The numbers are in, and to the surprise of NO ONE with taste buds, Chick-fil-A is STILL the undisputed champ of fast food chicken restaurants.
Mind you, I don't care about the numbers, it's not even close (CFA has 45.5% of the market), but I was surprised to see that Kentucky Fried Chicken just slipped in the rankings.
Popeyes has overtaken KFC as the No. 2 chicken chain in the U.S., a decade after Chick-fil-A first unseated KFC from the top spot.
Yes, Popeye's has taken the #2 spot away from the restaurant that used to be the undisputed #1.
And, I have to say, while I LOVE, and I mean LOVE, all 3 of these wonderful establishments, I think the rankings have settled into the right spot.
I will admit that I have abandoned KFC in favor of Popeye's for my "it's Sunday" chicken.
Chick-fil-A has gobbled up the losses from BOTH these two chains, however.
In the fray, Yum Brands' KFC has lost ground. In the past year, its U.S. market share fell to 11.3% from 16.1%, according to Barclays research.
Similar to KFC, Popeyes lost market share in the past year, but still retained enough to leapfrog its rival. The chain saw its U.S. market share shrink to 11.9% from 15%, according to Barclays.
Where KFC and Popeye's have faltered, CFA has kept its stride.
While these two quality fried chicken establishments fell to around 11-12% market share, CFA has rocketed up to just over 45% from 38%.
That's an increase of over 7% in just one year!
The Eat Mor Chikin folks are approaching HALF the chicken restaurant market share, and are only trailing McDonald's and Starbucks in the overall fast food picture.
They're an unstoppable force!
Popeye's, to their credit, is not afraid of Chick-fil-A and wants to beat them at their own game.
"Game on, Chick-fil-A," Restaurant Brands International Chair Patrick Doyle said in mid-September at Scotiabank's Back to School Conference, responding to a question about the chain's new spot as the No. 2 chicken chain.
Popeyes President Sami Siddiqui said in a statement to CNBC that the chain is still in the early innings as it tries to become the most loved and visited U.S. chicken chain.
"We view this special milestone as an indicator that we're headed in the right direction with much more growth to come," he said.
You love the spirit!
I love the capitalistic drive that is only going to result in EVERYONE getting more yummy chicken from these two restaurants. See how amazing the world can be when no one listens to the commies??
It's an all-out war and I can't wait to see how these restaurants continue to one-up each other.
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