KFC Got Fried in the Chicken Wars. Can It Come Back?

Summary

---

The Journal. — "KFC Got Fried in the Chicken Wars. Can It Come Back?"

Date: November 21, 2025
Hosts: Ryan Knutson, Jessica Mendoza
Guest: Heather Haddon (WSJ Restaurant Industry Reporter)
Podcast by: The Wall Street Journal & Spotify Studios

---

Overview

This episode delves into the rise, fall, and potential resurgence of KFC, once America's undisputed fried chicken leader. With newer competitors like Chick-Fil-A, Raising Cane’s, and Popeyes dominating the so-called “chicken wars,” KFC has struggled to keep up stateside—despite its massive global presence. Host Ryan Knutson and WSJ restaurant reporter Heather Haddon dissect KFC’s legacy, analyze shifts in fast-food trends, and explore how KFC is trying to claw its way back in the modern market.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Fast-Food Chicken Boom

• Americans’ Love for Chicken
  • Chicken is now America’s preferred protein, and fried chicken is booming across fast food segments. Americans eat an average of 100 pounds of chicken per year; much of that is from fast food. (00:05)
• The Competitive Landscape
  • New, specialized chains dominate—Chick-fil-A (sandwiches), Raising Cane’s (fingers), Dave’s Hot Chicken, Wingstop, Zaxby’s, Bojangles.
  • “It is just everywhere. And it’s the area of restaurants that’s really growing… except for chicken and beverages, fast food is not doing well.” — Heather Haddon (01:01)

KFC’s Origins and Global Expansion

• Humble Beginnings
  • Founded by Harland “Colonel” Sanders in 1930s Kentucky at a roadside gas station. Sanders developed the “11 herbs & spices” and perfected pressure-cooked chicken. (03:08)
  • Notable anecdote: Sanders was involved in an actual gunfight with a rival gas station owner—early “chicken wars.” (“Holy cow. Talk about chicken wars.” — Ryan, 04:38)
• Birth of Buckets and Branding
  • The iconic red-and-white buckets originated with a Utah franchisee in the '50s. These family-sized meals became key to KFC’s growth.
  • Marketing appealed to families seeking a convenient, affordable meal.
  • “They really tapped into that demand… have it relatively inexpensive, have it be tasty and fresh and hot.” — Heather (06:00)
• International Success
  • Early US leader, then global pioneer—first western fast-food chain in China (1987). Today, in 150+ countries.
  • “A lot of that is because the world eats chicken… the world really loves fried chicken.” — Heather (07:05)

The Rise of the Chicken Sandwich Wars

• New Competitors & Changing Tastes

  • Chick-fil-A introduced boneless chicken sandwiches and tenders—gaining a dedicated following with “Southern-style hospitality.”
  • Convenience trumps tradition: more Americans eat on the go (26% of fast food is consumed in cars). Portable items (sandwiches, tenders, nuggets) win over buckets. (08:20-09:09)
  • “Eating a chicken sandwich with one hand and driving with the other is a lot easier than eating a drumstick.” — Ryan (08:37)

• 2019: The “Chicken Sandwich Wars”

  • Popeyes ignited a viral, nation-wide battle by challenging Chick-fil-A on Twitter, leading to explosive sales and copycat products from McDonald’s and Wendy’s, among others.
  • “Popeyes had lines out the door and its year over year sales in the fourth quarter of 2019 went up 42%.” — Ryan (10:05)

• KFC’s Absence During the Boom

  • KFC stuck to its buckets and bone-in chicken, lagging behind on boneless innovations, especially the sandwich fad.
  • “They just became associated with the bucket… a bone-in way of eating chicken in a bucket.” — Heather (11:04)
  • Delayed rollout: KFC’s chicken nuggets didn’t debut until 2023. (12:10)

The Consequences for KFC

• Domestic Decline

  • Once at the top, now fourth among US chicken chains; has been closing stores; remaining locations feel “older and less inviting.”
  • “Some customers say the remaining locations feel older and less inviting compared to its newer competitors.” — Ryan (12:34)

• Global vs. US Position

  • KFC remains strong abroad but is lagging at home.

