Viral review triggers run on Patti LaBelle pies at Wal-Mart

(WCIV/AP) — Two million pounds of sweet potatoes. That’s what it’s going to take to get Patti LaBelle’s suddenly famous sweet potato pie back onto shelves at Wal-Mart.

Which means the pie that became a viral sensation during the weekend – selling roughly one every second – after a customer sang its praise in a YouTube video may not be back in time to grace your Thanksgiving table. Not that Wal-Mart isn’t trying.

“There’s a lot of moving parts. The suppliers have been working all weekend,” Kerry Robinson, vice president for bakery and deli at Wal-Mart, said Monday. “We need something like 2 million pounds of sweet potatoes, and that’s not something easy to get.”

The sweet potato surge started Thursday, the day after James Wright posted a video of himself eating a slice of the pie, which Wal-Mart launched in September. In the video — now viewed millions of times — Wright bursts into LaBelle song and dance as he eats.

“I love Patti LaBelle — shout out to Patti LaBelle! I went out and bought the Patti Labelle, sweet potato Patti LaBelle edition, honey,” Wright said.
Wright, speaking to someone through the video, says he bought five pies, and considers a raffle for the pies before getting consumed with trying to open the box holding the pie.

“Patti, what you seal this bitch with, Gorilla Glue?” Wright says in the video.

Wright sings lines from some of LaBelle’s greatest hits, including “On My Own” and “Isn’t It A Shame” as he takes bites.

Wright takes two big bites of the pie, shakes his head and addresses Labelle and his audience.

“Patti… If anybody know Patti LaBelle tell her in this video! Patti! Bitch, I turned into Patti. You’ll turn into Patti after eating this,” Wright says.

Singing “Isn’t It A Shame,” Wright continues to eat through the first piece of pie. “Go to Walmart and buy the Patti LaBelle pie,” he tells the camera.

Within 24 hours, social media was buzzing about Wright and the pie, and Wal-Mart stock was running low.

“We swept everything we had right into the stores to supply the demand, including our Christmas volume, so they have everything we’ve got,” Robinson said.

In a follow-up video, Wright is down the the last piece of pie. Holding up an empty pie pan, Wright sings: “This isn’t how it was supposed to end. I wish that we could do it all again.”

Prior to the video, sweet potato pie hadn’t been a top seller for the retailer. But this year a revamped recipe and partnership with LaBelle – who called Wright after hearing about the video – showed enough promise that the company ordered twice as many pies as last year. Of course, that order was supposed to last through the holidays, not be wiped out before Thanksgiving.

Meanwhile, the remaining pies – which cost $3.48 – are being routed to the stores where demand is strongest.

“Ooooh, this pie! Patti! Patti! Patti! Patti! Patti!” he yells. “It makes no sense every time I bite this sweet po-Patti pie, sweet Patti pie, it makes me want to sing!”