Foodservice is a growing c-store category. NACS State of the Industry data shows that foodservice has more than doubled from 11.9% of in-store sales in c-stores in 2004 to 27.7% in 2024.

Amid this growth, there is also stiff competition. The national foodservice leakage rate—shoppers who plan to purchase food from a QSR within 30 minutes of their c-store visit—rose 1.2 percentage points to 28.7% in 2024, according to NACS data. Ultimately, this results in customers—and revenue opportunities—shifting toward QSRs, with the majority of that movement going to burger chains (41.5%) and fried chicken chains (18.4%).

Finding Success With Fried Chicken

Fried chicken is an opportunity for convenience retailers to win customers, said Farley Kaiser, senior director, culinary and innovation, McLane Company. “Fried chicken is sought after and easily accepted. Consumers are familiar with fried chicken—and willing to experiment with it by trying new flavors and combinations.” 

“McLane took time to create our chicken program, investing in research and finding the right partners,” said Jon Cox, vice president of retail foodservice for McLane. He added that now is the right time for fried chicken. “The competition for retailers is high, but so is consumer demand. We set out to offer a better chicken sandwich.”

From there, McLane created its fried chicken program HiBird—a brand built around extensive market research across several platforms and channels. The company brought brand concepts to hundreds of consumers who shop at a convenience store at least weekly and who recently purchased foodservice from a c-store to find out what these consumers want in a chicken brand. 

When developing the HiBird brand, McLane tested multiple different concepts with consumers, looking for what consumers want, said Michelle Patterson, vice president of marketing and communications, McLane. “Our research revealed a strong desire for a brand that embodies a cool factor and edge—something that feels fresh and bold.”

Patterson noted that this desire for edginess speaks to the consumers in the convenience space, especially with younger shoppers who are looking for a brand to generate loyalty with. “We anticipated the market research would show that c-store customers wanted a more traditional route given what’s in market today. But, we were very pleased with the branding consumers preferred.”

Building the HiBird Brand

With HiBird, “We’re saying it’s okay to be a little fun, it’s okay to be a little out there, but we can also back it up because the product is good,” Cox said.

The HiBird brand naturally engages customers, Patterson said. The packaging and marketing featuring the HiBird mascot speaking to customers with phrases like “Chick it Out” and “Talk Birdy to Me,” creates opportunities to engage customers with the product. 

Consumer feedback showed that consumers liked the HiBird mascot, saying “He’s cool, he’s edgy, he’s funny and he’s somebody they can interact with.” 

The focus groups considered HiBird an equal to national chicken brands in terms of quality, freshness and taste, all from the hand-drawn logo alone. “A great brand and marketing can only go so far—it must be backed with a quality product and that’s exactly what HiBird is. This will drive repeat customers and brand loyalty for retailers,” Patterson said. 

McLane’s research also found that the quality of the chicken is considered on par with QSRs. 

“This program really has an opportunity to help retailers, not just in foodservice but in overall sales because the consumer is likely to put other items in their basket, like a cold dispensed beverage or a sweet treat for dessert,” said Cox.

Putting Chicken on the Menu

When it comes to foodservice, Kaiser noted that consumers are looking for two things: consistency and comfort. “Consumers want consistency. They want to know that when they go to a store, they’re going to get a product that they’re expecting because they got it that way last time,” Kaiser said. “They’re also looking for comfort. Fried chicken is comforting and delicious.”

Because fried chicken is a hot item in foodservice, it was an easy call to add it to the McLane Fresh program lineup. A greater question for the company was “What should accompany it?”

Consumer data led McLane to its white cheddar mac and cheese and potato wedges. “We knew that we needed accompaniments and sides that made sense, not only operationally, but consumer driven, delicious and that we could combo well from a retail perspective,” Kaiser explained. These sides were the top two items that met all of those needs, she added. 

To develop those programs, McLane worked with its partners, tasting the products and reformulating them. Kaiser also noted that they made sure the products were the right pack sizes for operations and would hold up over time in a warmer. “When a consumer grabs potato wedges that have been in a warmer for 30 minutes, they can still have the same experience as when it just came out of the fryer or oven,” she said. 

Also included on the HiBird menu is the HiBird “secret sauce,” which Cox said the McLane Fresh team spent months developing, along with other traditional sauces like spicy Buffalo, BBQ, honey mustard, ranch and LTOs like Korean BBQ, which was created in partnership with Kraft Heinz.

Addressing Labor Challenges

The McLane team noted that HiBird products are designed for ease of execution. The chicken comes fully cooked and can be prepared either in a fryer or in a rapid-cook oven. “It’s a labor model that’s helpful to the bottom line,” Kaiser said. 

She noted that with HiBird, retailers have fewer SKUs than if they were to bread in house; there’s less spoilage because retailers cook as they need it; and it takes less time to train employees to use the equipment and build the program because “it’s push-button mechanics.”

The program is built to be flexible for retailers, especially in labor and equipment. “We made sure to build a program that works whether you have a fryer or an oven, plus a warmer to hold everything hot. If your program is not made to order, your teams can assemble the chicken sandwich, put it in the warmer and sell it,” Cox explained. 

An important benefit of the HiBird program model is that “part of its operational ease is also a reduced risk for food safety issues,” Kaiser noted. Employees aren’t handling raw chicken, which reduces the risk of a foodborne illness. 

McLane also put a lot of research into packaging. “We’re looking at both form and function in our branded HiBird packaging. We have a bag for our chicken sandwiches that can maintain optimal product integrity and go into a hot hold but still shows the product. Packaging is key for product performance and to attract the attention of the shopper and I believe we accomplish both with our fun and effective HiBird packaging,” Patterson said. 

With its bold branding, operational flexibility and consumer-driven product offerings, HiBird is more than just a fried chicken program—it’s a strategic solution designed to elevate convenience foodservice. By combining quality, operational ease, and personality, McLane Fresh helps retailers deliver craveable experiences that drive loyalty and boost basket size.