LOUISVILLE Ky. KFC is pushing a Boneless Filet version of its signature “Original Recipe” fried chicken.
Served in a handheld cardboard sleeve, the boneless white-meat filet sells a la carte for a suggested price of $1.99, though the amount varies by market with some locations contacted by Nation’s Restaurant News offering the item for $2.29. The product also is available in a Boneless Filet Box bundle, including a drink, wedge potatoes and biscuit for a recommended $5. A Double Boneless Filet Box sell for $6.99.
Agrilled chicken Boneless Filet is available at most of the chain’s approximately 5,200 locations in the United States, KFC spokesman Rick Maynard said.
“It's a meatier alternative to chicken strips or nuggets and is meant to be eaten with your hands,” he said.
The launch of the Boneless Filet comes as KFC works to counter an 8-percent drop in same-store sales at its 5,200 locations in the United States for the fourth quarter ended Dec. 26.
Available nationally since March 1, the Boneless Filet is being promoted through April 11. The current $1.99 and $5 recommended price points are limited-time offers, Maynard said.
Boneless Filet advertising is being run nationally on television and radio and the product is being promoted through store banners and on the chain’s website, KFC said. The marketing effort, including some packaging graphics, includes the key words “Get A Grip,” which speaks to the portability of the fried chicken product by a chain known more for its bone-in products, which are not typically easy to eat while on the move.
Asecondary marketing message, “Unthink. Taste the Unbucket Side of KFC,” is associated with the filet at the website, among other venues.
Maynard said the Boneless Filet has been featured on the chain’s social media pages, including Facebook and Twitter, and also was the subject of an e-mail blast to nearly 3 million KFC fans.
To showcase the product packaging of the new item and its bundles, KFC earlier announced sports-marketing endorsements with athletes who know the importance of having a good grip. The division of Louisville-based Yum! Brands Inc., which also owns Taco Bell and Pizza Hut, among other chains, said Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Jason Avant, professional golfer J.B. Holmes and 2009 NCAA champion and rising tennis star Devin Britton all teamed up with KFC to test new branded athletic grips in each of their respective sports.
“We’re always looking for outside-the-bucket campaigns that place KFC at the forefront of marketing trends, and with the new Boneless Filet Box meal we couldn’t resist reaching out to professional athletes to help deliver the message that consumers can ‘get a grip’ on a meatier way to eat chicken,” said Javier Benito, KFC’s executive vice president of marketing and food innovation.
Contact Alan J. Liddle at [email protected].