Worcester Business Journal

8 Worcester Business Journal | July 28, 2025 | wbjournal.com Restaurateurs seek to cash in on the high-margin, easy-to-make food craze beloved by customers What's with all the new fried chicken restaurants? BY ERIC CASEY WBJ Managing Editor Y ou don't have to be a restau- rant trend expert to have noticed the rapid increase in fried chicken-focused restaurants in Worcester and elsewhere in Central Massachusetts. e explosion of establishments focused on fried chicken is hardly a phe- nomenon limited to the region, as 2,800 fast-food and fast-casual restaurants fo- cused on chicken opened between 2019 and 2024, while 1,200 burger-focused restaurants closed their doors during the same time period, according to a May article from e Atlantic, citing restau- rant industry analysis firm Circana. e fried-chicken trend first became a topic of popular discussion in 2019, the year Miami-based Popeyes Louisi- ana Kitchen debuted its fried chicken sandwich. While fast-food giants add and subtract items to their menus all the time with little fanfare, Popeyes' sand- wich unexpectedly exploded in pop- ularity. e chain sold more than 203 million in the first year it offered them, according to a Popeyes press release at the time. Popeyes' sandwich success coincided with the rapid growth of Georgia-based Chick-fil-A, which added about 1,000 stores between 2010 and 2020, including its first in Massachusetts. Chick-fil-a grew its sales per unit by 62% between 2018 and 2023, according to stats from Chicago-based Aaron Allen & Associates, a global restaurant strategy firm. Neither brand had a standalone Central Massachusetts location in 2010. Flash forward to 2025, Popeyes has locations in Worcester and Leomin- ster, while Chick-fil-A has restaurants in Worcester, Framingham, Hudson, Marlborough, and Westborough and is planning a second Worcester restaurant. But the fried chicken craze hasn't just been limited to long-tenured fast-food brands, as establishments big and small have sought to cash in on the phenom- enon. Newer chains like Dave's Hot Chicken (Framingham and Worcester) and Ko- rea-based bb.q Chicken (Shrewsbury) have opened locations in Central Mas- sachusetts, while independent restaura- teurs like the owners of Worcester-based NU Kitchen are also looking to earn their share of the fried chicken market with NU Chicken, an eatery planning to open on Worcester's Park Avenue in late July. "It's the main focus," said Joshua Van Dyke, co-owner of NU Kitchen. "We're really excited to get open and get some feedback. is would be a fun one to scale and grow as well, but we'll start with Worcester as the home base and the first NU Chicken location, and we'll see if there's more in the future." Both Dave's and NU Chicken have cited Worcester's large college-age demographic as a key factor in the market's appeal. e fried chicken renaissance largely comes down to both high consumer interest and relative ease of production, with fried chicken recipes originating in Tennessee and South Korea playing a key role in keeping the momentum going. "e trend also fits squarely with- in fast casual's sweet spot: indulgent enough to feel like a treat, affordable enough for repeat visits," Aaron Allen, founder and CEO of Aaron Allen & Associates, wrote in an email to WBJ. Trendy chicken More people are turning to chicken in general as a dinner staple; Americans consumed 102.6 pounds of chicken per capita in 2024, up 21% from 2004 and gaining ground on red meat, which had a per-capita consumption of 110.4 pounds in 2024, according to stats from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. With younger generations in particu- lar, consumers have no problem having chicken as a main course almost every night of the week, said Al Graziano, the franchisee behind Dave's Hot Chicken locations in Framingham and Worces- ter. "I have some college students in Worcester who order from us five times a week," Graziano said. e frequency of visits from custom- ers makes chicken–focused franchises like Dave's stand out, said Graziano, who is a former franchisee with Jersey Mike's Subs. "We look at frequency in terms of food categories," he said. "Chicken is one, particularly among young adults from 18 to 25, where customers have no problem eating it two, three, or even four times a week. Whereas other categories, the frequency might not be as high." Fried chicken's broad appeal and restaurants' ability to customize it with a variety of seasonings and sauces make it a hit with customers, said Allen. "Fried chicken's appeal cuts across de- mographics – kids to Millennials, urban to suburban, carnivore to flexitarian," Allen wrote. From a business perspective, fried chicken works well for profit margins because its simple core ingredients allow for operational efficiency, with modern, easy-to-run fryers allowing for high throughput. "Operators love it because the margins are juicy, the supply chains are mature, and the prep can be scaled from food trucks, to fast casual, to fine dining," Allen wrote. PHOTO | COURTESY OF NU KITCHEN Hoping to capitalize on the Nashville hot chicken trend, the owners of NU Kitchen in Worcester are getting into the fried chicken business with a healthier version coming as part of the planned opening of NU Chicken on Worcester's Park Avenue.

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