Despite other entrées such as chicken sandwiches rising in popularity over the past few years, burgers are still at the top of the food(service) chain at US establishments.

According to The NPD Group, in the year ending 2020, burgers were included in 13.5% of all restaurant orders, translating to 7 billion servings of burgers. Meanwhile, chicken sandwiches (breaded and grilled) were included in 6.7% of all restaurant orders in the US, about 3.5 billion servings.

Chicken sandwiches are gaining ground though, as more businesses add them to their menus. Servings of breaded chicken sandwiches increased by 8% in the year ending December compared to year ago.

“No matter which chicken sandwich wins the chicken sandwich war or which sandwich is competing with the burger, operators who put chicken sandwiches or burgers or both on their menus are headed in the right direction,” says David Portalatin, NPD food industry advisor and author of Eating Patterns in America. “These sandwiches have always been and will always be a customer favorite.”