The Chick-Fil-A: The Fast Food Industry

Chicken chain restaurants have peaked over the past year with sales rising at an average of 8.8% (Thorm). For over 70 years, KFC has competed in the fast food industry, but what is it that sets this company apart from other big name chicken chains? KFC has recently been exposed to more competition than ever, making it increasingly difficult to appeal to chicken-lovers across the nation. In Figure 1, competitors such as Raising Canes, Chick-fil-A, and Popeyes have surpassed KFC sales (Thorm). However, KFC has fought back with sales growth of 3.6% in the last year through a strategic process to “Recolonelize” the brand (Thorm). In an effort to return to the high standards of its founder, Colonel Sanders, KFC hosted training rallies for managers

QSR Magazine released an annual ranking of the top 20 fast food chains in the United States based off system-wide sales in 2016. KFC finished at number 13, while Chick-fil-A came in at number 8. From a consumer’s perspective, Chick-fil-A offers a wider variety of options, more specifically, a healthier menu. People are more conscious of what they put into their body. Although the fast food industry has a reputation for not being a healthy choice for nutrition, there are ways around this perception. KFC is obviously most well-known for their fried chicken, however, bread is often the enemy of good health habits. KFC does offer an alternative grilled chicken option, but there is not much of a variety when it comes to healthy options. Healthy is trendy today. In order to create better competition in the chicken chain restaurant industry, KFC should consider bringing healthier options such as grilled chicken salads, wraps (including lettuce wraps), or even chicken soup to the menu. In turn, this will offer increased marketing opportunities for the company and may potentially improve sales and propel KFC back into the top 10 ranking for fast food restaurants in the