The hottest item in the civilian industry is chicken.
At least ten major U.S. fast food chains have introduced or will soon introduce fried chicken sandwiches over the past three months. Many of those who hawk the new poultry items are better known as hamburger chains, including McDonald’s Corp., Shake Shack Inc. and Jack in the Box Inc.
Restaurant operators, struggling with the slowdown and constraints posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, are aiming to capture consumers’ enthusiasm for crispy fried chicken sandwiches. That zeal has helped Chick-fil-A Inc. over the past decade. to build one of the best fast food chains in the country, and has Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen Inc. made a sensation on social media after its debut in 2019.
The war on chicken sandwiches, as industry rivals describe it, means that meals have many options – such as a Korean repeat at Shake Shack, a McDonald’s version with spicy pepper sauce and a new KFC offering that calls the chain his “best chicken sandwich ever.” The sandwich craze could also bring lasting changes to the restaurant industry, with owners spending thousands of dollars on new equipment to beat chicken fillets to compete for what, according to some franchisees, is the future of dining out.
Shake Shack started selling its new fried chicken sandwich in South Korean burger chain restaurants during the fall, before making its US debut this month. One of the first items put on menus during the pandemic was a spicy chicken sandwich, also during the fall.