Chicken Sandwich Wars
The Chicken Sandwich Wars is a marketing trend in the history of fast food in the United States during which a great number of American quick serve restaurant chains introduced fried chicken sandwiches to their menus. The phenomenon began in 2019 and, as of 2021, is still ongoing.
History[]
Background[]
According to the University of Maryland's Psyche Williams-Forson, early colonial American households ate bread and poultry together, though the exact mechanism for consumption is unclear.[1] The first use of the word sandwich, meanwhile, has been attributed to Edward Gibbon in 1762.[2] By the 21st century in the United States, chicken-focused fast food chain Chick-fil-A had seen its market share in the quick serve restaurant category increase precipitously, buoyed by increasing American consumption of chicken.[1]
Beginning[]
On August 12, 2019, Popeyes introduced a fried chicken sandwich to its menu, an addition that prompted Chick-fil-A to claim – in a Tweet – that its own fried chicken sandwich predated Popeyes' sandwich.[3] A tête-à-tête on social media between the two restaurant chains followed, which The New York Times reported "captivated the internet for ... [a] week and a half".[3][4][5] By the end of 2019, Popeyes had seen a 38 percent increase in sales, with the surge in business largely attributed to its new chicken sandwich.[3] In a November episode of the comedy serial Saturday Night Live, Harry Styles starred in a sketch that parodied the popularity of the Popeyes chicken sandwich.[6]
Expansion[]
In response to the perceived popularity of the Popeyes menu item, additional fast food chains added or expanded fried chicken sandwich offerings to their own menus.[3] By January 2021, more than 20 American fast food brands had introduced chicken sandwiches.[3] In addition to Popeyes and Chick-fil-A, they included: Golden Chick, KFC, Fatburger, Church's Chicken, Wendy's, BurgerFi, Zaxby's, Fuku, Jack in the Box, Sonic, Carl's Jr., Shake Shack, Boston Market, McDonald's, Pollo Campero, Bojangles and Burger King.[3] In a July 2021 marketing stunt, Airheads candy also introduced a limited edition, novelty chicken sandwich in conjunction with Chicago restaurant Frances' Deli & Brunchery.[7] The sandwich was served on a bun made out of the sour candy.[7]
Popeyes called for a truce on July 28, 2021, as part of a promotion for a "We Come in Piece" 8 piece chicken nugget menu item. Popeyes further purchased $1,000,000 of chicken nuggets from its competitors, and donated these to the Second Harvest Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana.[8]
Economic impact[]
According to Edison Trends "online spending on chicken sandwiches across all restaurants in this analysis combined grew 420% between January 2019 and December 2020."[9] This was likely driven by the shift toward online spending during the pandemic. In April 2021, McDonald's franchisees were selling about 262 chicken sandwiches per day.[10]
Due to the onset and intensity of the Chicken Sandwich Wars, combined with existing supply chain disruptions wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, shortages of chicken were reported in the United States beginning in the spring of 2021.[11] The National Chicken Council sought to allay public concerns about disruptions to the nation's poultry supply, with a council spokesperson stating in May of that year that there was "a very tight supply but short of a shortage".[11] The same month, the price of chicken in the United States reached a three-year record high, with the pricing surge principally attributed by The Birmingham News to the Chicken Sandwich Wars.[12] Popeyes, meanwhile, began stockpiling chicken in advance of a planned, summer menu expansion.[13]
See also[]
References[]
- ^ a b "McDonald's, Popeyes, Chick-Fil-A And The Chicken Sandwich Wars". CNBC. December 12, 2019. Retrieved July 18, 2021 – via YouTube.
- ^ Avey, Tori (January 3, 2013). "Discover the History of the Sandwich". PBS. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f Cobe, Patricia (January 7, 2021). "A Brief History of the Chicken Sandwich Wars". Restaurant Business. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
- ^ Arceneaux, Michael (August 20, 2019). "Popeyes started a chicken sandwich war with Chick-fil-A. This is why they'll win it". NBC News. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
- ^ Sedacca, Matthew (August 29, 2019). "15 Minutes to 'Mayhem': How a Tweet Led to a Shortage at Popeyes". The New York Times. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
- ^ "'SNL' Parodies Popeyes Chicken Sandwich Craze". Complex. November 17, 2019. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
- ^ a b Pesce, Nicole Lyn (July 17, 2021). "This Airheads candy chicken sandwich might ruffle some feathers on #NationalFriedChickenDay". Market Watch. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
- ^ https://www.mashed.com/473106/the-surprising-way-popeyes-is-trying-to-end-the-chicken-sandwich-wars/
- ^ "In QSR Chicken Sandwich Wars, Chick-fil-A Rules the Roost with 45% Market Share". trends.edison.tech. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
- ^ Lucas, Amelia (April 28, 2021). "Chicken sandwich wars pay off for KFC and McDonald's, putting pressure on supply". CNBC. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
- ^ a b Tyko, Kelly (May 6, 2021). "Is there a chicken shortage? How COVID, chicken sandwich war and chicken wing demand are impacting restaurants". USA Today. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
- ^ Archibald, Ramsey (June 20, 2021). "Chicken prices going up? Blame the 'chicken sandwich wars'". The Birmingham News. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
- ^ "Popeyes Stockpiles Chicken Meat". Bloomberg. July 13, 2021. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
Further reading[]
- Workman, Katie (August 22, 2019). "Fans choose sides in the 'Chicken Sandwich War' of our time". Associated Press. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
- Valinsky, Jordan (January 9, 2021). "The fried chicken sandwich wars are heating up. Here are the new entrants". CNN. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
- History of the United States
- 2020s fads and trends
- Mass media rivalries