The new chicken wars are here, and they're bigger than Popeyes vs. Chick-fil-A

"When Raising Cane's recently opened its first-ever location in Meridian, Idaho, it wasn't a particularly remarkable event for the restaurant chain. The fast-growing chicken purveyor also opened six other restaurants in five other states on the exact same day in November. It aims to open close to 100 new stores this year."

"At a time when restaurant chains including Chipotle, Cava, and Sweetgreen are confronting a sales cooldown as Gen Z and millennial diners are pressured by inflation, high housing costs, flat income growth, and other broader macroeconomic challenges, chicken-focused restaurant chains like Raising Cane's and Dave's Hot Chicken have been consistently expanding across the U.S. and are posting sturdier sales and traffic growth."

"The fastest-growing chain in America last year by unit count was Hangry Joe's Hot Chicken & Wings, according to data provider Datassential, which also reported the domestic unit total for all chicken restaurant concepts increased by 4.7% in 2024 from the prior year, far exceeding the industry's increase of 1.5%. Systemwide sales for chicken restaurants now exceed $52 billion annually."

""We had customers camping out since Sunday morning," AJ Kumaran, co-chief executive officer and chief operating officer of Raising Cane's, tells Fast Company of the new Idaho restaurant that opened on a Tuesday. "People are excited about our entry into that market.""

Raising Cane's opened its first Meridian, Idaho location while opening six other restaurants in five states on the same day and plans nearly 100 new stores this year. Some customers in Idaho camped outside in chilly weather for more than 48 hours to be among the first to try the narrow menu of chicken fingers, french fries, proprietary dipping sauce, garlic toast, and coleslaw. Broad macroeconomic pressures such as inflation, high housing costs, and flat income growth are cooling sales for some chains, while chicken-focused concepts continue unit growth and stronger traffic. Datassential data show chicken-concept unit totals rose 4.7% in 2024 and systemwide chicken sales exceed $52 billion, even as total quick-service traffic fell 1% for the year ending September 2025 while chicken concepts grew 3%.

Read at Fast Company