Dave's Hot Chicken X-Meal (X-Men '97 Collectibles)

Fast food figured out a long time ago that grown adults will absolutely buy a meal for the toy, and Dave's just aimed that truth squarely at every X-Men fan with a pulse. The X-Meal is a limited-time collab with Marvel Animation's X-Men '97, and it comes with a blind-bag collectible that has already turned a chicken run into a low-key gambling habit. Here's exactly what you get, who you can pull, and whether it's worth the extra few bucks.

That's the deal in a nutshell. Below: what's actually in the box, the four figures, the app perks people miss, the price math, and my honest take on whether to chase it. If you want the collectibles, read the availability part first — these things sell out. And if a themed combo isn't your speed, it never hurts to keep a classic option in your back pocket — you can browse the Whataburger Menu with Prices for a more traditional burger run.

What's in the Dave's X-Meal

The food half of the X-Meal is the Dave's #4 — a permanent menu item, dressed up for the occasion. You pick one of two builds:

• Slider & Fries — a chicken slider on a potato bun with kale slaw, pickles, and Dave's Sauce, plus crinkle-cut fries.
• Bites & Fries — an order of Dave's Bites with fries, if you'd rather go boneless.

Both come at whatever spice level you choose, same as always. The X-Men part is the blind-bag collectible figure tucked in with your order — that's the whole reason this meal exists and the whole reason it's flying off the line.

The 4 X-Men '97 toys (collectible figures)

There are four figures to collect, pulled straight from the X-Men '97 roster:

• Wolverine — the one everyone's actually hoping for, obviously.
• Cyclops — team leader, red visor, endless patience for Wolverine.
• Storm — weather goddess and the coolest silhouette of the set.
• Jean Grey — Marvel Girl / Phoenix, depending on the day.

Here's the catch, and it's a deliberate one: they're blind-bagged. You don't know which figure you're getting until you open it. So collecting all four is a game of chance — which, funnily enough, is exactly how Dave's would like your July to go. (If you've ever bought a second lunch you didn't need because the first one gave you a duplicate, you understand the business model.)

A few things people keep asking about the X-Men '97 toys. No, the figures aren't sold separately — the only official way to get one is by buying the X-Meal, one blind-bag figure per meal. To collect all four you'll need at least four meals, and realistically more, since the blind bag guarantees a few duplicates before you complete the set. Fans hunting a specific character (it's almost always Wolverine) tend to trade their doubles or buy singles on resale sites once the promo ramps up — just expect to pay a premium there versus the ~$3 you'd spend pulling one yourself. If any figure will do, a single meal gets you in the game.

How to collect all four X-Men figures

Because the figures are blind-bagged and never sold separately, actually completing the set — Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm, and Jean Grey — takes a little strategy instead of brute force:

• Buy them one at a time. Grab a single X-Meal, open it, then decide on the next. Buying four at once just stacks the odds of duplicates.
• Spread across stores and days. Different locations restock at different times, so hitting a couple of nearby Dave's can shake loose the character you're missing.
• Trade your doubles. The fastest route to a full set is swapping duplicates — local fan groups and resale sites are full of "have Cyclops, need Wolverine" trades.
• Buy the last one, don't roll for it. If you're stuck on the final figure, a single on the resale market is usually cheaper than another $13.99 blind-bag gamble.

Realistically, budget five to seven meals to pull all four on luck alone — or three to four meals plus a trade or two. Wolverine is the one everyone wants, so expect him to be the hardest to land and the priciest on resale.

App perks: pins and comics

The part most people miss: the promotion isn't just the physical toy. Through the Dave's Hot Chicken app, the X-Men '97 tie-in also unlocks limited-edition digital pins and exclusive comic content. If you're already collecting the figures, it's worth opening the app to grab the digital extras while the promo is live — they don't cost anything beyond the meal you already bought.

Price and how to get it

“Available beginning July 1 through sell-out, the Dave's Hot Chicken x X-Men '97 Meal celebrates the premiere of X-Men '97 Season 2 with an exclusive meal experience built around some of Marvel's most iconic mutants,” Dave's Hot Chicken said in its official June 2026 announcement.

The X-Meal is $13.99 at participating locations, available July 1 through August 12, 2026 (or while supplies last). For context, the regular Dave's #4 (1 Slider w/ Fries) is about $10.99 on its own — so you're paying roughly $3 extra for the collectible figure and the app perks. That's the whole decision, right there.

Because it's a collectible collab tied to a show premiere, expect it to move fast and vary by store. If you specifically want the figures, don't sit on it — call or check the app for your location's availability, since "while supplies last" tends to mean exactly that. Prices also run higher on delivery apps, and a blind bag is a blind bag whether you dine in or order out.

Ending soon: the X-Meal runs through August 12, 2026. Once it's gone, the only way to get the figures is the resale market, where the popular characters — Wolverine especially — tend to jump in price the moment the promo ends. If you want them at meal price, the window is now, not after.

Is the X-Meal worth it?

Here's my honest take: if you want the toy, it's a great deal; if you don't, just order the regular #4 and keep your three dollars. The food is the same Dave's #4 you can get any day of the week, so you're really deciding whether a blind-bag X-Men figure plus some app extras is worth about $3. For a fan, that's a yes without thinking. For everyone else, it's a polite no — and if collectible meals aren't your thing, it's worth keeping other quick options in mind. You can compare the Wendy's Menu and Prices if you'd rather put your lunch money toward a different fast-food run.

The one trap to avoid is the blind-bag spiral — buying meal after meal chasing Wolverine and ending up with three Cyclops and a full week of fried chicken. Set a limit before you start. Whichever way you go, order it at a heat level you can actually taste, and check the rest of the menu if you'd rather build your own combo around the collectible. The toy's the point; the tender should still be good.