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The chicken franchise wars are getting extra crispy. Chicken chain sales grew 5.3% in 2025, compared with 3% for the restaurant industry overall and 1.5% for burger chains, according to Technomic data cited by Restaurant Business<\/a>. Raising Cane\u2019s, Dave\u2019s Hot Chicken and Wingstop have all helped fuel the fowl.<\/p>\n Now McDonald\u2019s wants in. The Golden Arches\u2019 new $8.5 billion modernization plan includes a goal of gaining 1.5 points of chicken market share by 2030. It\u2019s already testing hand-breaded chicken in the U.S. and Ireland.<\/p>\n Chick-fil-A CEO Andrew Cathy, whose chain leads the category, says he welcomes the pressure. \u201cI love competition. It just makes us better,\u201d the former high school coach tells Restaurant Business.<\/p>\n Still, Cathy says his biggest worry is moving too slowly. To keep from getting comfortable, he wants his team to have a \u201chealthy dose of fear.\u201d His plan for staying on top is to stick to basics like accurate orders, good food and warm hospitality. That\u2019s one reason Chick-fil-A has no plans to replace human order takers with AI. <\/p>\n