KFC has over 25,000 locations globally and made $5.65 billion in 2020 throughout 145 countries. But did you know several restaurants are competitors to KFC?
I’ll tell you all about the KFC competitors and how they stack up against one of the most well-known chicken restaurants in the world!
KFC Competitors In [currentyear]
The top KFC competitors include Chick-fil-A, McDonald’s, Popeyes, Wendy’s, Raising Cane’s, and Church’s Chicken as of [currentyear]. KFC also sees competition from pizza chains such as Domino’s, Pizza Hut, and Papa John’s since pizza is the most common fast-food item. Additionally, Chipotle and Taco Bell compete with KFC for the fast-food consumer and often have much lower prices.
Do you want to know what other restaurants compete with KFC and what they specialize in or how many locations they have? Read below to find out all that and much more!
1. Chick-fil-A
Chick-fil-A has 2,769 locations throughout the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada. Also, it’s the biggest competitor to KFC since it’s all about chicken.
That said, Chick-fil-A has high customer service ratings, is known for quality and healthy food, and made .3 billion in revenue in 2020.
2. McDonald’s
McDonald’s has 39,000 locations worldwide in over 120 countries, making it one of the most popular fast-food restaurants and top KFC competitors.
Additionally, McDonald’s is the second-largest purchaser of chicken behind KFC. Further, McDonald’s uses chicken for popular menu items like chicken nuggets and chicken sandwiches.
Also, McDonald’s revenue in 2020 was reported as $19.21 billion, making it one of the top restaurants regarding annual revenue.
3. Popeyes
Popeyes is one of the most famous chicken restaurants in the world, and it features chicken meals as well as tenders, nuggets, and chicken sandwiches.
A top competitor to KFC, you can find Popeyes in 30 countries with a total of 3,400 locations worldwide. Further, its success showed with 2020 systemwide sales reaching $5.143 billion.
4. Wendy’s
Wendy’s is a household name known for cheeseburgers and hamburgers. But, Wendy’s also has chicken tenders and chicken sandwiches.
Furthermore, Wendy’s is available in 29 different countries and has 6,500 locations, with 2020 revenue topping “.73 billion for 2020, making it a top competitor to KFC.
5. Jack in the Box
Jack in the Box has more than 2,200 locations throughout the United States and competes with KFC for the fast-food customer base.
Further, you can find a lot of unique hamburgers and cheeseburgers at Jack in the Box, as it’s known for decent burgers at reasonable prices.
On top of that, Jack in the Box is incredibly popular, especially in states like California, helping it earn $1.02 billion in 2020.
6. Raising Cane’s
Raising Cane’s offers pretty good chicken, and it’s a competitor to KFC when it comes to chicken and fast-food customers.
With that, you can find Raising Cane’s in 23 different states, but it also has locations in countries such as Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, and Kuwait.
Furthermore, Raising Cane’s has 360 locations and earned $1.5 billion in revenue in 2020.
7. Bojangles’ Famous Chicken’ n Biscuits
As the name suggests, Bojangles’ is all about chicken and biscuits, and it’s one of the more popular chicken fast-food restaurants in America.
In addition to that, it competes with KFC in the chicken market and has a loyal customer base because it makes its fresh chicken and biscuits from scratch!
Currently, there are 787 locations nationwide, and it last reported systemwide sales of $1.3 billion.
8. Church’s Chicken
With 860 locations throughout the United States and 1,500 locations worldwide, Church’s Chicken is a top competitor to KFC.
Furthermore, Church’s Chicken is known for excellent chicken, customer service, and food that’s served hot.
Also, the last reported revenue for Church’s Chicken showed it earned $1.2 billion, making it one of the biggest chicken fast-food chains in the world.
9. Burger King
Burger King is an iconic burger chain that you can find worldwide, and it competes with KFC in the chicken market and for the fast-food customer.
Additionally, Burger King has several different chicken sandwiches available, offers nuggets, burgers, fries, and so much more!
With that, Burger King made “.6 billion in revenue for 2020 from its 18,000 locations throughout 100 countries.
10. Subway
Subway used to be the biggest fast-food restaurant in terms of locations, but it’s dropped in recent years to only 37,540 locations worldwide.
That said, you can find delicious sub sandwiches at Subway, including some featuring chicken. Therefore, it’s a competitor to KFC in the fast-food market.
On top of that, you can find Subway in over 100 countries, and domestic sales topped $8.3 billion in 2020.
11. Dunkin’ Donuts
Dunkin’ Donuts is a competitor to KFC when it comes to coffee, desserts, and the fast-food consumer as a whole.
That said, Dunkin’ Donuts has 11,300 locations throughout 36 countries, helping it post $287.4 million in revenue for 2020.
12. Starbucks
Starbucks competes with KFC in the fast-food market, even though Starbucks primarily serves coffee and dessert items. Still, it does have a few breakfast sandwiches to offer.
Further, Starbucks is huge worldwide, has a loyal customer base, and has 32,943 locations with revenue in 2020 of $23.5 billion.
13. Pizza Hut
Pizza is one of the most popular fast-food items in the world.
Therefore, Pizza Hut is a competitor to KFC in the fast-food market since it’s in 110 countries and has 17,600 locations worldwide.
Also, not only does Pizza Hut serve pizza, but it serves chicken wings, dessert items, drinks, pasta dishes, and much more!
