Krispy Krunchy Chicken Celebrates Record-Breaking Openings
ATLANTA — Krispy Krunchy Chicken closed out 2024 with a record-breaking 605 store openings. Following the year of growth, menu innovation and operational improvements, the plan is to continue resetting expectations in the convenience store foodservice space while supplying high-quality, craveable menu items to successful operators throughout the country, the company said.
The fried chicken concept projects that it will exceed last year's count of new store openings in 2025, as a new organizational structure plus new products, partners and platforms allows Krispy Krunchy to accelerate its national expansion.
Krispy Krunchy's initial plans called for the opening of more than 700 stores in 2024 as the company aimed to exceed 3,500 locations by the end of the calendar year, as Convenience Store News previously reported.
"We've grown on the solid foundation of prioritizing the profitability of our operators through a cohesive brand strategy, strong foundational partnerships and a focus on innovation," said Jim Norberg, CEO of Krispy Krunchy Chicken. "These efforts have driven a significant increase in interest throughout the industry, and we continue to be sought out as the preferred foodservice offering."
To support continued growth, Krispy Krunchy is focusing on collaboration across sales, operations, marketing and supply chain to enhance the brand experience. From new products and platforms to new ways of training and executing, Krispy Krunchy is exploring new growth opportunities, the company said.
[Read more: Krispy Krunchy Chicken Brings Back Value Meal Deal]
In addition to opening a significant number of new store openings in 2024, Krispy Krunchy rolled out third-party delivery with partners like DoorDash, UberEats and GrubHub, using OLO to consolidate delivery providers into one menu management tool. The company began signing up stores midyear and ended 2024 with nearly 500 stores on the platform, which has lowered commission fees for most operators and has reduced complexity by allowing stores to eliminate multiple tablets from multiple partners.
Initial delivery sales have been strong, even at unexpected times, Krispy Krunchy reported.
"On Thanksgiving, we saw our volumes nearly double, and Christmas day delivered sales at nearly four times our usual rate," Norberg said. "Our operators have been extremely satisfied with this program, and we'll be expanding it throughout 2025. It's just one more way we help bring customers their favorite fried chicken, whenever and wherever they want it."
Founded in Louisiana in 1989, Krispy Krunchy Chicken is a quick-serve solution for convenience stores, truck stops, universities, casinos and big box retailers across the United States. The store-in-store concept allows licensees to serve hand-breaded, mild Cajun-spiced fried chicken and all white meat tenders to its guests, helping to increase their in-store profitability and drive frequency. The company's network now covers nearly 3,000 retail locations across 47 states.