Americans Ate 129 Million Fewer Grilled Chicken Sandwiches Last Year—Here's Why
Grilled chicken sandwiches were much less popular in 2014. Photo: Cameron Whitman/Stocksy
The total number of grilled chicken sandwiches sold across the United States nosedived in 2014 to 1.3 billion, a precipitous drop of nine percent from the previous year. What’s to blame? In a word: burgers.
Let’s back up a second: Data collected by market research firm NPD Group revealed that hamburgers were on the rise last year—9 billion were sold in 2014, three percent more than the year before—as demonstrated in the useful graphic by Nation’s Restaurant News below. NPD expert Warren Solochek told us this is likely because three major quick-service restaurants (McDonald’s, Burger King, and Wendy’s) “got very aggressive on promoting burgers” last year, even more than usual.
Burgers were popular with consumers in 2014. Photo: Ellie Baygulov/Stocksy
Their advertising was effective, Solochek said: “If you walk in [to a restaurant] and you see that burgers are being promoted, it’s more likely you’re going to get a burger than a [grilled] chicken sandwich.”
Granted, other factors may be in play. More casual dining restaurants put burgers on their menu in 2014, which Solochek said could have helped drive the trend. As beef prices sneak upward, more of these eateries have swapped out steak for burgers. It’s less expensive, but still appeals to the beef-eating crowd.
Hungry for a grilled chicken sandwich, a la McDonald’s? Photo: McDonald’s
Overall chicken sandwich sales dipped three percent, and Nation’s Restaurant News senior editor Bret Thorn wonders if the shift might also reflect a more informed public.
“[It] might also be due to improving nutritional knowledge on the part of consumers,” he told Yahoo Food in an email. “Chicken is often ordered by customers as a more healthful option, but if they’re ordering a sandwich of fried, breaded chicken, they’re probably actually eating a sandwich that’s higher in calories, fat and carbohydrates than a hamburger.” It’s possible, he continued, that health-minded consumers are switching over to non-sandwich items like salads or “bowls,” like Panera’s new “broth bowls.”
Still, it’s rather telling that a simple advertising decision by a few top fast food companies had such a drastic effect on grilled chicken sandwich sales. “What happens in quick-service restaurants is really going to drive the trends in the industry overall,” Solochek explained. “They account for 23 percent of all restaurant visits.”
Take a look at Nation’s Restaurant News’s fascinating infographic below:
