Chick-Fil-A and Popeyes are among the country’s major fried fast-food chicken restaurants. Though each has a dedicated custom, they wish to expand and stand in direct competition with each other.
But how do these two fast-food restaurant companies compare? Which is bigger, has better or more affordable food? To find out the answers to these, read on!
How Do Chick-Fil-A And Popeyes Compare In [currentyear]?
Chick-Fil-A and Popeyes are comparable in many ways in [currentyear]. Both are fried chicken fast-food restaurants with roughly the same number of stores and focus on their franchises to drive growth and make money. However, Chick-Fil-A makes more money than Popeyes despite pricing its products higher. Chick-Fil-A is founded on conservative religious principles while Popeyes isn’t.
Stay with me to learn what sets Chick-Fil-A and Popeyes apart regarding their product offering, pricing, distribution of locations, and much more!
How Do Chick-Fil-A And Popeyes Compare On Location Distribution?
Chick-Fil-A and Popeyes began humbly out of single locations to become the behemoths of the fast-food sector they are today.
As per the latest count, each restaurant had precisely 2,796 restaurants spread out in at least 49 states.
That said, Texas has the most significant number of restaurants for both Chick-Fil-A (454) and Popeyes (394).
Also, the state hosting the company’s headquarters has the second-largest number of locations for both restaurants.
For example, Georgia has 252 locations for Chick-Fil-A, while Florida has 206 locations. However, Popeyes was initially headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, before relocating to Miami.
Overall, these two companies are evenly matched in their restaurants’ number and distribution, so they must look elsewhere to gain an edge over the other.
Which Is Cheaper; Chick-Fil-A Or Popeyes?
The best way to get a sense of price parity is to compare the prices of a similar offering from both restaurants.
For example, both restaurants offer a chicken sandwich of an almost similar build; each features a fried chicken breast and two pickles between two buns.
But, the Popeyes fried chicken sandwich costs $3.99, while the Chick-Fil-A chicken sandwich costs $4.29, about $1.30 more.
In another respect, the prices even out.With that,Chick-Fil-A sells the spicy chicken sandwich combo at $6.55, while Popeyes sells a similar product at $7.69.
Additionally, the classic chicken sandwich combo at Popeyes goes for $7.69, while at Chick-Fil-A (original fried chicken sandwich), it goes for $5.95.
Moreover, the four-piece kid’s meals nuggets go for $ 3.35 at Chick-Fil-A and $ 3.39 at Popeyes.
Lastly, both restaurants offer different sides to their combo meals which may account for the disparity in prices.
How Do The Menus At Chick-Fil-A And Popeyes Compare?
Chick-Fil-A established its reputation with the original fried chicken sandwich and considered itself the home of the delicacy.
On the other hand, Popeyes started out selling fried chicken and later tried frying its chicken in the Southern style, and it reverted to the spicy Louisiana style.
Also, both restaurants’ menus offer items that cater to breakfast and lunch and desserts, salads, sauces, and beverages, including kid’s meals.
However, Chick-Fil-A offers only boneless chicken, but Popeyes offers chicken on the bone and seafood.
Further, Chick-Fil-A’s sides consist of waffle potato fries and baked potatoes. In comparison, Popeyes’s side consists of Cajun fries and a biscuit.
Overall, Popeyes has the better menu selection of the two restaurants.
Who Offers Better Quality Food Between Chick-Fil-A And Popeyes?
For competitors as evenly matched as these two in terms of the popularity of the food they offer, any judgment of the food quality is no more than subjective.
Still, in a head-to-head battle between Chick-Fil-A’s original sandwich and Popeyes fried chicken sandwich, Chick-Fil-A’s sandwich lost out, as judged by experts from Syracuse University.
Also, though the results indicate taste preference by educated palates, it is no reliable indicator of quality superiority.
Moreover, the restaurants are matched in the quality of their food, as none has a product so horrible or excellent that it stands out.
Which Is More Profitable Between Chick-Fil-A And Popeyes?
Chick-Fil-A wins this battle, hands down, as it is the most profitable fast-food restaurant, with over $10 billion in yearly revenue.
On average, a Chick-Fil-A restaurant makes more than any other single fast-food franchise outlet at $4 million a year.
Since it was established, Chick-Fil-A has been consistently experiencing growth and is projected to hit the $30 billion mark.
Still, Popeyes comes in third in profitability, behind Chick-Fil-A and KFC. However, the restaurant has been gaining ground at the expense of its major competitors.
Also, Popeyes has established itself as a viable alternative to Chick-Fil-A’s original fried chicken sandwich with its own better-tasting fried chicken sandwich.
However, Chick-Fil-A may be way ahead on this score, but Popeyes is making the right moves.
Is There A Difference Between Chick-Fil-A And Popeyes’ Target Market?
Popeyes’ target customer is between 25 and 49 years old and tech-savvy. As such, it is an exacting crowd.
Further, it keeps in touch with its social associates digitally., which is a double-edged sword. An incidence of displeasure could be viral in a very short time.
On the flip side, once an advert catches on, this crowd can give it a life of its own, resulting in millions of dollars worth of free advertising.
That said, the best illustration of this was in the chicken sandwich wars, where Popeyes retweeted one of Chick-Fil-A’s tweets that garnered so much publicity that it drove wild sales for Popeyes chicken sandwich.
In contrast, Chick-Fil-A’s target is much older, prosperous, more settled, and conservative.
In a dynamic, insidiously digital world, Chick-Fil-A seems decidedly at a disadvantage in its customer choice.
The US’s chicken fast-food market segment is an estimated $40.6 billion a year, with an annual growth of 4.5%. Over the past five years, the sector has grown 4.8%.
Moreover, Chick-Fil-A has the lion’s share of this market at 45% of the chicken sandwich segment, while Popeyes has 17%.
Before the launch of its chicken sandwich, Popeyes only had $1.6 billion worth of the market, but the share shot to $1.8 billion after that.
In fact, for a brief moment, Popeyes was able to assail Chick-Fil-A’s incredible lead. However, Chick-Fil-A has since clawed back that lead and held on to it.
As noted, Chick-Fil-A holds onto its lead for the moment, but in a crowded and competitive world, Popeyes is gaining ground.
What Is The Difference In How Chick-Fil-A And Popeyes Are Owned?
Popeyes was founded by Al Copeland and passed through various owners, also owning other businesses.
But, most of those ventures were disastrous and nearly brought it to its knees, and the company is now a subsidiary of Restaurant Brands International.
On the other hand, Chick-Fil-A has been family-owned since it was established, and the stability, unity, and continuity of purpose have helped it survive and thrive.
Still, only time will tell how these two modes of ownership will affect the companies in the future.
To learn more, you can also read our posts on Chick-Fil-A SWOT analysis, is Chick-Fil-A publicly traded, and why is Chick-Fil-A so expensive.
Conclusion
Popeyes and Chick-Fil-A are evenly matched in most aspects, but Chick-Fil-A leads in the market segment and profitability.
Still, Popeyes has shown the intention of fighting for a larger market share, and some of its efforts have paid off.
