“It’s a Chicken Salad” – How a Simple Deli Review Became Internet Gold

The internet has a funny way of transforming ordinary moments into viral sensations One minute, you’re just enjoying your lunch, and the next, you’re a meme legend That’s exactly what happened with the now-famous “It’s a chicken salad” TikTok that took social media by storm in 2022.

The Unexpected Rise of a Food Review Gone Viral

Back in August 2022, a Cleveland deli called East 81st Deli posted what seemed like a simple promotional video on their TikTok account The clip featured a woman enthusiastically reviewing their chicken salad, saying “Y’all better come up here and get one of these It’s a chicken salad. East 81st deli. It’s superior.”

Little did she know that her delivery—particularly the phrase “It’s a chicken salad” with her specific cadence and facial expression—would capture the internet’s attention and become a viral sensation.

What makes this story even more interesting is that the video didn’t immediately blow up. It sat relatively quiet for nearly two months before suddenly exploding in popularity in October 2022. The original video eventually racked up more than 7 million views and 1.2 million likes.

Why Did It Go Viral?

So why did this particular chicken salad review resonate with so many people? I think it comes down to a few things:

1. The woman’s genuine enthusiasm
2. Her memorable delivery and facial expressions
3. The simplicity of the phrase “It’s a chicken salad”
4. The earnestness of promoting a local business

There was something refreshingly authentic about the video. In a world of overproduced content, here was someone who just really enjoyed her chicken salad and wanted others to experience it too.

The Meme Spreads

Like all great memes, “It’s a chicken salad” quickly evolved beyond its original context. People started using the audio for lip-dub videos, imitating the woman’s expressive delivery. Black content creators particularly embraced the meme, with many noting how the video suddenly filled their “For You Page” despite initially having relatively few views.

Some TikTokers commented on the woman’s delivery, with one creator even describing her tone as “desirable and feminine.” The sound became a template for people to express enthusiasm about pretty much anything—not just food.

Lizzo Joins the Party

When a meme reaches A-list celebrity status, you know it’s made it big. On October 21, 2022, Lizzo herself posted a video using the “It’s a chicken salad” audio while eating a sandwich. Her video quickly gathered over a million views.

In a full-circle moment, the original woman from the East 81st Deli video dueted Lizzo’s post, which gained another 2 million views. This celebrity endorsement helped cement the meme’s place in internet culture.

The Impact on East 81st Deli

For small businesses viral moments can be transformative. While I don’t have specific data on how this affected East 81st Deli’s business, similar viral moments have been known to drive significant foot traffic to local establishments.

The deli’s TikTok account went from being virtually unknown to having a viral hit. Their first-ever TikTok video (posted on August 8, 2022) had only gathered 15 likes in nearly three months, showing just how dramatic the change in attention was.

Why Some Memes Just Hit Different

Not every piece of content goes viral, even when it seems to have all the elements that should make it popular. What separated “It’s a chicken salad” from countless other food reviews?

I think there’s a certain je ne sais quoi to viral content—something that can’t quite be manufactured. The woman’s delivery hit a sweet spot between genuine enthusiasm and slightly exaggerated expression that made it both relatable and mimicable.

There’s also something to be said for timing. The video didn’t go viral immediately but found its audience when the algorithm eventually pushed it to the right viewers in October 2022.

The Anatomy of the “It’s a Chicken Salad” Sound

Let’s break down what made this sound so catchy and remixable:

• The cadence: The way she emphasizes “It’s a chicken salad” has a distinctive rhythm
• The facial expression: Her look of satisfaction and slight surprise at how good the salad is
• The recommendation: The straightforward “Y’all better come up here and get one of these”
• The endorsement: The definitive “It’s superior” at the end

These elements combined to create a sound bite that worked perfectly for people to lip sync to and apply to various situations beyond just food reviews.

How TikTok Amplifies Local Moments

The “It’s a chicken salad” meme is a perfect example of how platforms like TikTok can elevate hyper-local content to national or even global attention. A small deli in Cleveland might never have received this kind of exposure in the pre-social media era.

TikTok’s algorithm is particularly good at surfacing content based on engagement rather than follower count, which allows videos from small accounts to suddenly reach millions of viewers if they resonate with enough people.

The Lifecycle of a Food Meme

Food memes have a particular staying power on social media. From “Berries and Cream” to “Is this COVID related? What do we do about it? Ow” to “It’s a chicken salad,” food-related content seems to spark joy in a uniquely shareable way.

The lifecycle usually follows a pattern:

1. Original content creation (often unintentionally memeable)
2. Discovery by influential users
3. Remixes and lip dubs
4. Celebrity adoption
5. Mainstream recognition
6. Integration into internet culture

“It’s a chicken salad” followed this trajectory almost perfectly, going from a simple deli promotion to a widely recognized catchphrase.

Creating Your Own Connection to the Meme

If you’re feeling nostalgic about this 2022 viral sensation, here are some ways you could have participated (or still can, if you’re feeling retro):

• Visit East 81st Deli if you’re ever in Cleveland
• Use the sound for your own TikTok (there were only about 600 videos using it initially)
• Create a remix or duet with one of the popular versions
• Make your own enthusiastic review of something you love, using the same cadence

The Legacy of “It’s a Chicken Salad”

While “It’s a chicken salad” may not have the longevity of some internet memes, it represents a perfect example of how ordinary moments can become extraordinary online. The meme captured a moment of genuine enthusiasm that resonated with people looking for authenticity.

For content creators and businesses, there’s a lesson here: sometimes the most effective marketing isn’t about high production values or clever campaigns but simply about showing genuine excitement for what you offer.

In our increasingly complex digital landscape, sometimes it’s the simplest moments that cut through the noise. A woman enjoying a chicken salad from her local deli became one of 2022’s viral sensations not because of any fancy editing or celebrity status, but because of her authentic enthusiasm.

The “It’s a chicken salad” meme reminds us that in a world of carefully curated content, genuine reactions still have the power to connect with audiences on a massive scale. And maybe, just maybe, it makes us all a little hungry for a superior chicken salad.

So next time you find something you enjoy, don’t be afraid to share your enthusiasm. Who knows? Your “chicken salad moment” might be right around the corner.