If ever there was any doubt that chicken was losing favor with consumers, Wingstop’s latest earnings report puts those doubts to rest.
Last week, the Dallas-based chicken chain reported a whopping 29% same-store sales growth in the second quarter of 2024. Despite its name, those sales come from chicken sandwiches and tenders, as well as wings.
And Wingstop’s not even consumers’ favorite fast-food chicken destination, according to a June survey by Revenue Management Solutions (RMS) of 1,000 U.S. diners. Chick-fil-A still tops the list, with KFC coming in second and Popeyes, third.
Overall, tenders beat out sandwiches, but older generations prefer their chicken between the buns. Wings ranked No. 4, while breaded bone-in chicken came in at No. 5. Rotisserie chicken also hit the Top 5 ranking in the Northeast, while chicken nuggets were a pick in the West.
Chicken sandwiches earned a permanent spot on many menus thanks to the “chicken sandwich wars” that revved up the competition after Popeye’s started it all with its blockbuster entry in 2019. When Wingstop introduced a chicken sandwich line two years ago, the move catapulted the chain’s growth, as RB editor Lisa Jennings reported. That addition has brought in new customers and they visit more often, coming into Wingstop once a month, on average.
As far as brand loyalty goes, that varies with age. While Chick-fil-A and KFC are overall favorites of survey respondents, Gen Z would visit McDonald’s over KFC, and Raising Cane’s is gaining ground, earning the No. 5 spot on their preference ranking. Wingstop is making waves with Millennials, while Gen X heads to Wendy’s for chicken more often than other age groups.
Operators have as much affection for chicken as consumers do. It’s no surprise—chicken is relatively cheap. According to RMS, chicken sandwiches cost up to 10% less to produce than beef burgers but they carry similar price points on menus. Even when wings soar in price at certain times of the year, they can yield a healthy profit margin.
That’s one good reason why chicken is currently the fastest growing ingredient on chain menus, according to Ignite menu data from Restaurant Business sister company, Technomic. Menu mentions of chicken increased 17.1% year over year. Coincidentally, sauces are also speeding along, coming in as the second fastest with 16.2% growth.
The two ingredients seem to be spurring each other’s dominance. The RMS survey suggests that flavorful sauces are a must-have item to boost customer satisfaction for chicken. “Provide a selection of sauces to cater to diverse tastes and elevate the appeal of chicken dishes,” the report advises.
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