KFC shifts menu toward tenders, sauces and new drinks
The chicken chain is adding boneless items, drinks and redesigned restaurants as competitors take share in the U.S. market.
By Hana Yoshida · Markets Reporter
3 min read
KFC is changing its menu and restaurant design as it tries to recover ground in a crowded chicken market. CNBC reported that the Yum Brands chain is putting more focus on boneless chicken, expanding sauces and adding a drinks line while rivals from Chick-fil-A to Raising Cane’s and McDonald’s press further into chicken.
KFC Global CEO Scott Mezvinsky said in a statement Monday that the company sees an opportunity to define “modern chicken” in quick-service restaurants, according to CNBC. The chain is making the changes as U.S. sales have weakened in recent years, even though KFC remains one of the world’s largest restaurant brands.
More tenders, sauces and drinks
KFC Chief Concept Officer Christophe Poirier told CNBC that the chain is shifting from bone-in chicken toward more boneless items. The company plans to update its chicken tenders recipe and broaden the range of boneless options on its menu.
Poirier told CNBC that KFC wants its tenders to be larger, juicier and crispier. The company is also expanding sauces for customers who want to dip or coat their chicken, CNBC reported.
KFC’s sauce lineup includes more than 20 varieties globally, including options such as chimichurri ranch, according to CNBC. The company’s sauce-focused spinoff, Saucy, has grown to nearly a dozen locations, all in Florida, CNBC reported.
The new tenders and nine sauces are set to start rolling out this month in the United Kingdom and Ireland, according to CNBC. Australia and the United States are expected to follow later this summer, with additional international markets planned for the rest of the year.
KFC is also adding a menu line called Dunked, CNBC reported. The line includes tenders, wings and sandwiches served covered in sauce, and those items are already available in South Africa and India.
The company is entering the fast-food drinks push with Kwench by KFC, a new sub-brand that includes boba refreshers, sparkling lemonades and iced coffees, according to CNBC. Some restaurants in Ireland and Britain already sell the drinks, and Australia and Canada are expected to add them permanently this year.
Stores and branding get updates
KFC also plans changes to its physical restaurants. CNBC reported that an open-concept restaurant is scheduled to open this summer in McKinney, Texas, followed by a two-story immersive location in Dubai in September.
Poirier compared the planned Dubai restaurant experience to attending a concert at the Sphere in Las Vegas, CNBC reported. He said the restaurant is designed to keep diners focused on the in-person experience rather than their phones.
The company is also revising its branding. CNBC reported that KFC’s new logo places Colonel Sanders between two KFC wordmarks in a shape meant to resemble the chain’s chicken bucket, while the bucket and Sanders character will receive updates.
U.S. share has slipped
KFC has more than 34,000 locations worldwide, CNBC reported. The chain is a key part of Yum Brands’ portfolio as Yum seeks a sale of Pizza Hut, which CNBC described as struggling.
Barclays data cited by CNBC show KFC held 16% of the U.S. chicken quick-service restaurant market in 2021, behind Chick-fil-A. By 2024, KFC’s share had dropped to 9.4%, and Popeyes and Raising Cane’s had moved ahead of it, putting KFC in fourth place.
KFC has performed better outside the United States, according to CNBC. Yum considers KFC International one of its two growth engines alongside Taco Bell, and KFC reported 2% same-store sales growth in its latest quarter.
Yum named Catherine Tan-Gillespie president of KFC’s U.S. business more than a year ago to revive the domestic chain, CNBC reported. Restaurant Business reported this month that Tan-Gillespie said KFC U.S. has posted same-store sales growth for the last three quarters.
This story draws on original reporting from CNBC.