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.

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 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.)

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

The X-Meal is $13.99 at participating locations, available from July 1 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.

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.

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.