![]() And there is still potential that supply and demand will meet. Whiteman contends that the fried chicken sandwich will only grow in popularity as more chefs and restaurants experiment with ingredients. “What’s making the fried chicken so popular is what’s being applied to it.” “I’m only defending the sandwich,” Whiteman said. But Whiteman makes an important distinction about what kind of fried chicken is trending. Michael Whiteman, co-founder of Baum + Whiteman, says in 2016, consumers saw chefs and restaurateurs do things with fried chicken that were fresh and unique, and that’s what is likely driving buzz. According to BrandIndex, perception of value was up in summer 2016, compared to the summer before, but still lower than the start of the year before.īut industry insiders who predicted 2016 would be the year of fried chicken sandwiches stand by their claim. The same is true with how much value Americans say they see in purchasing fried chicken. In fact, BrandIndex data for purchase consideration was slightly lower by August 2016 than it was at the start of 2015. YouGov BrandIndex, which tracks brand popularity, showed that Americans who say they’d consider purchasing fast-food fried chicken has remained relatively stagnant, compared to 2015, with occasional fluctuations. ![]() On top of that, reports about fried chicken’s trendiness seem to stop after 2014 or 2015, showing no huge increases in results.įried chicken data needs a boost to be considered the trend of the year - or even the trend to watch in 2017. Searches for “fried chicken sandwiches” didn’t do much better. Google search interest for “fried chicken” and “fried chicken restaurants” remains stagnant, according to Google Trends. In the fast-food segment, Chick-fil-A has seen a nine percent growth in sales, according to Technomic.īut overall consumer buzz for chicken appears to lagging, especially compared to interest in other trends like avocado toast and poke. Chang’s Fuku now has a total of four locations across New York City. Shake Shack reported that the new Chicken Shack sandwich is the chain’s third-most popular sandwich. Popular fast-casual, restaurateur-driven ventures - which are primarily focused on sandwiches - have shown clear success. Technomic’s Top 500 Chain Restaurants Report, which tracks industry progress, showed that limited-service chicken restaurant sales grew eight percent from 2014 to 2015. The fast-casual chicken scene has seen some success. That means the 2016 jump isn’t part of a trend - yet. But prior to that, restaurants featuring fried chicken items had almost no growth. On Foursquare’s Swarm app, food “check-ins” for fried chicken restaurants increased slightly in 2016. Interest in fried chicken is growing, but slowly. ![]() Let’s review:ĭespite the much-hyped new openings and expansions, the number of chicken-themed restaurants in America grew about three percent since 2015, according to Foursquare data, with about 344 new restaurants. Where there was significant growth was in the very specific market of fast-casual chicken sandwiches - but even that is nothing compared to other popular food trends in the year. Meanwhile, data shows consumer interest in chicken appears stagnant. Chicken restaurants, as a whole, have not seen a higher-than-usual growth. It all depends on what dining segment you look at. While anecdotally, one could say the fried chicken sandwich was one of 2016’s food stars, statistically speaking, its impact on people’s cravings for fried chicken is a tougher call. ![]() Restaurant consulting firm Baum + Whiteman even predicted the fried chicken sandwich would be one of the top restaurant trends of 2016. In the last couple years, American fast-food fanatics have been sold “ Crispy Chicken Shell” tacos, Chicken Fries, and several kinds of buttermilk chicken sandwiches, to name a few. Not to be outdone, fast-food chains started introducing new fried chicken items to their menus. By the end of 2015, popular burger chain Shake Shack introduced its first chicken sandwich, trendsetting NYC chef David Chang opened the chicken-centric Fuku, and the Philadelphia-based doughnut and chicken chain Federal Donuts confirmed plans to expand. About two years ago, fast-casual dining became the fastest-growing restaurant segment in the world. The year 2016 was supposed to be the year of the fried chicken sandwich - and in a way, it was.
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