Chicken sandwiches have overtaken beef burgers on quick service restaurant (QSR) menus, according to data compiled by the Chicago-based research firm Mintel. Overall, chicken menu items, including wings and nuggets, now outnumber beef items by nearly three to one. The Mintel survey found that the total number of chicken items on QRS menus was 994 in the fourth quarter of 2012, which is more than three times the 323 burger items identified.
When beef prices increased dramatically in 2010, new emphasis was placed on chicken sandwiches and that trend has not subsided, according to the data. The decision by McDonald’s in July 2011 to offer its Zesty BBQ Cruncher in either beef or chicken seems to have been the tipping point. Today, it is commonplace at QSR restuarants to offer menu items in both chicken and beef vesions.
