Burger King’s new chicken sandwich will be available later this year. The chain has released some … [+]
Burger King
And the list just keeps on growing.
Burger King today announced it’s on deck with its contender in the so-called “chicken sandwich wars” that have captivated fast food consumers since Popeyes famously tweeted “… y’all good?” at Chick-fil-A in August 2019.
What that tweet did was nothing short of historic for the restaurant industry, sending test kitchens into overdrive in search of the perfect competitor to capture some of Popeyes’ magic–magic that spiked the chain’s sales by over 40% basically overnight.
Popeyes’ sales have since corrected a bit, but the brand in general is still experiencing quite a strong tailwind from this singular launch. The sandwich has incited unit growth, peripheral menu innovations and several copycats hoping to duplicate some of that success.
Why wouldn’t Burger King want to be among those copycats? Popeyes, after all, has about 2,500 units domestically and the demand for chicken sandwiches clearly proves there plenty of opportunity remaining beyond that footprint.
Burger King’s 7,000-plus restaurants could help fulfill that demand, but it’ll have to overcome an increasingly crowded space, including the giant footprints of McDonald’s
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That’s not to mention new chicken sandwich offerings from Checkers & Rally’s, Shake Shack
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Then, there’s Wendy’s, which announced its “new and improved” chicken sandwich in October. In other words, this chicken sandwich war has gotten so big, it has become a competition among the burger giants.
Burger King may have an advantage here–it shares a parent company, and thus learnings and some resources, with Popeyes as part of Restaurant Brands International. There could be some playbook sharing here.
One challenge may present itself, however. Burger King is differentiating itself with a hand-breaded chicken sandwich. As its press release notes, “this ain’t easy.”
That’s quite an understatement. Hand breading a sandwich that has proven to generate large volumes of sales will very likely complicate back-of-the-house operations (and speed of service) at a time when the pandemic has driven the need for operational simplicity. A number of chains, including rival McDonald’s, have trimmed their menus to achieve such simplicity, and have expedited service times and elevated customer satisfaction scores as a result.
“Not easy,” however, does not mean impossible. Burger King has been working on this sandwich since 2019 and has been testing it since September and it is in no rush to roll it out.
“What if hand-breading were to chicken what flame-grilling is to burgers? That’s been our guiding filter to bring a delicious chicken sandwich to guests in a way only BK can,” CMO Ellie Doty said in a press release. “We’ll take the time to get it right and our guests will definitely taste the difference.”
In full, the sandwich includes a thick-cut white meat chicken breast, freshly breaded by hand, served on a toasted potato bun with deli pickles and a savory signature sauce. The offering is available in original or spicy flavors.
As the chain continues to work through its operational process, it has set a vague launch date for “later this year.”
Still, the timing of this non-announcement announcement is not coincidental considering McDonald’s and KFC’s rollouts next week. This means Burger King’s product might not be ready, but the chain is positioning for top-of-mind awareness nonetheless as the category gets even more crowded.
The question now is, will that awareness fade by the end of this year as plenty of other options fight over the spotlight?
Time will tell. In the meantime, Burger King promises in its release it will be “worth the wait.”