KFC is finally updating its fried chicken sandwich after catching up behind the competition of competing chains over the past few years. The aptly titled “KFC Chicken Sandwich” features an extra crispy chicken fillet placed on a buttered brioche sandwich and topped with pickles and spicy or classic mayonnaise.
The new sandwich is available Thursday in nine U.S. cities: Chicago, Kansas City, Louisville, Portland, St. Louis. Louis, Sacramento, San Francisco, Seattle and Tulsa. It will gradually roll out across KFC’s 4,000 restaurants nationwide over the next two months, and fans can follow the sandwich’s arrival on a special website.
The sandwich costs $ 3.99 à la carte or $ 6.99 for a combination meal with fries and a medium drink.
KFC tasted the sandwich last June in 15 restaurants across Orlando. At the time, Andrea Zahumensky, head of marketing at KFC, told CNN Business that the reformulated sandwich “boasts an upgrade of every single component” and she believes the chain “will now be able to compete.”
The KFC Chicken Sandwich will replace the current sandwich of the chain, the ‘Crispy Colonel’.
“The ‘Crispy Colonel’ had a lot of fans, but we knew we could do better and that was not good enough for us,” she said.
Early results for the new chicken sandwich are positive: sales during the trial doubled KFC’s expectations, according to a press release. “Many customers have not yet considered KFC as part of the chicken sandwich conversation, but anyone who tastes this sandwich will no doubt know that we are playing to win,” Zahumensky said.
owner Yum! Brand (YUM) achieved mixed results for KFC in its earnings in the third quarter. Global sales of the same stores fell by 7%, but rose by 9% in the US compared to the same quarter in 2019. The increase is attributed to a boost in digital and junk sales, both of which will be central to the redesign of restaurants.
Chicken is a winner
Fried chicken sandwiches remain a popular item for fast food restaurants as customers crave affordable and comfortable food.
Popeyes sparked the war when he first introduced the popular menu item in August 2019. Customers flocked to the chain and the sandwich sold out in less than two weeks. The company said at the time that the ‘extraordinary claim’ surprised it and it was a few months before it returned.
And it’s still popular: Popeyes’ restaurant sales rose 17.4% worldwide in the third quarter of 2020, compared to the same period last year, thanks to the sandwich. Popeyes, owned by Restaurant Brands International (QSR), also controls Burger King and Tim Hortons. Popeyes was the only brand of the company to report a sales increase during the quarter ended September 30th.
McDonald’s (MCD) also rolls out three new chicken sandwiches next month: The Crispy Chicken Sandwich, topped with pickles and served on a potato roll; the Spicy Chicken Sandwich, which adds a spicy pepper sauce; and the Deluxe Chicken Sandwich, which comes with lettuce, tomatoes and mayo.
McDonald’s believes, like its peers, that chicken is a good choice.
“Globally, the chicken category is almost twice as big as beef,” Joe Erlinger, president of McDonald’s USA, remarked in November. “It’s growing faster and represents an important opportunity,” he said. “Developing a reputation for big chicken is one of our biggest aspirations. We want customers to choose McDonald’s for chicken.”
Wendy’s (WIN) added a new chicken sandwich to the menus last fall. His Classic Chicken Sandwich replaces the Homestyle Chicken Sandwich, which has been on Wendy’s menu for about a decade. Smaller chains, such as Shake Shack (SHAK), Church’s and Whataburger, also released variations of a chicken sandwich.
Of course, chicken is also a successful formula for Chick-fil-A, the 73-year-old chain that, despite its controversial past, has a dedicated fan base. The privately owned brand expands its reach and raises chicken chains nearly twice as large. It has added about 1,000 locations and nearly tripled sales over the past decade.
–CNN Business’ Danielle Wiener-Bronner contributed to this report.
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