Dive Brief:
- McLane Company, a major c-store food distributor, has launched a new premium chicken program called HiBird, the company announced on Wednesday.
- HiBird’s convenience store-focused lineup includes chicken sandwiches, chicken strips, potato wedges and white cheddar mac and cheese, along with a mildly spicy signature sauce.
- Chicken has been an increasingly hot category in fast food, with Datassential finding that the number of limited-service chicken restaurants grew nearly 5% in 2024 while sales grew almost 10%.
Dive Insight:
HiBird includes not just the menu but also training and merchandising support for retailers using the program, according to the announcement. The chicken requires only basic training to prepare and can be cooked in an air fryer or rapid-cook oven.
“We’re proud to introduce our latest innovative program, HiBird, designed to help retailers meet growing consumer desire for chicken and demand for high-quality foodservice items,” said Vito Maurici, chief customer experience officer for McLane.
Maurici added that the program was “developed for rapid implementation and operational efficiency — making it easier for retailers to bring these new products to market quickly and seamlessly.”
McLane’s entry into the fried chicken market will compete with not only national programs like Krispy Krunchy Chicken, but also convenience retailers with a chicken focus, such as Royal Farms. Other retailers, including Arko Corp and Rebel Convenience Stores, have launched their own chicken programs. Little General, meanwhile, partnered with Buffalo Wild Wings to bring a small-format version of the restaurant to select locations.
Additionally, major QSRs like McDonald’s and Taco Bell have also been expanding their chicken offerings.
McLane’s latest program comes about a week after the distributor launched a national commissary program for convenience retailers across the U.S. The commissary supports both large and small c-store operators with “flexible piece-pick ordering,” which reduces waste and enables customization by location.
