KFC's New Chicken Sandwich Is Giving Popeyes a Run for Its Money — and the Numbers Prove It

For the past two years, KFC and Popeyes have gone head-to-head in the chicken sandwich war.

learn more about Justin Chan

By Justin Chan

KFC has stepped up its game in the battle of the chicken sandwich with Popeyes by introducing a new sandwich that now sells twice as much as its previous versions, CNBC reports.

Executives from the Louisville, Ky.-based fast food chain told the outlet that customers are flocking to its stores to buy the latest iteration of the chicken sandwich, which was released in late February and features an extra crispy filet with pickles and mayonnaise on a brioche-style bun.

Related: With Thicker Pickles and Bigger Chicks: Here's How KFC Updates Their Sandwich

"In fact, as we've entered [the second quarter], demand for the new sandwich has been so strong that, coupled with general tightening of domestic chicken supply, our main challenge has been keeping up with that demand," David Gibbs, CEO of KFC's parent company Yum Brands, told analysts during a call.

The company's first-quarter financial results revealed that KFC's same-store sales grew by 8%, thanks, in part, to the new chicken sandwich.

KFC and Popeyes, two of the most successful fried chicken franchises in the U.S., have competed intensely since Popeyes introduced its own version of the fried chicken sandwich in August 2019. Within two weeks of its release, the sandwich sold out, according to Business Insider. A number of Popeyes employees also reportedly worked 60 hours per week to fill orders.

Since then, a number of fast food chains, including McDonald's, have followed suit. Around the same time KFC released its new chicken sandwich, McDonald's also launched its Crispy Chicken Sandwich. Per CNBC, the latter has been a hit among customers as well, inadvertently causing a tight chicken supply.

Justin Chan

Entrepreneur Staff

News Writer

Justin Chan is a news writer at Entrepreneur.com. Previously, he was a trending news editor at Verizon Media, where he covered entrepreneurship, lifestyle, pop culture, and tech. He was also an assistant web editor at Architectural Record, where he wrote on architecture, travel, and design. Chan has additionally written for Forbes, Reader's Digest, Time Out New YorkHuffPost, Complex, and Mic. He is a 2013 graduate of Columbia Journalism School, where he studied magazine journalism. Follow him on Twitter at @jchan1109.

Related Topics

Editor's Pick

The Dark Side of Pay Transparency — And What to Do If You Find Out You're Being Underpaid
Thinking of a Career Change? Here Are 4 Steps You Can Take to Get There.
A Founder Who Bootstrapped Her Jewelry Business With Just $1,000 Now Sees 7-Figure Revenue Because She Knew Something About Her Customers Nobody Else Did
Everything You Need to Know About Franchise Law
Business Plans

5 Things to Know and Do Before Writing Your Business Plan

If you need a business plan, there are certain things you need to know and do before you sit down to create it. In this article, you'll learn five things to complete before writing your plan to ensure you get the best results.

Business Ideas

55 Small Business Ideas To Start Right Now

To start one of these home-based businesses, you don't need a lot of funding -- just energy, passion and the drive to succeed.

Marketing

Streaming TV Is the Future of Advertising — Without Breaking the Bank

Today's consumers expect personal, impactful ads. There's an advertising method that can get you there for half the price, making it the next frontier in digital advertising.

Growing a Business

Scaling Made Easy: How to Scale Your Business like a Fortune 500 Company

Once you have the night-vision skills of Fortune 500 restaurants, scaling becomes effortless. Here are 3 ways to scale, hidden in plain sight.