King sold chicken fries for seven years until the crispy chicken sticks went extinct in 2012. A tweet from Liam Payne in May, 2014, made the term chicken fries trend, and Burger King caught on. Payne’s tweets were a little confusing. One tweet possibly referenced KFC instead of Burger King, but Burger King seized the opportunity and brought chicken fries back for a limited time.

Liam’s first tweet made reference to the colonel and original recipe, leading some to believe he was talking about KFC. However, Payne’s second tweet turned chicken fries into a Twitter hit.

I'm so fulllllll!!! Think I just ate my body weight in chicken fries and sides owwwwww

— Liam (@LiamPayne) May 31, 2014

The social media trend, unintentionally started by One Direction’s Liam Payne coupled with a BuzzFeed article that also mentioned chicken fries, made for a successful addition to Burger King’s menu — so successful that Burger King has decided to keep chicken fries, announcing in March that chicken fries will be served year-round. Burger King even announced this week that they are adding a spicy version of chicken fries that might also become a permanent addition, depending on sales.

Burger King did admit they brought back chicken fries because of social media, pointing to Liam Payne’s tweet. But since 2010, Burger King has added other past items to their menu, including the Big King sandwich. Even without One Direction and Twitter, Burger King may have re-introduced chicken fries sometime in the near future as a way to boost revenue and offer less expensive chicken products.

Although Payne was contacted, the One Direction singer was never available to clarify his tweets, according to his representative. Should consumers really be thanking Liam Payne for bringing back chicken fries, or are some fast foods better left in the past? Social media does influence food choices, but overall fast food sales are declining as more Americans are eating healthier and cooking at home to save money. According to one social media user, he used to love chicken fries, but has only been back to Burger King once since they were re-introduced.

What do you think? Should we eat our body weight in chicken fries like Liam Payne or opt for a healthy cobb salad?

In related One Direction news, big companies may not be able to rely on the London-based boy band for marketing much longer. The Inquisitr reported on Monday that One Direction might soon be taking a break. Liam Payne said the band may take a hiatus after the release of their fifth album.

“You know, I think everyone needs a little bit of a break now, and a sit down and a stop, to kind of take in all the great things that’ve happened,” said Payne.

[Photo by Stephen Lovekin / Getty Images]