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==History== |
==History== |
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| ⚫ | On August 19, 2019, [[Popeyes]] introduced a fried chicken sandwich to its menu, an addition that prompted |
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===Background=== |
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According to the University of Maryland's [[Psyche Williams-Forson]], early [[colonial American]] households ate bread and poultry together, though the exact mechanism for consumption is unclear.<ref name="cnbc">{{cite news |title=McDonald's, Popeyes, Chick-Fil-A And The Chicken Sandwich Wars |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3L33H6cVTY |access-date=July 18, 2021 |work=[[CNBC]] |via=[[YouTube]]|date=December 12, 2019}}</ref> The first use of the word [[sandwich]], meanwhile, has been attributed to [[Edward Gibbon]] in 1762.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Avey |first1=Tori |title=Discover the History of the Sandwich |url=https://www.pbs.org/food/the-history-kitchen/history-sandwich/ |access-date=July 18, 2021 |work=[[PBS]] |date=January 3, 2013}}</ref> By the [[21st century in the United States]], chicken-focused fast food chain Chick-fil-A had seen its market share in the quick serve restaurant category increase precipitously, buoyed by increasing American consumption of chicken.<ref name="cnbc"/> |
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===Onset of Chicken Sandwich Wars=== |
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| ⚫ | On August 19, 2019, [[Popeyes]] introduced a fried chicken sandwich to its menu, an addition that prompted Chick-fil-A to claim – in a [[Twitter|Tweet]] – that its own fried chicken sandwich predated Popeyes' sandwich.<ref name="rb">{{cite news |last1=Cobe |first1=Patricia |title=A Brief History of the Chicken Sandwich Wars |url=https://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/food/brief-history-chicken-sandwich-wars# |access-date=July 17, 2021 |work=Restaurant Business |date=January 7, 2021}}</ref> A tête-à-tête on social media between the two restaurant chains followed, which the ''[[New York Times]]'' reported "captivated the internet for ... [a] week and a half".<ref name="rb"/><ref name="nbc">{{cite news |last1=Arceneaux |first1=Michael |title=Popeyes started a chicken sandwich war with Chick-fil-A. This is why they'll win it. |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/popeyes-started-chicken-sandwich-war-chick-fil-why-they-ll-ncna1044406 |access-date=July 17, 2021 |work=[[NBC News]] |date=August 20, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Sedacca |first1=Matthew |title=15 Minutes to 'Mayhem': How a Tweet Led to a Shortage at Popeyes |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/29/business/popeyes-chicken-sandwich-shortage.html?.?mc=aud_dev&ad-keywords=auddevgate&gclid=Cj0KCQjw_8mHBhClARIsABfFgphOcuSX46gJ2W103aIVArX0j-zP2IjITVh_PMSANlk7_wbIl0Ip3B4aAogoEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds |access-date=July 17, 2021 |work=[[New York Times]] |date=August 29, 2019}}</ref> In a November episode of the comedy serial ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'', [[Harry Styles]] starred in a sketch that parodied the popularity of the Popeyes chicken sandwich.<ref>{{cite news |title='SNL' Parodies Popeyes Chicken Sandwich Craze |url=https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2019/11/snl-jokes-about-popeyes-chicken-sandwich-craze |access-date=July 17, 2021 |work=[[Complex (magazine)|Complex]] |date=November 17, 2019}}</ref> |
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===Later history=== |
