KFC chases Millennials with new bowls
By Matthew Lyle • April 8, 2015
KFC has a Millennial plan: fewer buckets and more bowls.
The chicken chain on Monday rolled out two new bowls — each with zingy flavors and some fresh ingredients — aimed at attracting younger customers in search of new tastes and relief from the escalating price tags at many fast-food restaurants.
The new chicken and rice bowls: Sweet ‘n Spicy BBQ and Zesty Tex-Mex. Both bowls, which also come with a medium drink and a cookie, are additions to KFC’s popular $5 Fill Up platform. They are limited-time items initially available through May 24.
“We want Millennials to know that we’re not just buckets of chicken,” says Ariel Olivo, marketing brand manager at KFC. Millennials, in particular, she notes are looking for spicy flavors. “We want to make KFC relevant for them.”
Bowls have emerged as one of fast food’s hottest concepts in recent years. Chipotle helped to bring bowls to the fast-food forefront, and Taco Bell joined in with its own version. Bowls tend to combine unusual tastes, fresher ingredients and are typically portable — all key to younger consumers.
“Bowls are growing in popularity as trendy concepts,” says Sam Oches, editor of QSR magazine. Bowls tend to pack several ingredients and flavors into one meal — and they are often healthier than many other fast-food options, he says.
For KFC, it’s all about trying to move well beyond its long-held image as a seller of little besides buckets of fried chicken. A new generation of consumers is demanding smaller, portable meals made with healthier and fresher ingredients.
The Sweet n’ Spicy BBQ Bowl comes with hand-pulled honey barbecue chicken, three-cheese blend, chopped green onions, white rice and spicy ranch sauce. The Zesty Tex-Mex Bowl comes with the same ingredients, but it is made with popcorn chicken instead of barbecue and has fresh pico de gallo.