The thing that always floors me when I travel to the US is the food – American portion sizes are wild.
Bigger is better seems to be the motto and it’s something that’s startling to Brits who are more accustomed to the ‘shrinkflation’ of it all.
But US-style portions have been slowly making their way across the pond,with the likes of Grasso and Philippe Conticini serving up XL dishes.
And now a fast food chain is getting in on the action too, as Popeyes has added a new range to its restaurant menu that’s been described as ‘supersized’.
Mega Dips have landed at the Louisiana fried chicken chain, which see popular condiments ‘levelled-up’ and served in 450g portions in cups, instead of small pots.
There are three options for customers to choose from – classic Ranch, smoky Kickback or a warm Cheese dip, and they cost £3.99 each.
Those who can’t quite manage this but want more sauce can opt for a slightly smaller Big Dip instead, which is priced at £1.99 for a 160ml size.
Giant cups of dips have long been a thing at Raising Cane’s in the US – a rival chicken chain that recently announced plans to launch in London in 2026.
Raising Cane’s is known for selling its Secret Sauce in 32-ounce soda cups, which regularly go viral on TikTok, but Popeyes has beaten them to the punch with this one, becoming the first quick service restaurant in the UK to offer something like this.
And it’s already proving popular, with 115,000 portions of the Mega and Big Dips already sold, which is almost enough sauce to fill an entire swimming pool.
Speaking about the launch, Dave Hoskins, head of food at Popeyes, said: ‘Inspired by the worldwise love for huge dips, we thought it was about time to bring that extra bit of sauce to Popeyes in the UK.
‘Whether it be our fan-favourite Ranch, the specially-festive Cheese sauce or our Cajun-inspired smoky signature Kickback sauce, these oversized dips are the perfect pairing for our Shatter Crunchin’ chicken and are here to bring maximum flavour to the menu.’
What do people think of the dips?
Online the reaction to the giant new dips has been mixed, with some hailing them as ‘unreal’, ‘banging’ and ‘heaven’, but others were concerned about the size.
On TikTok @paulmorris8524 said: ‘This looks unreal! Ghost Pepper Wings with Mega Dips is the perfect combo.’
Similarly, @jugginnunstop thought the dips were a ‘dream come true’, while @marshlovesmallow on Instagram was in full support, adding: ‘None of this teaspoon energy you have going on with your dips currently!’
And @thedarcytwins were also loving the new dips, praising Popeyes for ‘giving fans what they want’. They tried all three flavours in a review video and proclaimed the cheese one their favourite.
However, not everyone was thrilled by the launch, as @sulemann17 argued: ‘We don’t need US portion sizes here man.’
And @sandra55171 wasn’t impressed as she accused the chain of simply ‘copying Raising Cane’s’.
Metro’s verdict…
As Metro’s specialist food writer, I’ve tried my fair share of fast food items, but I’ve never been given a cup of sauce, let alone three.
In general, I’m a big fan of a dipping sauce, but never quite feel like there’s enough in a small pot, so something larger was always going to be up my street.
Having tried all three of the new flavours, I can safely say the Cheese one was my least favourite – it’s got a very artificial flavour, whereas I tend to prefer the real thing. I did like the Kickback and Ranch though, which were more interesting and paired really well with the chicken.
That said, I don’t think you’ll catch me getting another Mega Dip, unless I’m sharing it with friends – it’s just too wasteful. There was way more sauce than I ever could have possibly needed for my meal, which meant my only option was to bin the leftovers… or drink them.
And while I know some people will be game for the latter, I think that’s where I draw the line.
Which Mega Dip are you most excited to try?
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Cheese
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Ranch
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Kickback
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