Fast-food companies like Yum! brand’ KFC and McDonald’s Chicken tenders are coming back to the market as a way to attract consumers with a low-risk, high-reward bet on a familiar favorite.
Nearly half of all fast-food restaurants served chicken items in the third quarter, up 5.7% from the same period in 2019, according to Technomic’s Ignite menu data. More eateries are adding chicken tenders to other dishes like salads and wraps.
Taco Bell, which is also owned by Yum! Brands is testing chicken strips in tacos and burritos. McDonald’s says it is also testing versions of its McCrispy sandwich, which will be available in nearly every global market by the end of 2025.
The snack, a $6 billion category for fast food, has overtaken children’s menus. Just look at the success of Raising Cane’s, which offers a menu entirely of chicken fingers. company informed It marked its first billion-dollar quarter earlier this year. Its same-store sales and traffic grew by double digits during the third quarter.
It’s the product’s taste and value that has turned customers into loyal fans, said AJ Kumaran, co-CEO of Raising Cane’s.
“They’re looking for everyday value. They’re not looking for any gimmicks,” Kumaran said. “And we can deliver on that. So, we’re pretty excited about where we are and how we’re going to continue to deliver on that promise.”
In October, KFC launched the “Chicken Tenders Battle” campaign for its new tenders, featuring a satirical advertisement that calls out its competitors. KFC representatives also visited Popeyes (owned) locations Restaurant Brands International), to distribute free KFC samples in front of Chick-fil-A and Raising Cane’s competing stores in Baton Rouge, New Orleans, and Atlanta.
The company’s new US chief marketing officer, Kathryn Tan-Gillespie, was appointed less than two months before the launch.
He said, “We have the best tasting fried chicken tenders in the world, so I thought we should start a fight.”
So, which chicken chain will win?
