Church’s Chicken Competes with Other Established Fried Chicken Brands

Texas-inspired Atlanta-based chicken joint, Church’s Chicken, has introduced a new “Go Box” that allows for on-the-go meals everywhere. The company was built on the idea of convenience and accessibility for quality and value.

Now Church’s Chicken is shifting their goal to accommodate the consumer habits that have changed due to the novel coronavirus. Consumers are looking for more on-the-go off-premise dining and Church’s Chicken is reconnecting with their consumers by offering them a variety of dining options. The new “Go Box” provides a complete transport method when dining off-site.

“With the changes that have occurred this year, our guests have told us that they want to bring their favorite meals to share with more than one or two people…whoever their chosen families happen to be,” said Brian Gies, chief marketing officer for the brand, in a statement. “The social shift has changed our dining experiences, and the new ‘Go Box’ makes it easier to come together any time of day, any day of the week. Not only are our larger serving sizes and prices relevant for these shifting consumer needs, but our new ‘Go Box’ makes it easier for large meals to be taken home, or delivered right to your door for really any occasion.”

Church’s Chicken re-vamped their menu to promote family values and now offer a variety of meals that feed six or more people, across the country. The menu choices include mixed chicken, legs and thighs or tenders, plus a choice of home-style sides and their signature Honey-Butter Biscuits.

The first “Go Boxes” will feature the retro Church’s character, Churchie, as a tribute to the brand’s “Fried Chicken To Go” slogan, dating back to the 1950s. Customers can order the box in store, in the drive-thru, get take-out and take advantage of third-party local delivery services, as well as use their online order ahead service.

“Being able to still safely come together matters a lot these days – we can provide a solution for that to make it easier,” said Gies. “Church’s new ‘Go Box’ means you can enjoy time with the people that matter most to you while having all of your down-home favorites right at your fingertips.”

Church’s Chicken is in direct competition with companies such as KFC, Chick-fil-a, and Popeyes. All of these fast food chains serve traditional American-style fried chicken and home-style sides to accompany their flavors. Church’s Chicken attracted major traffic in the last five years when they started using the slogan, “Bringin’ That Down Home Flavor,” giving them a large turn-around. The momentum started in 2016, when the company established a three-year strategic plan; this included more engagement, correcting declining traffic, launching the Church’s to Go platform and growing internationally.

“We’ve been working hard with the entire Church’s community to make sure they know this strategic plan wasn’t Joe’s plan or corporate’s plan, but it was our overall plan as an entire company to improve traffic and profitability,” Joe Christina, CEO of Church’s Chicken said in a statement in 2019. “When we all got on the same page, we had our first year of positive traffic in five years and net new unit growth.”

Additionally, due to high competition, Church’s Chicken made some changes to their prices in order to compete in the market. Church’s Bourbon Black Pepper Smokehouse Chicken, sold at the $5 price point, is a good example of how the brand is able to better balance their promotions.

According to Statista, 22.92 percent of Church’s Chicken’s consumers are in the 30-49-year-old bracket, 17.28 percent are in the 18- 29-year-old bracket and 8.13 percent in the 50-64-year-old bracket, in 2018.

In 2019, QSR Magazine stated that their Church’s had more that 1,500 locations in 25 countries and system-wide sales of more than $1 billion. “We’re very pleased with 2019 so far, but we are energized to finish this year strong and make 2020 even bigger. We’re continuing to deliver on our vision to become the global franchisor of choice by igniting growth, developing winning teams, driving guest satisfaction, and delivering financial results,” said Christina.