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[[File:Harry_Styles_November_2014.jpg|thumb|150px|Singer Harry Styles appeared in an ''[[SNL]]'' sketch that lampooned an early episode in the Chicken Sandwich Wars.]] |
[[File:Harry_Styles_November_2014.jpg|thumb|150px|Singer Harry Styles appeared in an ''[[SNL]]'' sketch that lampooned an early episode in the Chicken Sandwich Wars.]] |
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By the end of 2019, Popeyes had seen a 38 percent increase in sales, with the surge in business largely attributed to its new chicken sandwich.<ref name="rb"/> In response to the perceived popularity of the Popeyes menu item, additional fast food chains added or expanded fried chicken sandwich offerings to their own menus.<ref name="rb"/> By January 2021, more than 20 American fast food brands had introduced chicken sandwiches.<ref name="rb"/> In addition to Popeyes and Chick-fil-A, they included: [[Golden Chick]], [[KFC]], [[Fatburger]], [[Church's Chicken]], [[Wendy's]], [[BurgerFi]], [[Zaxby's]], [[Momofuku (restaurants)|Fuku]], [[Jack in the Box]], [[Sonic Drive-In|Sonic]], [[Carl's Jr.]], [[Shake Shack]], [[Boston Market]], [[McDonald's]], [[Pollo Campero]] and [[Burger King]].<ref name="rb"/> In a July 2021 marketing stunt, [[Airheads (candy)|Airheads]] candy also introduced a limited edition, novelty chicken sandwich in conjunction with Chicago restaurant Frances' Deli & Brunchery.<ref name="airheads">{{cite news |last1=Pesce |first1=Nicole Lyn |title=This Airheads candy chicken sandwich might ruffle some feathers on #NationalFriedChickenDay |url=https://www.marketwatch.com/story/this-airheads-candy-chicken-sandwich-might-ruffle-some-feathers-on-nationalfriedchickenday-11625588381 |access-date=July 6, 2021 |work=[[Market Watch]] |date=July 17, 2021}}</ref> The sandwich was served on a bun made out of the sour candy.<ref name="airheads"/> |
By the end of 2019, Popeyes had seen a 38 percent increase in sales, with the surge in business largely attributed to its new chicken sandwich.<ref name="rb"/> In response to the perceived popularity of the Popeyes menu item, additional fast food chains added or expanded fried chicken sandwich offerings to their own menus.<ref name="rb"/> By January 2021, more than 20 American fast food brands had introduced chicken sandwiches.<ref name="rb"/> In addition to Popeyes and Chick-fil-A, they included: [[Golden Chick]], [[KFC]], [[Fatburger]], [[Church's Chicken]], [[Wendy's]], [[BurgerFi]], [[Zaxby's]], [[Momofuku (restaurants)|Fuku]], [[Jack in the Box]], [[Sonic Drive-In|Sonic]], [[Carl's Jr.]], [[Shake Shack]], [[Boston Market]], [[McDonald's]], [[Pollo Campero]] and [[Burger King]].<ref name="rb"/> In a July 2021 marketing stunt, [[Airheads (candy)|Airheads]] candy also introduced a limited edition, novelty chicken sandwich in conjunction with Chicago restaurant Frances' Deli & Brunchery.<ref name="airheads">{{cite news |last1=Pesce |first1=Nicole Lyn |title=This Airheads candy chicken sandwich might ruffle some feathers on #NationalFriedChickenDay |url=https://www.marketwatch.com/story/this-airheads-candy-chicken-sandwich-might-ruffle-some-feathers-on-nationalfriedchickenday-11625588381 |access-date=July 6, 2021 |work=[[Market Watch]] |date=July 17, 2021}}</ref> The sandwich was served on a bun made out of the sour candy.<ref name="airheads"/> |
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Revision as of 16:51, 18 July 2021
Chicken Sandwich Wars is a term referring to a period in the history of fast food in the United States during which a great number of American quick serve restaurant chains introduced fried chicken sandwiches to their menus. The Chicken Sandwich Wars began in 2019 and, as of 2021, were ongoing.
