Times change, tastes change and unless iconic brands like KFC can figure out a way to adapt, they’re destined to fade into irrelevance, experts told The Food Institute.
Yum! Brands is hoping the success it has had at Taco Bell can rub off on KFC, which has fallen out of the top fried chicken brands and reported only a 1% increase in same-store sales in the fourth quarter, compared to 7% at Taco Bell. In 2024 KFC was one of the few fast-food brands that posted lower sales, and the decline continued into early 2025.
“Innovation has always been critical to the fast-food space, but in the age of social food discovery and audiences as hungry for trends as they are for something delicious, it’s more imperative than ever,” said Michael Chadwick, managing director of solutions at Cheil.
KFC Banks on Trend‑Driven Innovation
KFC rolled out its red-and-white buckets of chicken in 1957 under the Kentucky Fried Chicken banner and with the face of Colonel Harlan Sanders. More recently, however, consumers have been grabbing sandwiches and tenders rather than buckets and sides, and traffic has been on a downswing for several years.
The franchise has more than 30,000 locations in 96 countries.
“Inventive, limited-time menu offers give your target audience a reason to come to you over any other option – and a reason to order from you today, rather than putting it off to another day. And in the social battleground, a new product story is one of the best ways to stay on top of the feed – so when it’s time to eat, you’re top of mind,” Chadwick said.
Restaurant Dive reported Taco Bell has become a leader in limited-time offers, creating an urgency around its menu. KFC has tried to adopt a similar approach, bringing back spicy wings and potato wedges at customers’ urging and unveiling a $5 bowl touted as a value-oriented lunch.
“LTOs and innovation can be effective in giving heavy category users a new reason to buy. The best LTOs, however, don’t just drive traffic,” said Taylor Wiegert, executive VP and head of strategy at Curiosity. “They drive conversation and build mental availability.”
LTOs “reach light and heavy category users, competitive customers and existing, while having more potential to bring in new buyers,” Wiegert added.
Can Taco Bell-Line Innovation Jump Start KFC?
Much of Taco Bell’s success can be attributed to Yum!’s Collider Labs, which uses consumer data to analyze consumer tastes and figure out the next big thing. Yum! CEO Chris Turner said on a recent earnings call the company plans to crunch the data for KFC to “re-engineer the menu.”
Step one is installing the company’s Kwench beverage platform in about 3,000 stores. Next is tweaking chicken tenders for crispiness and portion size, as well as developing innovative sauces through its Saucy spinoff.
Wiegert cautioned, however, that “mastering” the core business is essential.
A recent Reddit discussion criticized KFC for the quality of its products, blaming U.S. government regulations as too lax and a perception that American diners will put up with just about anything.
A Food Republic ranking of 12 fried chicken chains put KFC at the bottom, finding the chicken “chewy, dry, and even stringy, with barely any breading — a far cry from the ‘finger-lickin’ good’ chicken the chain advertises.”
Food for Thought Leadership
In this episode, The Food Institute sits down with William Grand, founder and CEO of NutriFusion, to examine the growing health crisis tied to ultra-processed foods—and what it will take to fix it.
