KFC is America's favorite fried chicken, but ironically, it's not Kentucky's favorite, new data suggests.
The Louisville-based company was the top chicken brand in 14 states, according to research by TOP Data. But in KFC's home state, Bojangles was the most-visited fried chicken spot. There are only eight Bojangles restaurants in Kentucky, while KFC has 101 locations in the state.
Despite not topping any states in visits, Chick-fil-a has still seen an increase in spend of 23%, showing that ITS delivery service has proved popular during the pandemic, TOP Data noted. You can see the most popular fried chicken brand in each state in the infographic below.
For the report, TOP Data analyzed GPS tracking data and consumer spending data at the seven largest fried chicken restaurant chains. In addition to identifying the top brands in each state, the data agency also looked at how the fried chicken category has fared during Covid-19 in comparison to the fast food industry as a whole.
The fried chicken sector is only down 6% since the pandemic began, in comparison to the 23% reduction in the fast food industry. Burger and taco chains are down 15%, while pizza is down 21%, the report continued.
Notably, sales were only down 1% at KFC for the third quarter of 2020, according to an October earnings report. KFC is owned by Louisville-based Yum Brands Inc. (Nyse: YUM) and more than 23,000 restaurants in over 140 countries worldwide.