Chicken takes lead as the UK fast food’s biggest growth engine

The segment delivered overall traffic growth of around 6.2%.

Chicken has emerged as the strongest growth story in UK fast food, according to Meaningful Vision’s report.

The segment contributed half of the ten fastest-growing brands and delivered overall traffic growth of around 6.2%.

There are now around 2,100 chained chicken stores in the UK, and 13 of the 17 tracked chicken chains grew in Q1.

New chicken entrants such as Chick-fil-A, Dave’s Hot Chicken, MB Chicken, Popeyes and Wingstop are still far from having national coverage, the report said.

As they expand, they are filling gaps in specific local markets and competing against very different sets of operators depending on location.

In one area, a new chicken brand may compete with McDonald's or KFC.

In another, it may draw visits away from Tortilla, Nandos, Wagamama or a local independent restaurant.

The competitive set can also change by daypart, with lunch, afternoon and evening occasions behaving differently.

“For one major player, lunch share can vary from 19% to 48% across different locations, whilst price differences between sites can reach around 20%,” said Maria Vanifatova, CEO of Meaningful Vision. “This is why location intelligence is becoming essential for understanding real brand performance and competitive pressure.”

Price growth remains a key watch point, with fast-food menu inflation above 8% in February 2026.

Consumers are increasingly price-sensitive, but they still respond to brands that combine value, novelty, and clear reasons to visit.

In early 2026, February recorded the sharpest year-on-year decline, with fast-food visits down 2.3%.

The report noted that coffee and bakery chains stopped growing, whilst other formats lost visits.

At the same time, amongst the top 130 chains, 71% were still expanding, and 80% of those growing chains opened new stores at the beginning of the year.