Over the last three years, seemingly every fast-food chain under the sun has launched some version of the fried chicken sandwich.
Industry giants like McDonald's (MCD) and Wendy's (WEN) revamped what they offer while Panera Bread (PNRA) and Starbucks (SBUX) tried to get in on the craze that was started by Restaurant Brands International (QSR)-owned Popeye's.
"Something like the chicken sandwich took multiple years to go from ideation to actually being in our restaurants," Popeyes President Sami Siddiqui told TheStreet in an exclusive interview in May.
But while chicken sandwiches exploded to the point of oversaturating the market, another way to enjoy poultry has largely been ignored by non-specialized brands.
The one exception was when, last January, Yum Brands' (YUM)-owned Taco Bell tried selling crispy wings coated in queso seasoning for a week. Otherwise, fast-food chicken wings are sold at places like Yum Brands' KFC and Wingstop (WING), but largely avoided even by larger chainsthat do not have some version of "chicken" in the name.
A New Wing Combo Could Be Coming
Known for their chicken sandwiches and nuggets, Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A does not currently have wings on its menu.
That could, in recent weeks, be subject to change. Local Atlanta news outlets first reported that the chain has started testing bone-in chicken wings at some locations.
Available at only one restaurant in Georgia's Stockbridge, the eight-piece wing combo will be available from Oct. 31 to Feb.11.
Customers will be able to get the wings in seasoning like sriracha garlic and lemon pepper and with sauces like ranch, buffalo and honey sweet chili on the side.
The Stockbridge location is, presumably, meant to be a pilot to test whether the wings are popular enough to roll out in the rest of the country. Some items, like the Spicy Deluxe Sandwich, pass the test and become permanent items.
But more often, these test items ultimately fizzle out as a limited-time promotion. After testing the Chorizo Cheddar Egg Bites in seven cities like Miami, Columbus, Ohio, and New Orleans, Chick-fil-A ultimately chose to keep it off the permanent menu.
Despite It All, People Really Love Chick-fil-A
Even 10 years later, Chick-fil-A is still associated to a series of controveries from 2012 when then-CEO Dan T. Cathy made comments against LGBTQ people and marriage.
Amid a massive firestorm, the chain vowed to stop donating to opposing same-sex marriage and the controversy largely died down. Earlier this year, a report from data insights firm Datassential found that 73% of Chick-fil-A customers feel that it has top-notch service.
For years, Chick-fil-A has also come up as a brand that customers trust the most--particularly in the South, the "old-school" approach makes some associate it with nostalgia and tradition. The chain also follows its Christian founder's roots by keeping all restaurants across the U.S. closed on Sundays.
While rumors about the chain going public have been circulating for years, nothing currently indicates that it would ever happen--remaining privately-owned by the founder's children is also part of the chain's "family-style" brand.
"Chick-fil-A is a chain that truly seems to have its act together, from service to the menu to the quality of the food," Jonathan Heller wrote for TheStreet's RealMoney in 2020. "[...] It's also one I've wished was publicly traded for many years after visiting a location in a Pittsburgh mall in 1987."
