Quick service restaurant (QSR) chain KFC plans to launch an upgraded chicken sandwich that the brand calls their “best chicken sandwich ever” in February 2021.
The new KFC Chicken Sandwich contains a quarter pound of white meat fillet that is double-breaded, fried and served on a buttered brioche bun with thicker crinkle-cut pickles, topped with a choice of the Colonel’s real mayo or spicy sauce. The fillet is 25% larger than the one currently used in KFC chicken sandwiches.
It retails a la carte for $3.99 or as part of a combo meal with KFC Secret Recipe Fries and a medium drink for $6.99.
With the new addition, KFC joins a growing list of QSRs with a premium chicken sandwich on their menu.
Competitor McDonald’s recently announced plans to debut a long-awaited and much anticipated line of chicken sandwiches on February 24. The line will feature a trio of chicken sandwiches: the Crispy Chicken Sandwich, the Spicy Chicken Sandwich and a Deluxe Chicken Sandwich.
Innovation process
The new KFC Chicken Sandwich was initially tested at 15 KFC locations in Orlando, Florida in the summer of 2020. The QSR spent more than nine months perfecting the new sandwich to better contend with the competition, even working with its chicken processors to procure the right size filet.
"We tested the new KFC Chicken Sandwich in Orlando last spring, and we nearly doubled our sales expectations, so we knew that we had a winner," said Andrea Zahumensky, chief marketing officer, KFC U.S.
"Many customers hadn't considered KFC as a part of the chicken sandwich conversation, but anyone who tastes this sandwich will know, without a doubt, that we're playing to win."
The new chicken sandwich is currently available in Chicago, Kansas City, Louisville, Portland, St. Louis, Sacramenta, San Francisco, Seattle and Tulsa, with plans to expand to all 4,000 KFC locations in the U.S. by the end of February.
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