Perfect Pairing: New Checkoff Partner Delivers Chicken with Cheese

The “chicken sandwich war” is far from over.

Dairy has yet to fully engage but that’s about to change.

There is no missing how much attention has been given by leading quick-serve restaurant (QSR) chains on upping their chicken sandwich game. However, most of them aren’t arming themselves with what may be their secret ingredient: a slice of cheese.

There are roughly 3 billion chicken sandwiches produced by the top five U.S. chains every year. However, about 2.3 billion of those are produced without a slice of cheese. By comparison, about 85 percent of hamburgers sold every year through QSRs contain cheese.

Allow me a moment for some quick mathematical calculations. If those 20 percent of chicken sandwiches that do have cheese grew to 30 percent – and that growth meant a half-ounce slice of cheese on every item – we’re talking about an additional 70 million pounds of milk moved every year!

Our checkoff strategy is designed to identify gaps such as this and look for the right opportunity and partner to bring dairy to their table.

One of the more exciting and emerging players in the chicken game is Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers, founded in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 1996. The chain has mostly had a Southeast footprint with 700 restaurants, but it is expanding into the Midwest and our hunch is it will continue to grow further after striking on a recipe for success with an important audience: Gen Z.

Gen Z consumers (ages 9-23) will soon become the largest U.S. consumer population with an annual spending power of approximately $143 billion. A recent survey identified Raising Cane’s and Chick-fil-A as top Gen Z’s favorite restaurant brands

Our outreach to Raising Cane’s was no different than the approach we’ve taken with other notable foodservice chain partners. We share how we are a farmer-led organization, and how we can inform, inspire and prove dairy can fill existing gaps within their business model to help them grow their sales.

We saw it happen with Taco Bell, where cheese once was considered a “garnish”, no different than lettuce or tomatoes. Now, dairy dominates the chain’s menu innovation and that includes dairy-based beverages making their way into the hands of their loyal consumer base. We did the same with Domino’s, which once underappreciated the value and consumer love of cheese, but our innovations and consumer marketing focus helped turn around the company’s business plan and it now is the world’s largest pizza company.

Cheese, of course, is a perfect match waiting to happen with Raising Cane’s. Our checkoff team already has provided the chain with insights and menu innovation ideas that stretch beyond the chicken sandwich and into other possibilities.

The opportunity is right for dairy and the checkoff. Chicken sandwiches aren’t slowing with an average of about 10-percent growth each year, compared to 2 to 3 percent for pizza and burgers. The chicken category is the fastest growing QSR segment, generating $35 billion behind only pizza ($42 billion).

Raising Cane’s is just the next chapter of how the checkoff identifies untapped growth platforms and identifies the right partnership opportunity that will lead to our ultimate goal of increasing sales and trust of dairy.

To learn more about your national dairy checkoff, visit www.USDairy.com or send a request to join our Facebook group. To reach us directly, send an email to TalkToTheCheckoff@dairy.org.