For the past several years, the growth story in the restaurant industry has been written by chicken chains.
That story continued in 2025, as sales at such chains grew by 5.3% versus the overall industry, which was up 3%, according to Technomic’s newly released Top 500 Restaurant Chains report. By comparison, the burger category grew sales by just 1.5%, while pizza finished the year at -0.3% year-over-year.
Still, chicken has started to show signs of significant deceleration; in 2024, chicken chain sales grew 9.1%, for instance, which was its first year of single-digit growth after five straight years of double-digit growth, including 2023, when the category was up more than 12%. In other words, the category has experienced a nearly 7% sales slowdown in just two years.
Last year, the category was especially impacted by slowing momentum for the biggest players. Chick-fil-A’s sales grew 5.2% year-over-year, compared to 5.4% in 2024, for instance.
Meanwhile, Popeyes’ sales fell 0.5% in 2025, versus 3.9% growth in 2024. KFC had a tough 2025, with sales down 4.6%, while in 2024, its sales were down 5.2%. And Wingstop, the only other chicken chain in the top 25, grew sales 11% in 2025, versus 36.8% in 2024. Notably, however, Wingstop added a net 382 restaurants last year, increasing its unit count by 17% to 2,586.
Not only have sales slowed among the top chains, but the category has also become quite crowded, with more players jumping in and growing aggressively. The total number of chicken chain locations has surged by 46% over the last decade, reflecting a net increase of nearly 6,200 units — a market response to a clear demand for the protein. Consider that chicken surpassed pork availability in the United States in 1996 and beef in 2010, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. As such, the share of chicken consumption away from home has increased by nearly 50% in the past 20 years.
The increasing saturation could, at least in part, explain some of the sales deceleration among the bigger chains, which could be skewing the entire category. As chicken chain sales have slowed from 12.9% in 2023 to 9.1% in 2024 and 5.3% in 2025, chicken chain units have grown 3.6%, 4.7% and 5%, respectively.
Another potential factor in the category’s slowdown could be the bevy of non-chicken chains chasing the coveted chicken consumer. Several burger players, including McDonald’s and Wendy’s, have added chicken wraps in the past year, for example, while Culver’s and Chili’s both recently upgraded their chicken sandwich lineups. Taco Bell has been pushing aggressively into the crispy chicken category for the past two years with new nuggets, tacos and burritos.
Standout performers
Despite some slowing at the top, there are plenty of chicken chains that continue to grow both sales and units at a staggering pace. Dave’s Hot Chicken was the second fastest-growing chain in 2025 — behind 7 Brew Drive Thru Coffee — with a 51% increase in sales. Dave’s moved up 25 spots last year, to finish at No. 64.
Further, bb.q Chicken, a Seoul-based Korean fried chicken chain that entered the U.S. in 2014 grew by 25% year-over-year, and Florida-based chicken tenders concept Huey Magoo’s grew sales by 24%.
Angry Chickz, a California-based chain specializing in Nashville-style chicken tenders and sandwiches, debuted in Technomic’s Top 500 (No. 404) with a 49% year-over-year increase in sales and a 21% increase in total units to finish the year with 34 locations in four states.
Super Chix is also in the Top 500 for the first time (No. 415) with a 38% increase in sales and a 36% increase in unit count to end 2025 with 45 locations in 16 states.
Also, though Raising Cane’s sales pace decelerated from its remarkable 32% increase in 2024, the chicken tenders chain continued to generate a double-digit jump last year, up 10.6% in sales and 10.3% in unit growth to finish with $5.48 billion and 913 locations. To understand Raising Cane’s remarkable growth trajectory, consider that it is now the 16th largest chain by sales, jumping two spots from 2024 and 30 spots from 2018, when it had $1.18 billion in sales and 400 locations. Founder Todd Graves has publicly stated that the goal is to become a top 10 restaurant brand in the U.S.
There are 30 chicken chains listed in Technomic’s top 500, 11 of which grew sales by double digits. Including Popeyes and KFC, just seven chains lost sales last year. In other words, chicken continues to write the industry’s growth story, but it’s now sharing the pen more than ever, alongside the coffee café and beverage/snack categories.
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