Popeyes has overtaken KFC as the No. 2 chicken chain in the U.S., a decade after Chick-fil-A first unseated KFC from the top spot, according to reports from CNBC and Barclay’s research.
In the past year, KFC’s U.S. market share fell to 11.3 percent from 16.1 percent, according to Barclays research. Similar to KFC, Popeyes lost market share in the past year, but still retained enough to leapfrog its rival. The chain saw its U.S. market share shrink to 11.9 percent from 15 percent. Chick-fil-A on the other hand saw its market share expand to 45.5 percent from 38.3 percent.
Popeyes President Sami Siddiqui said in a statement to CNBC that the chain is still in the early innings as it tries to become the most loved and visited U.S. chicken chain. “We view this special milestone as an indicator that we’re headed in the right direction with much more growth to come,” he said.