---

KFC’s Comeback Strategy

Leadership and Brand Revitalization

• Yum Brands’ Response
  • KFC’s parent company, Yum Brands, brought in new US leadership: a president with fresh vision and a former Wingstop CMO noted for innovative marketing.
  • “Folks are really hoping that she can bring some of their marketing magic to KFC.” — Heather (14:10)

New Concepts and Aggressive Marketing

• Saucy: A KFC Spin-Off

  • Testing “Saucy”—a boneless-only fast food format (“tendies,” “sammies,” 11 sauces), launched in Florida and expanding through acquisition of other restaurants. Targets younger, on-the-go consumers.
  • “This is to try to appeal to younger consumers who might not want that bone-in bucket.” — Heather (14:37)

• Marketing Changes

  • KFC amps up ad campaigns by calling out competitors directly—especially Chick-fil-A’s Sunday closures.
  • “They have this colonel who’s basically saying, we are not happy about our position in the chicken market these days.” — Heather (15:41)

Nostalgia and Menu Tweaks

• Reviving Old Favorites

  • Brought back potato wedges, a 1990s honey barbecue sandwich, and offered discounts on the original bucket to reconnect with loyal customers. (16:00)

• Is It Working?

  • Early signs positive: KFC U.S. showed 2% same-store sales growth after six quarters of losses.
  • “[That’s] something… a little bit of a win. But they have to keep showing that it works.” — Heather (16:16)

---

Memorable Quotes

• On KFC’s Complacency:
  • “You can’t just keep doing the same thing over and over again and expect it to work.” — Heather Haddon (16:54)
• On Adapting to Consumer Trends:
  • “You have to keep listening to your consumers, find where they are… and make sure you’re really still catering to them.” — Heather Haddon (17:17)
• On Chicken and Culture:
  • “The world eats chicken. The world loves fried chicken.” — Heather Haddon (07:05)

---

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [03:08] — KFC’s history and origins
• [07:34] — Rise of Chick-fil-A and boneless chicken trend
• [09:39] — The chicken sandwich wars and KFC's absence
• [12:22] — How competition impacted KFC’s US performance
• [13:52] — Yum Brands’ new leadership & strategic realignment
• [14:27] — The new Saucy spin-off concept
• [16:16] — Are KFC’s turnaround efforts working?
• [16:54] — Lessons about business evolution and adaptation

---

Conclusion

KFC’s trajectory is a lesson in the importance of adaptation in fast food. Once the kingpin of fried chicken, KFC’s failure to keep pace with evolving consumer tastes and new competition led to its slide in the US market. With new leadership, a renewed marketing push, and fresh concepts like “Saucy,” KFC is angling for a comeback—but it remains to be seen if it can regain its crown in the highly competitive chicken wars.

---

Transcript

[A]

America is clear about its preferred protein. It's chicken, especially fried chicken in sandwiches, tenders, nuggets, and preferably dipped in sauce. On average, each American eats 100 pounds of chicken a year. And much of that comes from fast food chicken restaurants. My colleague Heather Haddon, who covers the restaurant industry, has tracked it all.

[B]

Chicken is definitely booming. You've got Chick Fil A with their sandwiches.

[C]

And what makes the Chick Fil a chicken sandwich original to me is the crispiness of the breading and the tenderness of the filet.

[B]

You got raising Cane's with their fingers.

[A]

Raising Cane's chicken fingers.

[B]

One love got Dave's Hot Chicken. What is the best fried chicken in America?

[A]

I'll go try it.

[B]

Honestly, I think it's Dave's Hot Chicken.

[A]

There's Wingstop, Zaxby's, Popeyes, Bojangles. I could keep going.

[B]

It is just everywhere. And it's the area of restaurants that's really growing. You know, fast food in general is not doing well except for chicken and beverages. So chicken is one of the areas where everyone is flocking.

[A]

Hey, I'm the one who does puns around here. Just kidding. But one company that isn't riding the chicken wave as much as you'd expect, the OG of fried chicken, kfc.

[D]

Kfc. It's finger licking good.

[A]

Kfc. For decades, Kentucky Fried Chicken was the biggest rooster on the block.

