The summer debate over which restaurant chain serves the best chicken sandwich helped boost overall sales in the quick service restaurant segment last month, according to a report by the NPD Group.
Same-store sales increased by 4.4 percent compared with August of 2018, NPD Group reported. The launch of Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen’s chicken sandwich in August and the ensuing social media debate drew attention to the sector.
Popeye’s announced in last August it had sold out of its chicken sandwich after just eight days. The sandwich’s availability sparked hours-long wait times at many Popeye’s restaurants before the sell-out was confirmed. A version of the sandwich is available in other countries, but Popeye’s U.S. locations had not included such an offering.
A debate ensued between supporters of Popeye’s chicken sandwich and supporters of Chick-fil-A’s original chicken sandwich.
Popeye’s announced, through Twitter and Facebook, that it will announce a timetable for the sandwich’s return “as soon as possible.”
McDonald’s also introduced a limited run of Spicy BBQ Chicken Sandwiches to take advantage of the increased popularity in the category.
The NPD report also noted that the full-service segment of casual and mid-scale/family chains continued to post soft sales in August compared with the same period one year ago.
