San Francisco import Birdbox has spread its wings in Times Square this month with its “Claude the Claw” fried-chicken sandwich — complete with a fowl’s foot attached.
The brainchild of co-owner and Michelin-starred chef Chris Bleidorn, the claw-clad sandwich features a thigh-and-drum cutlet nestled in between a potato bun with pickles, slaw and a savory “yeayo” sauce.
Late Thursday morning, delivery drivers and suited office workers gathered outside the Backstage Food Hall on West 46th Street to pick up their orders of the $19 sandwich, with the restaurant selling out of the menu item almost instantly.
The fried chicken sandwich concept was created in San Francisco by Michelin-starred chef Chris Bleidorn. Helayne Seidman
“Today’s the first day like this. There was not a rush like this before,” Kip Beach, who manages the building housing Birdbox’s East Coast operation, told The Post.
Beach, 40, partly attributed the sudden rush of customers to a viral video from food influencer Jack Goldburg spotlighting the foot-forward creation.
Despite being gluten-free himself, he added, “it might be worth risking it” to try the sandwich.
Omar Rahidi and Ibby Farooq caught wind of the hype through social media and jetted into the city Thursday from their homes in Queens, hoping to score a leggy sandwich for lunch.
The pair, who have been searching for and sampling the top hot chicken sandwiches around the country for the past few years, rated Birdbox’s handiwork as potentially the best in the city at the moment.
Ibby Farooq, 28, came from Queens to try a “Claude the Claw.” Helayne Seidman
“You can taste the marination,” Farooq, 28, said, pondering whether the foot somehow imparted additional flavor. “This is perfectly cooked, perfectly balanced.”
Rahidi, however, scrunched his face after biting into the sandwich’s well-seasoned claw, the sound of bone and coating shattering between his teeth.
“That’s not for me — I’m a big texture person,” the 26-year-old laughed.
“I tasted all the cartilage and I’m like, ‘I’m good.’”
Sam Goldberg, who chowed down on the sandwich for his online series Respect the Chain , described the culinary creation as a delicious “novelty,” but balked at even nibbling on the sandwich’s foot.
Omar Rahimi, 26, didn’t enjoy the taste of the claw. Helayne Seidman
“You’ve got to ease into the claw, you’ve got to get adjusted,” the influencer said. “It’s not everyday you get a sandwich with the claw attached.”
Birdbox insists on its website that the eye-catching presentation is meant to highlight how the restaurant is using “quality” and “free-range” birds, sourced with their heads and feet still intact.
Hopeful New Yorkers who showed up in the afternoon to place an order were turned away empty-handed by staff, further fueling their hunger for the sandwich.
“I’m curious about the experience — I’m drawn to it,” John Zullo, a 49-year-old restaurant manager, mused.
“It’s interesting they would leave [the leg] in,” he added. “The best part of the chicken is the thigh and the leg.”
Additional reporting by Helayne Seidman
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