[B]

KFC is really kind of the originator of what we think of as fried chicken sold en masse, so sold at fast food restaurants all over the country. And they've been doing this for decades and decades. And yet in the last decade or two, they've really lost their crown as the chicken champ as all these other newer competitors have come around. And so that's presented a real issue for this company.

[A]

Welcome to the Journal, our show about money, business and power. I'm Ryan knudsen. It's Friday, November 21st. Coming up on the show, how KFC lost its chicken crown and it's planned to take it back.

[C]

This episode is presented by SAP. A bad storm hitting your warehouse. Incomplete customs forms, A short supply of those little plastic twist ties. These could all deal a crushing setback to your business. But they don't have to. The AI powered capabilities of SAP will help you navigate uncertainty. You can pivot to new suppliers, automate paperwork and source the twist ties you need so your business can stay unstoppable. Learn [e-mail] Uncertainty.

[A]

Kentucky Fried Chicken traces its roots back to the 1930s at a gas station. Obviously in Kentucky it was founded by Harland Sanders, known as the Colonel. He set up a small restaurant at the station and started to serve his iconic chicken. Here's Sanders on a talk show in the 70s.

[E]

I wanted to have the best chicken in my restaurant than any competitor had. So I was on the highway where they go to Florida or the Smoky Mountains and as they went down to there, I wanted to get them as they come back there.

[A]

He honed his mix of 11 herbs and spices and experimented with a pressure cooker instead of a traditional fryer to make his chicken crispy.

[B]

He perfects this recipe and he starts selling it at his restaurant. And it does great. He gets some write ups from folks who have sampled it on road trips. He gets that colonel designation from the state. He is not an actual military colonel, but it is an honorific.

[A]

He got the honorific colonel title legitimately because of his chicken was so good.

[B]

Yes, it was not for any military service.

[A]

The strangest thing about KFC's history that Heather told me about was that at one point Sanders got into a gunfight with a rival gas station owner.

[B]

The other competitor in that town who had a gas station did not like that he had set up a gas station. And there was a shootout between these two gas station owners and Harland Sanders, one of his workers was killed.

[A]

Holy cow. Talk about chicken wars.

[B]

Indeed. OG chicken wars here. And so the other gas station owner actually went to jail, eliminating his competition.

[A]

Business was good until the 1950s when a new highway was built and Sanders gas station stopped getting as much traffic.

[B]

But he is a wily, crafty entrepreneur and and so around 1950 he starts looking for ways to sell his special fried chicken in other restaurants.

[E]

I had nothing anything to go by that it'd be an opportunity for that. But anyhow, I undertook to franchise get my chicken and I called it Kentucky Fried Chicken.

[B]

And so he finds a restaurant owner who's pretty popular in Utah to sell his chicken.

[A]

That restaurant owner licensed the recipe, established Kentucky Fried Chicken the restaurant and invented those red and white buckets of drumsticks and thighs that they still sell today. And it was those buckets that eventually proved to be a big hit with busy families all over town.

[B]

Women have a question on their minds. What should I serve for dinner tonight? Let Colonel Sanders answer the question.

[A]

Pick up Kentucky Fried Chicken in your neighborhood.

[E]

Colonel Sanders makes it finger licking goods.

[B]

You can have a family meal of chicken and sides. You know, I think it was the original permutation of this was 14 pieces of chicken with gravy and either biscuits or mashed potatoes. You can sit down with your family, spread all that bounty out, serve it up, you know, maybe even put it in actual ceramic bowls and dishes and you know, you've got a meal for your family with sides. They really tapped into that demand that I think a lot of Americans had at that time to feed their families. Have it relatively inexpensive, have it be tasty and fresh and hot. And more and more of these restaurants were built.

[A]

By the 1960s, Kentucky Fried Chicken had hundreds of franchise stores and was the biggest fast food chain in America. And it remained near the top for decades. The company also expanded beyond the US pretty early. In 1987, it was the first western fast food chain to open up in China. There are now KFCs in 150 countries around the world.

[B]

They have really become successful internationally. And a lot of that is because the world eats chicken. The world loves fried chicken. You know, Africa, Asia, China, Europe, South America. I mean, the world really loves fried chicken. So they started to see that there was a good business for them abroad and that has really become true.

[A]

But it wasn't long before other chicken restaurants started crowding into KFC's coop. A big one was Chick Fil A from Georgia.

