Popeyes is pulling back on chicken wings after its same-store sales in the United States fell for a seventh straight quarter. The parent company says the wing menu added operational complexity, and it wants the chain to focus on its core items.
For a chain that built its name on bone-in chicken and a 2019 sandwich, the move is a reset. It also lands as sister brand Burger King posts its own strong quarter.
The Numbers Behind the Seventh Straight Decline
According to the Restaurant Brands International third-quarter release, Popeyes comparable sales in the United States fell 2.2% in the quarter ended September 30, 2026. Total Popeyes comparable sales were down 1.8%, system-wide sales were $1,503 million and the chain ended the period with 3,542 restaurants, up from 3,541.
Restaurant Dive reported that the 2.2% decline was the chain’s seventh straight quarterly drop, following a 5.2% decline in the second quarter. The publication said the September revival of the $6 Big Box meal did not drive substantial incremental sales.
Restaurant Dive also reported that customer satisfaction rose in value and food quality across the first three quarters of 2026, and that satisfaction with core chicken hit a record high. In other words, the slump has come even as some guest scores improved.
What Popeyes Is Cutting and Why
RBI chief executive Josh Kobza said on the earnings call that the company made a deliberate decision to scale back its wings offering, according to Restaurant Dive. He added that wings add to operational complexity.
Nation’s Restaurant News reported that Popeyes introduced chicken wings in 2023 and promoted them with a 2024 Super Bowl ad. Kobza said simplifying the menu lets the chain focus on bone-in chicken, tenders and sandwiches, and acknowledged the change has pressured sales while calling it the right trade-off for the long-term health of the business.
Entrepreneur reported that Sweet ‘N Spicy Wings became the chain’s most popular item since the 2019 chicken sandwich, and that Popeyes expanded the wing lineup in August 2025 to three sauces and four dry rubs. That makes the cutback a retreat from a recent bet, not a trim of a fringe item.
Value pricing is a pressure point across the industry, as a report on raising menu prices by more than 10% shows, and earlier chains grew in a different era, as 12 fast-food chains that got their start in the 1950s recounts. Shoppers weighing meal costs can also look at Frenzhub’s wallet-friendly life hacks.
Diners who track restaurant menus closely may enjoy Frenzhub’s guide to red flags when dining at a restaurant, and its tips on common dining-out blunders.
Entrepreneur said RBI expects a return to growth at Popeyes to take longer than first expected. Kobza called the wing cutback the right trade-off for the long-term health of the brand, even though he said it will add some sales pressure.
The release shows Popeyes adjusted operating income of $58 million in the quarter, down from $63 million, on segment revenues of $204 million. Net restaurant growth was flat at 0.0%, meaning the restaurant count held steady.
Customers who order wings may find the menu shorter at their local Popeyes, though the reports do not give a date by which all restaurants will have removed them. The chain says it will keep its focus on bone-in chicken, tenders and sandwiches.
Value remains the key battleground. The $6 Big Box revival in September did not move sales much, according to Restaurant Dive.
Leadership Shake-Up and Burger King’s Gains
Popeyes dismissed its chief marketing officer on the Wednesday before RBI reported results, according to Nation’s Restaurant News. Entrepreneur identified him as Matt Rubin, who had been in the role about a year.
The contrast within the parent company is sharp. Burger King’s same-store sales in the United States rose 8.4% in the quarter, its sixth straight quarterly increase, according to Restaurant Dive. Nation’s Restaurant News said Burger King outperformed fast-food peers by nearly 10 percentage points.
Nation’s Restaurant News described the quarter as the chain’s eighth negative one in the past nine. RBI’s other brands did better. Firehouse Subs rose 2%, Tim Hortons rose 1.5% overall, and brands outside the United States and Canada posted a 22nd straight quarter of growth, with comparable sales up 3.9%.
A Brand With a Long History
Wikipedia’s entry on Popeyes says Al Copeland founded the chain on June 12, 1972, in Arabi, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans, as “Chicken on the Run.” It is now headquartered in Miami and lists 5,413 restaurants in 51 countries and territories as of 2026. The chicken sandwich launched nationwide on August 12, 2019.
Restaurant Brands International bought the chain in 2017. According to Wikipedia’s page on Restaurant Brands International, the deal was valued at $1.8 billion, or $79 per share, and closed on March 27, 2017. The parent company also owns Tim Hortons, Burger King and Firehouse Subs. The same entry says RBI was formed in 2014 through the merger of Burger King and Tim Hortons, and that it is headquartered in Toronto, while Popeyes and Burger King are based in Miami.
Nation’s Restaurant News said Popeyes has about 2,000 international units, a count that has doubled in two years and grown sevenfold since the RBI purchase. That growth abroad has not offset the domestic slide.
Popeyes is simplifying. After seven straight quarters of decline, the chain is cutting one of its most popular recent items, and its parent says a return to growth will take longer than expected. The next test will be whether a leaner menu and a marketing shake-up can restore traffic.
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
Image: Phillip Pessar – CC BY 2.0/Wikimedia Commons
