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Gen Z is rewriting the rules of quick service. Chicken shop visits rose 8.9% in the first half of 2026, while the wider QSR market fell 0.9%, according to Meaningful Vision.
The gap is striking against a tough backdrop. Pubs and restaurants shed almost 7% of footfall between January and June, on top of a 6.2% fall a year earlier. Meaningful Vision tracks visits, pricing, promotions and openings across 60,000 outlets run by the UK’s top 300 fast-food, pub and casual dining brands.
With Quick Service Restaurants (QSR) number growth slowing from 4% in H1 2024 to 1% this year, and menu prices rising 6.8% a year against 1.7% for retail food, winning more visits is now the only route to growth. Increasingly, those visits belong to younger consumers looking for an affordable place to meet.
Why Gen Z is choosing chicken
Money comes first. ONS figures show 981,000 16 to 24-year-olds were not in education, employment or training in April to June 2026, up 30,000 year on year and around 50% since 2021. At £10–£15 a meal, a chicken shop is a far cheaper night out than the pub or casual dining.
But price is only part of it. Wings, tenders, loaded fries and dips are built for sharing, there is no booking, and US brands such as Wingstop, Popeyes and Dave’s Hot Chicken arrive with TikTok buzz, spice challenges and visual food made for social feeds.
Maria Vanifatova, CEO of Meaningful Vision, said:
“Gen Z are using chicken chains as affordable social venues. US brands feel culturally relevant, and the format is built for groups, flexible and social-media friendly. Put together, chicken shops are a format perfectly designed for how younger consumers actually want to socialise right now.”
Chicken is winning the evening
Gen Z’s shift away from the pub shows up in the dayparts. QSR footfall rose 5.1% after 6pm and 1.4% between 3pm and 6pm, while restaurants fell 5.9% and 4.9% in the same slots. Pub visits were down 7.4% year on year in May and 5.5% in June.
The whole market is chasing that demand. Average chicken assortment is up almost 40% since 2022, led by Domino’s and followed by other pizza brands. McDonald’s chicken burgers and sandwiches are 15% cheaper than KFC’s, and Chick-fil-A, Raising Cane’s and Houston Hot Chicken are all expanding in the UK.
“Chicken and drinks together are how you win younger customers and the group of friends at 7pm,” said Vanifatova. “And winning younger customers today means having more customers for longer, as they get older.”
Soft drinks complete the Gen Z night out
Younger consumers drink less alcohol, and operators are filling the gap. Average cold-drink ranges at fast-food chains have grown from 22 to 28 items since 2020, a 30% rise, and up to 10% of coffee shop visits now happen after 6pm.
Matcha is the Gen Z success story. Options have doubled in two years to 16 flavours, and matcha commands a 25% price premium. Chocolate is next, with around 1,200 items across 150 UK chains and a move into cold formats: milkshakes, frappes and iced chocolate now make up 19% of chocolate menu items.
“Matcha commands a 25% price premium, and consumers are paying it without pushback,” said Vanifatova. “Gen Z want customisable, visual drinks, and a premium drink is still much cheaper than a meal out or a round in the pub, so it works as a treat when budgets are tight.”
Gen Z signals QSR operators should watch
- 1
TikTok flavours
Cloud coffee and ube moved from social feeds onto UK menus within a year; fricy (fruity + spicy) and swicy (sweet + spicy) combinations, through Japanese and Korean sauces, look next.
- 2
New chicken entrants
US openings will test local pricing, meal deals and promotions street by street.
- 3
The 7pm occasion
With QSR up 5.1% after 6pm, evening menus, sharing bundles and drinks ranges matter more.
- 4
Limited-time offers
McDonald’s World Menu Heist and KFC’s Stranger Wings show how LTOs drive social buzz and repeat visits.
- 5
Loyalty
Adoption among QSR chains has risen from 72% to 86%, raising the bar for keeping younger customers.
Watching TikTok today is genuinely a leading indicator for menus tomorrow," said Vanifatova. "Based on the pattern we saw with matcha and cloud coffee, fricy and swicy are exactly the kind of signal worth noting for the rest of 2026 and into next year."
Turning data into decisions
Gen Z tastes move fast, and tracking them by hand is not realistic when menus, prices and promotions change daily. Meaningful Vision’s intelligence platform combines footfall, menu, pricing, promotions and store-opening data across 60,000 outlets, at national and local level.
QSR operators can see which competitors are winning evening visits, how their chicken offer and drinks range compare locally, and which social trends are turning into real menu items, so they can act on change rather than react to it.
