KFC is testing Smash’d Potato Bowls in Pittsburgh for a limited time. The bowls include KFC’s Secret Recipe Fries, mashed potatoes with a warm cheese sauce, bacon crumbles, and a three-cheese blend, and are available for $3.49.
Customers can also add KFC’s new nuggets to the Smash’d Potato Bowl for $5.49. The nuggets were introduced in March as part of the chain’s intentional focus on recruiting younger consumers with menu offerings that are more relevant to them, such as its chicken sandwich, wraps and its $5 Mac & Cheese Bowl. The $5 Mac & Cheese Bowl was first introduced in 2019 and returned in 2022 at the $5 price point to promote a stronger value proposition. It was also brought back alongside the nuggets launch in March. Executives noted the product helped drive a positive 2% same-store sales comp. On a call to analysts, Yum Brands CEO David Gibbs said it’s a value offering without “just discounting our core product,” which interested a wide array of consumers.
Bowls have been a part of KFC’s menu since 2006, when the Famous Bowl was introduced, featuring mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet corn, crispy popcorn chicken and a three-cheese blend. More than 81 million KFC Famous Bowls were sold in their first 10 months on the menu, the company reported at the time. The company has iterated the Famous Bowl several times since, including in late 2022 for a $5 holiday promotion.
Younger consumers, including millennials and Gen Z, have been driving an increased demand for portability for the past several years, which has in turn driven an uptick in bowl options across chains large and small.
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