With chicken being one of the most popular main dishes on menus today, and fries being one of the most profitable sides, pairing them together is a partnership built for success.

Driven by the success of QSRs during the pandemic, several chicken items on menus have increased servings over the last year. Out of the top growing foods, 50% of those are chicken¹.

More and more restaurants are continuing to jump in and participate in “chicken wars” with hopes of having the best fried chicken sandwich. Due to the growing demand, fried chicken sandwiches have grown 44% on menus over the past 4 years². After all, 80% of consumers like or love fried chicken².

In addition to fried chicken sandwiches, other breaded and fried chicken items such as tenders, nuggets and boneless wings are either being highlighted on existing menus or added to menus they weren’t on before to align with this trend.

The rising popularity of chicken can’t be ignored, and you have the opportunity to take advantage of this craze. You also can get the most out of your chicken items and increase profits by pairing with one of your menu’s most popular sides - fries¹.

• Fries are the #1 food ordered with the top growing main dishes (50% being chicken)¹
• Fries are one of the most profitable items on your menu¹
• If your restaurant charges $2.00 for a side of fries, approximately $1.60 of that contributes to the overall margin⁴

It’s important for you to select the right type of fry when pairing with chicken items on their menu. Three out of the top four performing fries in Chicken QSR are crinkle cuts⁵. Also, with the overwhelming shift to takeout and delivery, you should consider offering a coated fry that holds up to delivery.

When it comes to chicken and fries, there is an opportunity for QSR and fast casual operators to take advantage of this trend to help boost their bottom line.

Learn more on how to take advantage of this chicken & fries power pairing here.

Content courtesy of Lamb Weston

¹ NPD Group/CREST YE July 2019

²Datassential MenuTrends

³ The NPD Group/CREST April-November 2020, % of item orders that included French fries/change vs last year/QSR

⁴Lamb Weston Proprietary Fry Profitability Study, Technomic, October 2018

⁵NPD Supply Track