Chicken Sandwich Wars facts for kids
The Chicken Sandwich Wars was a big competition between fast food restaurants in the United States. It started in 2019 when many chains began adding fried chicken sandwiches to their menus. The main fight was between Popeyes and Chick-fil-A. They argued about who had the best or first chicken sandwich. Over the next two years, more than 20 American fast food places joined the chicken sandwich craze.
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History of the Chicken Sandwich Wars
How the Chicken Sandwich Battle Began
On August 12, 2019, Popeyes added a new fried chicken sandwich to its menu. This made Chick-fil-A react. Chick-fil-A said on Twitter that their own chicken sandwich came out before Popeyes'.
This started a friendly argument on social media between the two restaurants. News outlets like The New York Times reported that this "captivated the internet" for over a week.
Popeyes' Big Success
By the end of 2019, Popeyes saw a huge increase in sales, about 38 percent. Most people believed this boost was because of their new chicken sandwich. Its popularity was even made fun of on the TV show Saturday Night Live.
Other Restaurants Join the Trend
Because the Popeyes sandwich was so popular, many other fast food chains decided to add or improve their own fried chicken sandwiches. By January 2021, over 20 American fast food brands had introduced new chicken sandwiches.
Besides Popeyes and Chick-fil-A, some of these chains included:
- Golden Chick
- KFC
- Fatburger
- Church's Chicken
- Wendy's
- BurgerFi
- Zaxby's
- Jack in the Box
- Sonic
- Carl's Jr.
- Shake Shack
- Boston Market
- McDonald's
- Pollo Campero
- Bojangles
- Burger King
The "Truce" of the Chicken Wars
On July 28, 2021, Popeyes announced a "truce" in the chicken sandwich wars. They did this to promote a new 8-piece chicken nugget meal. Popeyes also bought $1,000,000 worth of chicken nuggets from its competitors. They then donated these nuggets to a food bank in New Orleans.
Economic Impact of the Chicken Sandwich Wars
Increased Spending on Chicken Sandwiches
According to Edison Trends, people spent a lot more money online on chicken sandwiches. Online spending on these sandwiches grew by 420% between January 2019 and December 2020. This big increase was likely due to more people ordering food online during the pandemic. For example, in April 2021, McDonald's restaurants were selling about 262 chicken sandwiches every day.
Chicken Shortages and Prices
The intense competition of the Chicken Sandwich Wars, along with problems in the supply chain from the pandemic, led to chicken shortages. These shortages started in the spring of 2021 in the United States.
The National Chicken Council tried to calm public worries. They said that while chicken supply was "very tight," it wasn't a full "shortage." However, in May 2021, the price of chicken in the United States reached its highest point in three years. This price jump was mainly blamed on the Chicken Sandwich Wars. Meanwhile, Popeyes started collecting large amounts of chicken. They did this to prepare for new menu items planned for the summer.
