restaurants

Shake Shack Debuts New Chicken Sandwich as Competition Increases

Will consumers suffer from chicken fatigue?
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Francis Scialabba

· less than 3 min read

Retail news that keeps industry pros in the know

Retail Brew delivers the latest retail industry news and insights surrounding marketing, DTC, and e-commerce to keep leaders and decision-makers up to date.

The modern fast food playbook has a signature menu play: Put a bird on it.

  • McDonald’s will add three fried chicken sandwiches to its menus in February.
  • Shake Shack will sell Korean-style fried chicken sandwiches this spring. Small biz angle: it partnered with a Portland, OR, family-run kimchi brand to develop the glaze.

Nutritional facts: Low original content, high saturation. Over the past year, at least two dozen restaurant chains released new or improved fried chicken sandwiches.

  • The craze started in 2019, when Popeye’s released its updated sandwich to rival Chick-fil-A’s. The item led to a comparable sales surge at the chain—and hatched several imitators.
  • Quick-service restaurants including McDonald’s trimmed their menus last year, but steady sales for other chicken items encouraged their sandwich category expansion.

Dietary restrictions: Any chain can gather the ingredients, but not everyone can create heaven between two fluffy buns. Restaurant experts told Reuters that new entrants will have to overcome 1) frying equipment gaps and 2) rivals’ chicken expertise to win the category.

Retail news that keeps industry pros in the know

Retail Brew delivers the latest retail industry news and insights surrounding marketing, DTC, and e-commerce to keep leaders and decision-makers up to date.