The battle to fire Popeyes as king of the chicken sandwich heats up.
KFC is the latest fast food chain to revamp its menu with a new chicken sandwich. In late February, diners across the country will be able to order the new sandwich, which will replace the current offering.
Owned by Yum Brands Inc, KFC said its Crispy Colonel Sandwich “does not live up to our legacy of fried chicken experts,” the company said in a statement.
Tested in Orlando earlier this year, the new sandwich is a double-breaded fillet that’s crisper, served on a brioche bun and comes with Colonel’s classic or spicy mayo and thicker pickles.
“They tested pickles with eight variations in thickness and brine before we landed on our pickle,” Andrea Zahumensky, KFC US chief marketing officer, said in a statement earlier this year. “And for our perfect brioche bun, we partnered with six different bakeries and tested more than ten formula revisions to find the right one to properly cuddle the fillet that’s bigger than ever.”
Popeyes – owned by Restaurant Brands International – sparked the chicken wars in 2019 with a $ 3.99 sandwich that was so popular it sold out in many restaurants. That prompted other chains to compete, including burger joints like McDonald’s.
The Golden Arches said this week that it will launch 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 U.S. stores through April 5.
The Korean-style Fried Chick’n will be paired with Korean-style French fries, the company said.
According to restaurant analyst Mark Kalinowski, Burger King, also owned by Restaurant Brands International, could also enter the fight as it tested a “hand-breaded, crispy chicken” sandwich in Arizona.
KFC’s new sandwiches will be available for the first time today in select cities including Chicago, Kansas City, Louisville, Portland and San Francisco and by the end of February, all 4,000 KFC locations in the US will have the $ 3.99 sandwich, the company said.
“KFC has had a good year with the same store sales that were better than average retail chains,” said Kalinowski.
But the 68-year-old chain has a lot of competition – and he was knocked off its pedestal a while ago as the dominant chicken chain by Chick Fil A, Kalinowski added.