🍗 The nugget wars

Plus: Ford's robot charger | Monday, July 25, 2022

Open in app View in browser     Axios What's Next By Jennifer A. Kingson, Alex Fitzpatrick and Joann Muller · Jul 25, 2022 Nuggets, anyone? For her story today, Jennifer looks into what very well could be the next big fast food war. Today's Smart Brevity count: 1,050 words ... 4 minutes.     1 big thing: Chicken nuggets, so hot right now Illustration: Natalie Peeples/Axios   Giant restaurant chains like KFC and Boston Market are making big-splash introductions of chicken nuggets on their menus this month, Jennifer A. Kingson reports, setting up a potential rematch of 2019's epic chicken sandwich wars. Why it matters: With chicken consumption on the rise, fast food industry titans think they can boost profits by catering to the nugget-loving tastes of younger consumers. Driving the news: KFC began testing new chicken nuggets last week for a limited time in Charlotte, North Carolina, aiming to lure in Gen Z and millennial customers. If it goes well, "the nuggets will replace the popcorn chicken currently on menus," Yahoo! Finance reported. The launch is "a really big deal" that's meant to introduce "a whole new generation" to KFC's original Colonel Sanders recipe, Chris Scott, head chef at KFC U.S., told Yahoo! Finance. "So many of younger consumers are not interested in eating chicken on the bone, for whatever reason," he said. Other nugget-vendors are lining up to cash in on a childhood favorite. Boston Market just rolled out its first nuggets, in "signature" and "spicy." McDonald's — which pioneered the McNugget in 1981 — has brought back its beloved Spicy Chicken McNuggets at some locations for a limited time. In January, McDs debuted the "Crunchy Double" sandwich — two cheeseburgers on a bed of Chicken McNuggets — based on a popular menu hack. Not to be outdone, Burger King, which introduced spicy Ghost Pepper Chicken Nuggets in the U.S. last fall, just brought them to Canada. The big picture: There's a global arms race in nugget innovation, with mom-and-pop stores vying with chains to introduce new flavors — like Thai chicken nuggets at Phoenix's Chick-a-Dee and Hawaiian nuggets at Pokemoto. Vegan nuggets from companies like Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat are also arriving in force. KFC began testing Beyond Fried Chicken, its plant-based nuggets, early this year. Flashback: Popeyes — which sparked the chicken sandwich craze three years ago — rolled out its new chicken nuggets a year ago. What they're saying: The burgeoning nugget craze is "largely driven by shifts in Gen Z consumer behavior," says Maeve Webster, president of Menu Matters, a restaurant consultancy. "Since the pandemic, more consumers in general are snacking and looking for those easier-to-eat, smaller bites," she tells Axios. The bottom line: There are good business reasons to throw down those poultry-shaped gloves: By one count, the U.S. fast food chicken market has been growing at nearly 5% a year and is expected to reap $40 billion in revenue in 2022. Share this story.     2. Lake Mead is running alarmingly dry Satellite images showing Lake Mead in 2000 (left) compared to 2022. Photos: Lauren Dauphin via NASA   Water levels at Lake Mead — the largest U.S. reservoir — have sunk to their lowest point since first being filled in the 1930s, according to new NASA satellite pictures, Axios' Shawna Chen reports. Why it matters: Lake Mead's troubles are a high-profile example of the consequences of continued drought, climate change and water management issues. As the lake dries up, battles over who should get the remaining water — and how it should be used — are sure to intensify. The details: The massive reservoir was at just 27% capacity as of last week, per NASA. The decline of Lake Mead — which supplies water to millions of people across seven states, tribal lands and northern Mexico — "provides a stark illustration of climate change and a long-term drought that may be the worst in the U.S. West in 12 centuries," reads NASA's update. 74% of nine Western states currently face some level of drought. Lake Mead last neared full capacity in the summers of 1983 and 1999. Read the rest.     3. The cost of fake reviews Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios   Fake online product reviews cost shoppers 12 cents for every dollar they spend and increase the likelihood they buy inferior products, according to new research, Axios' Emily Peck writes. Why it matters: Intuitively we know fake reviews are bad, but the paper offers a deeper picture of how phony write-ups and inflated star ratings change shopping behavior. The details: The researchers recruited 10,000 online participants in the U.K. to shop on an Amazon-like platform they created. "Shoppers" were asked to pick a product to buy from a group of five identically priced items. All of the items were real and rated for quality by a nonprofit consumer advocacy group in the U.K. that sponsored the study. Researchers showed some participants fake reviews or inflated star ratings — or both. Others didn't get any phony reviews. A few participants received guidance on how to spot a phony review. Those who saw fake written reviews were 7 percentage points more likely to buy faulty products. Inflated star ratings also decreased the likelihood that a shopper would buy a superior product. In a separate survey, participants were asked how much money they'd pay for the various items. When fake reviews were in the mix, they were more likely to overpay for products by about 12% on average. Read the rest.     A message from Axios How to make work emails 40% shorter     We're living in a world with way too many words —and it's getting harder to find essential details in the urgent moments we need them. Smart Brevity® is how we break through. It's a communication style built on brain science. This two-minute video explains how it works.     4. All-star games? Meh Data: Sports Media Watch; Chart: Baidi Wang and Simran Parwani/Axios Fewer and fewer people are tuning in to watch all-star games across the Big Four U.S. sports leagues, Axios' Jeff Tracy reports. Driving the news: MLB's midsummer classic drew a record-low 7.51 million viewers last week — yet that's still the largest audience among major all-star games, all of which have seen their audiences dwindle. By the numbers: 🏒 NHL All-Star Game: Down 57.1% since 2002. 🏀 NBA All-Star Game: Down 48.9% since 2002. ⚾️ MLB All-Star Game: Down 48.7% since 2002. 🏈 NFL Pro Bowl: Down 4.2% since 2002 (but down about 50% from the early 2010s peak). The bottom line: With more viewing options, sports fans appear to be deprioritizing relatively meaningless — albeit fun and star-studded — exhibition games. Share this story.     5. One cool thing: Ford's robot charger Photo courtesy of Ford   Ford is developing a fully automated EV charger to make it easier for disabled drivers to charge their cars, Alex Fitzpatrick reports. Why it matters: Accessibility tech is an underappreciated field, and it's nice to see big companies take everyone's needs into account. The details: "Once activated, the [charging] station cover slides open and the charging arm extends toward the inlet with the help of a tiny camera," per Ford. "The robot charging station ... could be installed at disabled parking spaces, in car parks or at private homes." Yes, but: So far, Ford's tech — which you can see in operation here — is still in the testing phase.     A message from Axios How to make work emails 40% shorter     We're living in a world with way too many words —and it's getting harder to find essential details in the urgent moments we need them. Smart Brevity® is how we break through. It's a communication style built on brain science. This two-minute video explains how it works.   A hearty thanks to What's Next copy editor Kathie Bozanich. Was this email forwarded to you? Get your daily dose of What's Next magic by signing up here for our free newsletter. Are you a fan of this email format? It's called Smart Brevity®. Over 300 orgs use it — in a tool called Axios HQ — to drive productivity with clearer workplace communications.   Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. 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