Why the emphasis on spicy? One contributing factor could be articles such as this one. There are a lot of people who will write about new items. That creates a strong incentive for fast food restaurants to introduce more items, and spicy items make a nice hook.
The spicy item under the microscope this week is a new spicy chicken sandwich from Whataburger.
The sandwich comes with lettuce, tomato, pickles and mayo. I will admit to not being the biggest vegetable fan, but I do wonder if fast-food restaurants would be better served by starting to steer away from serving "fresh" produce.
Fast food is built around having a simple formula that can be easily repeated across hundreds of stores. Trying to guarantee fresh lettuce in that situation can be tricky. The lettuce in my sandwich certainly could have been less wilted than it was. Tomatoes have a little lower degree of difficulty, but they still prove to be tricky.
![](https://media2.dallasobserver.com/dal/imager/u/blog/11957340/whataburger_spicy-chicken-sandwich_tc-fleming.jpg?cb=1642542293)
In addition to getting Whataburger from the drive-thru, people can get this sandwich through curbside pickup or delivery.
TC Fleming
That chicken is spiced up the right way, too. Whataburger puts the peppers in the marinade rather than just drizzling it on after the fact, and it shows: It’s a very comprehensive flavor.
The first bite is sweet in a pleasant way, and the heat comes on slowly, building into something serious but not overpowering.
Whataburger's latest take on the fried chicken sandwich is a quality item that will most definitely be joining my Whataburger rotation.