McDonald's to rival Chick-fil-A, Popeyes in chicken sandwich wars

[Ubiquitous]

McDonald’s is pecking back at its rivals to establish itself as a
contender in the chicken sandwich wars.

The fast-food giant is testing a crispy chicken sandwich in Houston,
Texas and Knoxville, Tennessee, as competitors like Popeyes and Chick-
fil-A cash in on fried chicken sandwich sales.

The chain is testing out its Crispy Chicken Sandwich in the two
Southern states beginning Monday through Jan. 26, a McDonald’s
spokeswoman told FOX Business.

The Crispy Chicken Sandwich includes a fried chicken patty served on a
sweet, buttery potato roll and topped with butter and crinkle-cut
pickles, and a Deluxe Crispy Chicken Sandwich version will feature
lettuce, tomatoes and mayo.

“We certainly meant no beef when we hinted at a new menu item arriving
in some of our restaurants. It’s true, we’re testing two new chicken
sandwiches at participating restaurants in the Houston, Texas and
Knoxville, Tennessee, areas,” McDonald’s spokeswoman Lauren Altmin told
FOX Business, hinting that eaters everywhere might soon be getting a
taste. “Everyone else should stay tuned for what’s to come in 2020.”

The Crispy Chicken Sandwich is McDonald’s latest attempted at
infiltrating the fried chicken sandwich market. It rolled out its
Ultimate Chicken Sandwich at more than 100 locations across Washington
state in 2018. Now, it’s competing with the likes of Popeyes and
Chick-fil-A.

When Popeyes launched its chicken sandwich in August it became an
instant hit, selling out in around two weeks and sparking a viral
Twitter feud with rival Chick-fil-A. The sandwich garnered so much
hype, Popeyes’ sales were 17 percent higher than average weeks after it
sold out of the sandwiches, according to analytics firm Second Measure.
As a response, McDonald’s franchise owners reportedly asked the chain
in July to put out a chicken sandwich to rival competitors threatening
sales growth.

And in August, Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A was named America’s favorite
fast-food restaurant beating out reigning burger champion In-N-Out for
the top spot on Market Force’s Fast Food Market Research report, which
surveys more than 7,000 customers. The findings show increasing
consumer demand for fried chicken over beef. Indeed, Chick-fil-A beat
out Burger King and Wendy’s in sales, ranking No. 5 behind giants like
McDonald’s and Starbucks on QSR’s ranking of the top 50 fast-food
chains in America for 2018.


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