Burger chains take a bite out of PopeyesBurger chains take a bite out of Popeyes

Same-store sales at Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen Inc. increased 2 percent in the U.S. in the fourth quarter, the company said this week, but the sales slowdown didn’t come from chicken chains.

“I’m not thinking a lot of chicken competitors right now,” Popeyes CEO Cheryl Bachelder said during the company’s earnings call Wednesday. “Our customers’ interaction is with burger chains. Burger chains outperformed chicken chains.”

Discounting in the burger segment hurt sales at Popeyes, she said. Lower beef prices prompted something of a value war in the quick-service burger segment, as Wendy’s, Burger King, McDonald’s and Hardee’s/Carl’s Jr. all offered some sort of discounted value bundle.

Multiple restaurant executives have said this discounting wa...