It’s been five years since the renowned Patti LaBelle revolved into a viral food sensation when her Patti Pies created a wonder in the aisles of Walmart.
Walmart exposed that during the recent Thanksgiving season, to give awareness into just how good business is going, Patti LaBelle’s signature sweet potato pies were selling at a rate of 1,500 per hour.
A spokesperson for Walmart confirmed that Patti LaBelle sells a jaw-dropping 36,000 of LaBelle’s sweet potato pies every day. This translates to 1,500 pies every hour. That’s an estimated 25 Patti Pies per minute for the past five years.
“With [the holidays] just around the corner, Patti Pie is expected to remain at the top of customer’s lists when shopping for their holiday meal,” a spokesperson for Walmart said in a statement.
The Patti Pie craze began back in 2015, when social media star James Wright Chanel went viral after making a hilarious video praising the taste of the pie—and his undying love for Patti LaBelle herself. His video racked up over 5 million views on YouTube and quickly made the pie a must-have treat for everyone to try.
When the video initially dropped five years ago, the demand was so high that the pies (which cost around $4) were being sold on eBay for up to $60.
Although Patti’s sweet potato pie is definitely the most popular, she also has other desserts in her food collaboration with Walmart, including a Southern buttermilk pie, peach cobbler, bread pudding and banana pudding.
