The title is a reference to Frank Perdue's line, "It takes a tough man to make a tender chicken," which was Perdue Farms' original advertising slogan.
The letter 'e' in the PECT logo on the protesters' sign is identical to the stylized 'e' used by PETA, "People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals".
This is not the first time David Boreanaz and Tracy Middendorf have appeared in a series together. Tracy started in the first episode of the series Angel (1999) as Tina, the girl he tries to save after he first first arrived in L.A.