The battle to oust Popeyes as king from the chicken sandwich is intensifying.
KFC is the latest fast food chain to revamp its menu with a new chicken sandwich. At the end of February, dinner across the country will order the new sandwich that will replace the current offer.
Owned by Yum Brands Inc., KFC said the Crispy Colonel Sandwich does not “comply with our legacy as experts in fried chicken”, the company said in a statement.
The new sandwich, tested in Orlando earlier this year, is a crispy double bread fillet, served on a brioche sandwich and paired with the colonel’s classic or spicy mayo and thicker pickles.
“They tested pickles with eight variations of thickness and brine before we landed on our pickle,” said Andrea Zahumensky, head of KFC’s marketing officer. “And for our perfect brioche sandwich, we worked with six different bakeries and tested more than ten formula servings to find the right one that could embrace the larger fillet in the right way than ever before.”
Popeyes, which is owned by Restaurant Brands International, sparked the chicken wars in 2019 with a $ 3.99 sandwich that was so popular that it sold out at many restaurants. This has prompted other chains to try to compete, including hamburger crops like McDonald’s.
The Golden Arches said this week that they are launching three new versions of a crispy chicken sandwich in February. And Shake Shack this week announced a limited edition Korean-style chicken sandwich that will be available in its U.S. stores until April 5th.
The Korean-style Fried Chick’n will be paired with Korean fries, the company said.
Burger King, which is also owned by Restaurant Brands International, could also take the fight because he tested a sandwich with breads, crispy chicken in Arizona, according to restaurant analyst Mark Kalinowski.
The new KFC sandwiches will only be available today in select cities, including Chicago, Kansas City, Louisville, Portland and San Francisco, and by the end of February, all 4,000 KFC establishments in the US will have the $ 3.99 sandwich. the company said.
“KFC had a great year with the same store sales that were better than the average chain stores,” Kalinowski said.
But the 68-year-old chain has a lot of competition – and he was knocked off the pedestal by Chick Fil A a while ago as the dominant chicken chain, Kalinowski added.