The most popular item in the burger business is chicken.
At least 10 major American fast food chains have introduced fried chicken sandwiches in the past three months, or will soon. Many of those selling the new poultry items are more commonly known as burger chains, including McDonald’s Corp., Shake Shack Inc. and Jack in the Box Inc.
Restaurant operators, grappling with delays and restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic, want to spark consumer enthusiasm for crispy breaded chicken sandwiches. That zeal helped Chick-fil-A Inc. to become one of the best fast food chains in the country over the past decade, bringing Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen Inc. offered a sensation on social media after its debut in 2019.
The chicken sandwich war, as industry competitors describe it, means diners have many options, such as a Korean iteration at Shake Shack, a McDonald’s version with spicy peppercorn sauce, and a new KFC offering that the chain is charging as its ” best chicken sandwich ever. ”The sandwich craze could also bring lasting changes to the restaurant business, with owners spending thousands of dollars on new equipment mishandling chicken breast to compete for what some franchisees say is the future of dining out.
Shake Shack began selling its new fried chicken sandwich in South Korean burger chain restaurants in the fall, before making its debut in the US this month. One of the first temporary items it put on menus during the pandemic was a spicy chicken sandwich, also during the fall.