Church’s Texas Chicken, a giant in the American fried chicken industry, known as “Texas Chicken” in China, recently opened its first store in Shanghai, sparking a frenzy of lining up. Despite the rainy weather on the opening day, many customers braved the rain to queue for over two hours.
On August 28, the first Church’s Texas Chicken store in China officially opened on Wujiang Road Pedestrian Street in Jing’an District, Shanghai. According to reports from Blue Whale News, feedback from staff and on-site customers indicated that queue times ranged from half an hour to over two hours during different times of the day.
The bustling queues have led to the emergence of scalpers and proxy queue services. On second-hand platforms, the price for proxy queue services at this fried chicken store ranges from 100 to 150 Chinese yuan (equivalent to the price of more than a bucket of fried chicken). If customers opt not to pick up their order in person, they would need to pay additional fees for delivery.
Staff mentioned that, in order to prevent scalping, customers can only order in person while queuing, with plans to introduce mini-programs and delivery services in the future, although the specific timing remains unclear.
In terms of products, Church’s Texas Chicken offers chicken meal sets, buckets of fried chicken, burgers, snacks, and more. Their signature item, the “Armor Crispy Chicken,” is priced at 15.9 yuan per piece, with the classic meat juice sauce selling for 5 yuan, and meal sets ranging from 29.9 to 139.9 yuan.
Compared to the larger chicken buckets like the 10-piece or 24-piece available overseas, the first store in China has made some local adjustments in portion sizes and menu designs.
However, some of the signature dishes from Texas Chicken have not yet appeared on the Chinese menu. Staff mentioned that many customers have inquired about items like honey butter biscuits and apple pies, which have not been introduced yet as the brand’s representatives are still working on it.
Texas Chicken, a giant in the American fried chicken industry, was founded in Texas in 1952 and has over 2,100 stores in more than 60 countries worldwide, holding fond memories for many North American students studying abroad.
On social media platforms, many international students have expressed their desire to revisit the store, and numerous food bloggers have posted their reviews promptly. Three days after the opening of the first store, the widely-reviewed store has received over 200 comments, currently holding a rating of 3.4 stars, with taste evaluations varying among individuals; some find the flavors impressive, while others compare it to KFC, and some criticize the limited seating and lack of handwashing facilities.
Reports indicate that the store’s average daily orders currently range from 800 to 900. Due to the high volume of orders, the machines experienced temporary malfunctions, leading to a few hours of order suspension.
The topic of “Opening of the first Church’s Texas Chicken store in China attracts a frenzy in Shanghai, two-hour queues with 150 yuan for proxy queuing” has stirred discussion among netizens.
One netizen commented, “Long queues during the first few days of trying out a new place are normal, it’s the delicious and affordable options that will make customers return regularly.”