[B]

Hey, Chick Fil A Today Chick Fil.

[A]

A, the taste worth shopping for. And Chick Fil A was doing something new. It only sold boneless chicken in sandwiches and tenders. And people loved it.

[B]

As it grew. People really loved this chicken and they loved also the hospitality that Chick Fil A is really known for, this Southern style hospitality. They also liked the iced tea and other things on the menu. And so as Chick Fil A grew, I mean, it really posed new threat to kfc, where they really didn't have much of a threat before. I mean, it really was, you know, burgers and pizza that was dominating the market at the time.

[A]

This led to a boom in boneless chicken spots that's continued through today, like raising canes and Dave's Hot Chicken, which specialize in strips and sandwiches. Kfc, meanwhile, did tiptoe into the boneless market with sandwiches and popcorn chicken. But its main focus was always on its buckets filled with meat on the bone, which didn't seem to be meeting American families needs anymore. These days, there's just less of the full meals on real plates at the dinner table thing going on. Families have gotten busier. Instead of grabbing food on the road and eating it when they get home, consumers are eating 26% of fast food orders in their cars, according to one research firm. And Eating a chicken sandwich with one hand and driving with the other is a lot easier than eating a drumstick. Though honestly, I wouldn't recommend either.

[B]

People really want portable meals these days. They want sandwiches, they want tender things they could eat on the go, things that they could eat in their car. And I think this does speak to the way Americans are eating is changing. And that's really a problem for companies that sell meals, group meals for families. They have to think of new ways to sell. That's for individuals for lunch or for just people eating on the go, eating it late at night.

[A]

Chicken sandwiches became so popular that in 2019, an all out brawl broke out known as the chicken sandwich wars.

[B]

The fast food chain Popeyes has a new chicken sandwich.

[C]

But here's the real story.

[B]

Popeyes pitted against Chick Fil A for the best chicken sandwich. After both restaurants took to Twitter. Popeyes issuing the challenge to Chick Fil A. Y' all good? And the battle began.

[E]

I'm rooting for Popeyes and I'm definitely going to get another sandwich after this.

[A]

The Chick Fil a is a thousand times better than Popeyes. A thousand percent better. Yeah, that was easy. The chicken wars were a boon for most fast food chicken joints. Popeyes had lines out the door and its year over year sales in the fourth quarter of 2019 went up 42%. And it forced other fast food restaurants to introduce or re release their own chicken sandwiches.

[C]

In consumer news this morning, get ready.

[B]

Chick Fil A and Popeyes. Because McDonald's is entering the fried chicken.

[A]

Sandwich war, Wendy's didn't stop start the chicken wars.

[D]

They just ended them. With Wendy's new classic chicken sandwich.

[A]

KFC was missing in action. By the time it reintroduced a chicken sandwich, it had missed the moment as all this chicken was exploding in the marketplace. What was KFC doing?

[B]

I mean, they're still selling their buckets, right? They were still catering to their core market and they were trying to come up with new things. Like I said, you know, they do have their own chicken sandwiches. Some folks really like their chicken sandwich and they were trying to, you know, experiment with new marketing, but they just weren't breaking out as much. Part of the issue is they just became associated with the bucket. They just became associated with this bone in way of eating chicken in a bucket.

[A]

Why was the original king of chicken not making chicken enticing in all of its forms?

[B]

Well, a couple of issues. One is just habit and tradition and maybe some executive choices. But when you're talking about nuggets, you know, you're talking about a whole different supply chain, right? So if you've built your supply chain about bone in chicken, it does take time and work to reorient your chain around boneless, boneless chicken. I mean it's just a different suppliers and I do think it was a miss that they didn't do that sooner.

[A]

It wasn't until 2023 that KFC started widely selling chicken nuggets. So what did all this competition mean for kfc?

[B]

Well, it means that all this competition and the change in consumer habits really means that their, their sales have fallen in the U.S. you know, they are no longer one of the dominant chicken players.

[A]

Last year KFC was the fourth most popular chicken spot in the US and it's been closing stores. Some customers say the remaining locations feel older and less inviting compared to its newer competitors.

