The fried chicken market has exploded in the past two years, with heavily backed newcomers such as Popeyes, Dave’s and Wingstop appearing on high streets across the country.
For this month’s Our Verdict feature, our team of testers tried the 11 biggest movers in the market to see if any of them could give KFC a run for its money – find the results here.
Here we look at what’s behind the trend and asking whether KFC’s place as the dominant market force is under threat.
It might sound like a silly question, given the numbers clearly show it remains the UK behemoth, with 1,040 branches, a finger-licking turnover of £280.2m in 2024 and a plan, confirmed to Money, to open 500 more shops in the next decade.
The company says its UK market share is 65% – but in the US, it is now behind Chick-fil-A, Popeyes and Raising Cane’s for sales. All three have ambitious UK plans – and they’re not alone.
What’s behind the explosion?
“Fast-food in the UK is undergoing a significant transformation, with chicken shops leading a rapid expansion in store numbers, a phenomenon that can be seen in high streets across the country,” say food industry analysts Meaningful Vision.
“Our data reveals a tale of extraordinary growth, fierce competition.”
In 2024, chicken shop growth outpaced all other fast-food segments by nearly 12%, with London accounting for 21% of openings, the West Midlands 11% and the North West 12%.
Industry insiders told Money the growth was driven by younger people, with market analysis showing Gen Zers visit fried chicken restaurants more than twice as often as the UK average.
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Protein, late night snacks and TikTok
A number of other ingredients are in the mix – one of which is consumer demand for protein-rich options.
Last year we reported on Domino’s expanding into fried chicken as consumer habits change.
The company announced it was rolling out its Chick ‘N’ Dip brand to 187 of its 1,400 branches in the UK and Ireland.
“We recognise that people’s diets are slightly changing,” said chief executive Andrew Rennie. “When you look… globally, chicken is the fastest-growing protein. So [it] seemed pretty obvious to me.”
Across the high street, McDonald’s is also paying close attention.
Thomas O’Neill, the company’s head of menu, said last year: “Chicken is a huge area of focus for us. A lot of our customers are looking for more options, more things to excite them, so we’ll be doing a lot more with chicken.
“We’ve done a few different versions of the McCrispy and we’re also looking at sauce, because when it comes to chicken, sauce is critical.”
Meaningful Vision chief executive Maria Vanifatova says chicken being a healthy and affordable option resonates strongly with consumers, especially those struggling with economic pressures.
Other factors seem to be creating new market opportunities.
In its latest trading update, KFC reported 44% sales growth in orders after 11pm.
“Late night snacking continues to be a growth opportunity,” the company told Money.
Innovative marketing has helped some of KFC’s rivals exploit the public’s increased appetite for fried chicken – and their strategies have provided a template for how any new restaurant can create a buzz in 2026.
US import Dave’s has opened five UK branches in the past two years. Jim Bitticks, its president, previously admitted social media had been a “fundamental part of our business”.
In 2017, co-founder Armen Oganesyan started posting about the fledgling restaurant. He’d tag local foodies with a plea to come have a try. Farley Elliott of Eater LA took the bait and his enthusiastic write-up prompted queues around the block. The business never looked back.
While Bitticks says Instagram was the company’s “first love”, in recent years TikTok has felt like a natural home – and helped it attract the Gen Zers who are driving its market growth.
The strategy has been to post unpolished content of customers enjoying its food, rather than in-house content.
It didn’t just work in LA, as anyone who has visited (and queued to get into) the Shaftesbury Avenue branch in central London can attest.
Other chains have benefited from celebrity endorsements. Popeyes boasts about having catered for Jay Z and Beyonce’s wedding in 2008, while London’s community-focused Morley’s counts Krept and Konan, KSI, Jesse Lingard, Mo the Comedian and Bella Hadid among its fans.
Such endorsements show fried chicken is reaching beyond business, becoming a sub-culture of its own. Just look at the popularity of social media shows such as The Pengest Munch, Chicken Shop Dates and Hot Ones.
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The new contenders
Popeyes, a subsidiary of Burger King’s owner that is backed by private equity, has grown to more than 110 UK locations since 2021. It added 50 last year alone and told Sky News that it planned to do the same in 2026 – roughly matching KFC’s new-branch rate.
In a different corner of the sector is Wingstop, whose investors include Vanguard and BlackRock. It has grown to 86 locations in the UK and Ireland since 2018 and is targeting 200 within the next five years.
As the name suggests, its menu is centred around wings rather than fried chicken, and its business model is focused on the younger diners we referenced above.
“From collaborations with up-and-coming DJs, partnerships with grassroot sports teams and campaigns with iconic fashion brands, Wingstop UKI differentiates itself from competitors by tapping into youth culture,” it told the Money blog.
Then there’s…
What about the home-grown contenders?
KFC has always had rivals.
While the US newcomers have entered the market in high footfall areas such as town centres and shopping centres, established British players such as Morley’s, Sam’s, Dixy, Miss Millie’s, Favorite and Chicken Cottage have been quietly expanding in neighbourhoods across the country.
Favorite, with a large concentration of its 80 stores in London, was founded in 1986. It attributes the market growth to the fact that “customers are more value-aware than they were a few years ago”.
But while the US imports have not been shy about sharing their ambitions, Favorite told Money it didn’t share store targets but was aiming for “sustainable growth”.
Eighty-branch Chicken Cottage, with shops predominantly in London but also cities such as Manchester, Cambridge and Canterbury, used similar language.
“While we do have ambitions to grow our footprint, our priority is ensuring consistency, quality and long-term success for both our customers and franchise partners,” it said.
Morley’s is another London-born chain that is spreading around the country, with recent openings in Nottingham, Portsmouth and Woking taking its branch tally to more than 130.
Again, its ambitions seem more modest than 50 new branches a year…
“Morley’s has never been about scale, it’s about belonging and we are very much grounded in community. When we open new shops, it’s because the brand already lives there through word of mouth, memories and shared experiences, or a desire to be a part of the culture that has grown organically through natural love for the brand.”
A lot of ‘big claims’: Is KFC worried?
So to the headline of this feature: does KFC have something to worry about? We put the question directly to them.
It pointed to 9% growth in its UK and Ireland branches in the third quarter of last year.
Rob Swain, general manager from UK and Ireland, said: “There’s a lot of attention on fried chicken right now – new brands, new formats and big claims.
“But for KFC the growth in fried chicken isn’t a new trend. Over the past 60 years, we’ve witnessed first-hand Britain falling in love with chicken, and we’ve been shaping the market every step of the way.”
Worried, it seems, might be a stretch – but the company’s actions, rather than its words, suggest there’s an acceptance it has to adapt.
Its marketing team has unleashed bold advertising, from a zombie film pastiche to the folk horror-style All Hail Gravy.
The imminent launch of a drinks offering called Kwench (designed to appeal to Gen Z, with hand-crafted shakes and iced coffees) and brand-new products such as rice bowls (which market newcomer Jollibee also serves) suggest executives are responding.
What next?
The UK’s increased appetite for fried chicken shows no sign of waning.
According to IGD, group-owned chicken shops will enjoy 8% growth by 2027.
Retail and consumer expert Kate Hardcastle told industry magazine The Grocer that, down the line, survival would depend on restaurants being able to differentiate themselves.
“Over-clustered high streets will correct,” she said. “Brands with weak operations or copy-paste menus will feel it first, and the winner will balance pace with discipline – smart leases, tight unit economics and consistent quality.
“You can win on flavour (heat, profiles, sauces, proper brining), format (wings vs tenders vs sandwiches), dietary/halal assurance, speed, late-night access – and on delivery that arrives crisp, not soggy.”
