Updated
Updated · CNBC · Jun 15
KFC Pushes Boneless Chicken and 20-Plus Sauces to Reclaim U.S. Share
Updated
Updated · CNBC · Jun 15

KFC Pushes Boneless Chicken and 20-Plus Sauces to Reclaim U.S. Share

3 articles · Updated · CNBC · Jun 15

Summary

  • KFC’s new “next chapter” centers on a menu overhaul that shifts the chain toward boneless chicken, upgraded tenders, sauce-heavy “Dunked” items and new drinks under the Kwench sub-brand.
  • The push comes as KFC’s U.S. chicken quick-service share fell to 9.4% in 2024 from 16% in 2021, dropping the chain to fourth place behind Chick-fil-A, Popeyes and Raising Cane’s.
  • Nine new sauces and the revamped tenders start rolling out in the UK and Ireland this month, with Australia and the U.S. following later this summer and more markets added through the year.
  • More than 34,000 KFC locations worldwide give Yum a broad platform for the strategy, even as the company leans on stronger international performance—KFC posted 2% same-store sales growth in its latest quarter.
  • The menu reset is paired with a wider rebrand: new logos and bucket imagery, plus an open-concept Texas store this summer and a two-story immersive Dubai site in September.

Insights

Can a legacy brand like KFC successfully build an immersive 'Bucketverse' to capture a new generation?
Will KFC's shift from fast food to 'fast experience' be enough to win the modern chicken wars?