[B]

I have heard from customers who have just said it's just not the same that they remembered. You know, maybe the restaurants look a little tired, maybe the offering looks a little tired. It's just not what they're looking for when they go out to eat these days.

[A]

What KFC is doing to revive the brand that's next.

[D]

This episode is brought to you by PayPal now through December 8th, you can get 20% cash back when you pay in four with PayPal. No fees, no interest. This limited time offer is perfect for the Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals you've been eyeing. Whether it's the must have book or tiered cheeseboard, PayPal helps you make the most of your money. Save. The offer in the app now expires 1208 cpaypal.com promoterms subject to approval. Learn more at paypal.com paying for PayPal Inc. NMLS 910457.

[A]

KFC is owned by a huge fast food conglomerate called Yum Brands. It also owns Taco Bell and Pizza Hut. And after watching KFC slide in recent years, Yum decided to shake things up and bring on new US Leadership.

[B]

So they have a new US President who has marketing and global experience who is coming in with fresh energy and fresh ideas. They have a new cmo. This marketing officer is from Wingstop. So folks are really hoping that she can bring some of their marketing magic to kfc.

[A]

It's also testing a new restaurant concept called Saucy, a spinoff brand that only sells boneless meat like tenders, sandwiches and wraps along with tons of different sauces.

[B]

Let's try Saucy. A new restaurant by KFC is basically a chicken restaurant with different variations of chicken tender meals Tendies and sammies. Oh, my gosh, I love that. They're actually called that too. It's tenders. It's 11 different sauces and then it's drinks. And so this is to try to appeal to younger consumers who might not want that bone in bucket. And so they have one of them that has started in Florida, but They've just purchased 13 different restaurants to convert them into saucies and try to see how this goes.

[A]

A KFC spokesman said the chain is in the early stages of a fast food comeback story. He said, quote, we're optimistic about the trajectory. As for the original kfc, the company has upped its marketing game, leaning into edgier and playful advertising.

[B]

The chicken tender battle has just begun.

[A]

This is gonna be big for us.

[B]

And already we're seeing just a different attitude with the ads. It seems like they're taking up their competitors more and naming them out. You know, they've been naming Chick Fil A in their advertising and saying, we.

[A]

Are coming for you.

[B]

Basically, an easy point with Chick Fil A is that they're not open on Sundays, so they can easily say, you know, get our chicken on Sundays. Part of this edgier marketing, where they have this colonel who's basically saying, we are not happy about our position in the chicken market these days.

[A]

It's also leaning into brand nostalgia. Recently, KFC brought back potato wedges and a honey barbecue sandwich from the late 1990s. It's also been offering discounts on its original bucket. Are there any signs that these changes are working?

[B]

Yes. So we have some early signs in young brand's earnings that came out early in November. KFC US did show, I believe it was a 2% same store sales growth. They had 6/4 of losses before that. So, yeah, that is notable. That is something a little bit of a win. But they have to keep showing that it works. Right.

[A]

Heather says the KFC story is a reminder that past results are not a guarantee of future success and that companies always need to evolve in order to keep up with the times.

[B]

You can't just keep doing the same thing over and over again and expect it to work. I mean, you look at Chili's, that's one of the big turnaround stories of the industry right now. And that took money, it took time, it took marketing, and it took investing in the quality of the product and keeping it new and fresh to work. But it has worked. So I think you have to keep listening to your consumers, find where they are, whether it's on social media, TikTok et cetera, and make sure you're really still catering to them. You can't just keep doing the same thing and expect the results that you want.

[A]

That's all for today. Friday, november 21 the journal is a co production of Spotify and the wall street journal. The show is made by kathryn brewer, pia gadkari, rachel humphries, isabella japal, sophie codner, matt kwong, colin mcnulty, jessica mendoza, annie minoff, laura morris, enrique perez de la rosa, sarah platt, allen rodriguez espinosa, heather rogers, pierce singhe, jeevika verma, lisa wang, catherine whalen, tatiana zamis and me, ryan knudsen. Our engineers are griffin tanner, nathan singapak and peter leonard. Our theme music is by so wiley. Additional music this week from katherine anderson, peter leonard, emma munger, nathan singapak, so wiley and blue dot sessions. Fact checking this week by mary mathis. Thanks for listening. See you Monday.