History
Background
According to the University of Maryland's Psyche Williams-Forson, early colonial American households ate bread and poultry together, though the exact mechanism for consumption is unclear.[1] The first use of the word sandwich, meanwhile, has been attributed to Edward Gibbon in 1762.[2] By the 21st century in the United States, chicken-focused fast food chain Chick-fil-A had seen its market share in the quick serve restaurant category increase precipitously, buoyed by increasing American consumption of chicken.[1]
Onset of Chicken Sandwich Wars
On August 19, 2019, Popeyes introduced a fried chicken sandwich to its menu, an addition that prompted Chick-fil-A to claim – in a Tweet – that its own fried chicken sandwich predated Popeyes' sandwich.[3] A tête-à-tête on social media between the two restaurant chains followed, which the New York Times reported "captivated the internet for ... [a] week and a half".[3][4][5] In a November episode of the comedy serial Saturday Night Live, Harry Styles starred in a sketch that parodied the popularity of the Popeyes chicken sandwich.[6]
Later history
By the end of 2019, Popeyes had seen a 38 percent increase in sales, with the surge in business largely attributed to its new chicken sandwich.[3] In response to the perceived popularity of the Popeyes menu item, additional fast food chains added or expanded fried chicken sandwich offerings to their own menus.[3] By January 2021, more than 20 American fast food brands had introduced chicken sandwiches.[3] In addition to Popeyes and Chick-fil-A, they included: Golden Chick, KFC, Fatburger, Church's Chicken, Wendy's, BurgerFi, Zaxby's, Fuku, Jack in the Box, Sonic, Carl's Jr., Shake Shack, Boston Market, McDonald's, Pollo Campero and Burger King.[3] In a July 2021 marketing stunt, Airheads candy also introduced a limited edition, novelty chicken sandwich in conjunction with Chicago restaurant Frances' Deli & Brunchery.[7] The sandwich was served on a bun made out of the sour candy.[7]
The events of this period have been referred to in trade and popular press as the "Chicken Sandwich Wars".[3][4][8]
Economic impact
Between January 2019 and December 2020, overall spending by Americans on chicken sandwiches increased more than 400 percent.[9] By April 2021, McDonald's reported its franchisees were selling an average of 262 chicken sandwiches each day.[10]
Due to the onset and intensity of the Chicken Sandwich Wars, combined with existing supply chain disruptions wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, shortages of chicken were reported in the United States beginning in the spring of 2021.[8] The National Chicken Council sought to allay public concerns about disruptions to the nation's poultry supply, with a council spokesperson stating in May of that year that there was "a very tight supply but short of a shortage".[8] The same month, the price of chicken in the United States reached a three-year record high, with the pricing surge principally attributed by The Birmingham News to the Chicken Sandwich Wars.[11] Popeyes, meanwhile, began stockpiling chicken in advance of a planned, summer menu expansion.[12]
See also
References
- ^ a b "McDonald's, Popeyes, Chick-Fil-A And The Chicken Sandwich Wars". CNBC. December 12, 2019. Retrieved July 18, 2021 – via YouTube.
- ^ Avey, Tori (January 3, 2013). "Discover the History of the Sandwich". PBS. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g Cobe, Patricia (January 7, 2021). "A Brief History of the Chicken Sandwich Wars". Restaurant Business. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
- ^ a b Arceneaux, Michael (August 20, 2019). "Popeyes started a chicken sandwich war with Chick-fil-A. This is why they'll win it". NBC News. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
- ^ Sedacca, Matthew (August 29, 2019). "15 Minutes to 'Mayhem': How a Tweet Led to a Shortage at Popeyes". New York Times. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
- ^ "'SNL' Parodies Popeyes Chicken Sandwich Craze". Complex. November 17, 2019. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
- ^ a b Pesce, Nicole Lyn (July 17, 2021). "This Airheads candy chicken sandwich might ruffle some feathers on #NationalFriedChickenDay". Market Watch. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
- ^ a b c Tyko, Kelly (May 6, 2021). "Is there a chicken shortage? How COVID, chicken sandwich war and chicken wing demand are impacting restaurants". USA Today. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
- ^ Klein, Danny (February 23, 2021). "Who's Really Winning the Chicken Sandwich Wars?". QSR Magazine. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
- ^ Lucas, Amelia (April 28, 2021). "Chicken sandwich wars pay off for KFC and McDonald's, putting pressure on supply". CNBC. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
- ^ Archibald, Ramsey (June 20, 2021). "Chicken prices going up? Blame the 'chicken sandwich wars'". The Birmingham News. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
- ^ "Popeyes Stockpiles Chicken Meat". Bloomberg. July 13, 2021. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
Further reading
- Workman, Katie (August 22, 2019). "Fans choose sides in the 'Chicken Sandwich War' of our time". Associated Press. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
- Valinsky, Jordan (January 9, 2021). "The fried chicken sandwich wars are heating up. Here are the new entrants". CNN. Retrieved July 17, 2021.