KFC tests chicken nuggets aimed at Gen Z in Charlotte

In an effort to reach younger consumers, KFC will temporarily add 100% white meat, whole muscle chicken nuggets to the menus of participating locations in Charlotte, North Carolina.

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Kfc Chicken Nugget

In an effort to reach younger consumers, KFC will temporarily add 100% white meat, whole muscle chicken nuggets to the menus of participating locations in Charlotte, North Carolina.

If the launch is successful, the chicken nuggets could permanently replace popcorn chicken on menus nationwide.

The chicken nuggets are hand breaded and available in eight-, 12- and 36-piece sizes.

“While nuggets often come in small packages, that doesn’t mean they should have small flavor,” Nick Chavez, CMO of KFC U.S. said in a statement. 

“We wanted to introduce nuggets with the flavor and ingredients that live up to our legacy as the original fried chicken experts. Our Kentucky Fried Chicken nuggets offer a new way to enjoy our distinctive 11 herbs and spices.”

This is the first time KFC added chicken nuggets to its menu, although the brand did test a plant-based chicken nugget earlier in 2022.

The purchasing power of Generation Z

Members of Generation Z, born between 1996 and 2010, are beginning to graduate college and start jobs, which means their purchasing choices are becoming increasingly influential.

Chris Scott, head chef at KFC U.S., called the launch “a really big deal” designed to introduce “a whole new generation to the original recipe.”

"So many of younger consumers are not interested in eating chicken on the bone, for whatever reason they choose," he told Yahoo Finance.

"It's a completely different flavor profile than what everybody else has on the market... Bringing that to the boneless avenue is just such a huge place that opened up for us."

"The earlier you can engage with a consumer, the more potential you have for building loyalty and building frequency over the course of more years," Robert Byrne, director of consumer and industry insights at the restaurant consulting firm Technomic, previously told CNN Business. It's hard to develop loyalty "once somebody's past that window," he said.

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