The Controversial Starbucks Sandwich You Should Think Twice Before Ordering

Most people are hitting up Starbucks for a kick of caffeine or one of its many popular seasonal flavors, and sure, it's hard to resist Starbucks when you want an easy snack — but the food offerings at the coffee giant have simply never engendered the same devotion as the drinks. Some people will swear by the egg bites, and a few sandwiches hit the spot, but if you check out the best and worst of Starbucks hot breakfast items, there are quite a few misses that leave most people disappointed. And one Starbucks breakfast sandwich, the Chicken Maple, has had an even rockier run than other mediocre offerings, and you'd do best to avoid it if you see it.

Launched in 2022, the Chicken Maple Sandwich was supposed to be Starbucks' answer to the ongoing fried chicken sandwich wars, with a maple butter spread, eggs, and toasted oat biscuit roll that ideally should have hit a similar sweet and savory note to McDonald's McGriddles. However, only five days after its release Starbucks' chicken breakfast was abruptly pulled from menus. Why? While locations claimed it was over vague quality standards, hundreds of people and even some Starbucks baristas had taken to social media to claim the sandwich made them sick, including symptoms like diarrhea and vomiting. The company denied the issues it had identified could make people sick, but that was only one of the sandwich's problems.

The Chicken Maple Sandwich returned to the menu after the quality issues were seemingly dealt with, but there has always been one other problem: It isn't very good. Reviews of the sandwich repeatedly noted its blandness, with customers and baristas posting on Reddit that "It literally had absolutely no flavor. Like eating cardboard." The chicken patty used by Starbucks isn't the pinnacle of quality, and, since it's simply reheated instead of fried, has no crunch to speak of. The maple flavor is the only real taste to it, making it a one-note bite of sweetness with little salt or meatiness to balance it out. Even if it won't make you physically sick, you won't feel good about eating it.

A first round of illness and a lackluster taste should be reason enough to avoid the sandwich, but then earlier this year a second quality issue hit when Starbucks customers started finding bones in their Chicken Maple Sandwiches. Whether those issues were just one too many, or sales have slowed as people realize how lackluster it is, it seems like the sandwich may be on its way out for good. Baristas online have been claiming that their stores have been instructed to sell through the remaining stock and then the Chicken Maple Sandwiches won't be restocked. Just don't help Starbucks with this problem by ordering one if you see it.