So, if you’re a fan of chicken wings specifically, Pizza Hut offers both bone-in and boneless chicken wings with several different sauces.
Furthermore, in 2020 Pizza Hut earned $11.955 billion in revenue, making it one of the most successful pizza chains in the world.
14. Domino’s
Domino’s is also a very popular pizza chain known for quality pizza, although prices can be a little high compared to KFC and other fast-food restaurants.
On top of that, you can get items like chicken wings, subs, desserts, and many other items at Domino’s Pizza.
Currently, Domino’s is available in 90 countries with a total of 18,300 locations, helping it generate .12 billion in revenue for 2020.
15. Tim Hortons
Tim Hortons is one of the most famous restaurants in Canada but has more than just coffee and drinks at its establishments, making it a competitor to KFC.
Furthermore, Tim Hortons offers soup, sandwiches, desserts, wraps, bagels, and many other quick on-the-go food items.
So, with over 5,000 locations throughout Canada, the United States, and 14 other countries, it’s not a surprise that revenue topped $5.488 billion in 2020.
16. Taco Bell
Taco Bell is known for creating hundreds of menu items based on a limited list of ingredients, and it’s a competitor to KFC since it’s cheap and quick fast food.
If you’re on a budget, Taco Bell allows you to get the most bang for your buck. Also, it offers such variety and quirky items on its menu that it’s great for people of all ages!
Additionally, Taco Bell has more than 6,000 locations throughout 26 countries, with “.03 billion in revenue reported during 2020.
17. Chipotle
Chipotle is one of the healthier fast-food options, and it’s a competitor to KFC since it serves not only chicken but also burritos, taco bowls, and several other Mexican dishes.
Furthermore, what’s great about Chipotle is that you can get any ingredients you want since the restaurant offers a vast selection of toppings and additions to your food, including vegetables.
Currently, there are 2,768 Chipotle locations in the United States and 33 stores internationally to serve customers abroad.
In terms of revenue, Chipotle reported $6 billion in revenue for 2020.
18. Pizza Express
Pizza Express has pizza, pasta, salad, and desserts, and it’s one of the competitors to KFC, especially in the international market.
Also, while it’s based in the United Kingdom with more than 470 restaurants, it has over 100 locations in Hong Kong, Europe, India, and Indonesia.
On top of that, it’s beginning to expand into the United States with over 200 locations. That said, it has become a great place to go for quality pizza and Italian food.
19. Papa John’s Pizza
Papa John’s Pizza is a famous pizza restaurant that competes with KFC for the fast-food customer. In addition to pizza, it offers chicken wings, pizza, bread, and other items.
Additionally, Papa John’s Pizza is reasonably priced, so it’s a cheaper option than KFC.
Further, Papa John’s has over 5,400 locations throughout 50 countries, with revenue exceeding “.81 billion in 2020.
20. Red Rooster
You can find Red Rooster in Australia, and it’s a fast-food restaurant focused on fried chicken, chicken burgers, and roasted chicken, making it a huge competitor to KFC.
On top of that, Red Rooster is known for quality chicken, and it’s unlike the chicken you can get at places like KFC, with most people agreeing it’s more delicious.
Currently, there are 333 locations throughout Australia, and it’s now the largest roasted chicken operator in the country.
21. Hungry Jack’s
Hungry Jack’s is the Australian version of Burger King. That said, it’s one of the most popular fast-food restaurants in Australia, making it a top competitor to KFC in that country.
Further, while Hungry Jack’s is a franchise of Burger King, you’ll find more interesting products on the menu, and it’s not quite the same as the American version of Burger King.
So, with 440 stores and revenue of more than $1.5 billion, Hungry Jack’s is known for quick fast food such as Spicy Jack’s Fried Chicken and the Whopper & Beef burger.
22. Mos Burger
Mos Burger is a Japanese burger chain known for unique and quality burgers, making it a competitor to KFC in Japan and several other countries.
Therefore, if you’re into burgers but want something authentic and higher quality than what you’d get at a Burger King, Mos Burger is a place to check out.
Additionally, Mos Burger has 1,700 locations across Japan, Oceania, Asia, and The Pacific region.
That said, it’s quickly becoming a go-to restaurant for burgers you won’t find anywhere else!
23. Zaxby’s
Zaxby’s is known for chicken sandwiches, chicken wings, chicken fingers, salads, and other sandwiches, making it a top competitor to KFC.
On top of that, Zaxby’s is known for having some amazing sauces that you can dip your chicken in. With that, the sauces are unique, such as Zax sauce, Tongue Torch, and Spicy Zax sauce.
Currently, there are more than 900 locations within the United States, and 2020 sales exceeded $1.9 billion!
If you are looking to learn more, you can also see our posts on McDonald’s vs. KFC, what age does KFC hires, and if KFC chicken is real.
Conclusion
There are a lot of specialty chicken restaurants that compete with KFC, including Chick-fil-A, Raising Cane’s, Church’s Chicken, Bojangle’s, Zaxby’s, and Popeyes.
Further, these chicken restaurants are known for high-quality chicken and reasonable prices, with healthier options available to customers such as Chick-fil-A.
Also, burger chains including McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Mos Burger, Burger King, Hungry Jack’s, and Jack in the Box compete with KFC for customers in the fast-food sector.
However, pizza places provide stiff competition to KFC, and the biggest competitors to KFC in this market include Papa John’s, Pizza Hut, and Domino’s Pizza.
