(Web Desk) - While burgers may represent America's de facto national dish, chicken products have outsold beef in U.S. eateries since 2020, the Wall Street Journal reported Sunday, citing data from the market research firm Circana.
Even though burgers still outsell chicken at fast food restaurants, many of the biggest names in the industry are beefing up their poultry options.
In 2023, McDonald’s introduced the McCrispy and the Grand McChicken sandwiches, and Burger King unveiled the Italian BK Royal Crispy Chicken Sandwich.
And if recent trends are any indication, Americans can expect to see more chicken products on fast food menu boards through the rest of 2024.
Chicken listings on menus are up 6.4% in the United States, while beef items are up 4.7%, the Journal reported, citing data from the research company Technomics.
Of course, demand is only one part of the equation. While beef and chicken prices are both on the rise, increases in the cost of chicken have been much more moderate in the past year or so.
For example, the wholesale cost of a bagged fryer chicken was $1.22 per pound on Jan. 19, according to the USDA, compared with $1.19 per pound a year ago.
Ground beef saw a bigger increase, going from $4.80 per pound in December 2022 to $5.20 per pound in December 2023, according to the USDA.
Chains that rely on chicken have thrived in recent years. Chick-fil-A reported $6.4 billion in revenue in 2022, compared to $5.8 billion in 2021, according to the company’s franchise disclosure document. The chain has not yet reported earnings for 2023.
As trends come and go, some wonder if the current craze will have staying power. Allison Layman, who lives in Chicago, told the Wall Street Journal she suffers from chicken fatigue. “It’s big and trendy but not everyone does it right,” she said.