Leaping Forward as a Chicken Specialty Brand
Chicken Sales Account for 23% of Total Revenue as of March
Mom's Touch is making a new leap as a chicken specialty brand, having surpassed 100 billion KRW in standalone chicken sales for the first time since its founding last year. Achieving 100 billion KRW in sales is generally regarded as a key benchmark of success for major chicken franchise brands.
Although Mom's Touch has long been perceived primarily as a "burger specialty store," recent customer demand is expanding from a focus on "chicken burgers" to "chicken in general." The proportion of chicken sales in total revenue is also on the rise. While chicken sales accounted for 10.5% of total sales in 2020, this figure exceeded 18% by the end of last year and reached 23% as of March this year. Chicken has a higher average order value compared to burgers, which is contributing to improved profitability for franchisees.
The company attributes the popularity of its chicken menu to continuous research and development (R&D) based on consumer and market analysis, as well as the growth of its signature "Big Ssai Boneless" series. Since launching "Ssai Boneless" chicken in 2021, which inherited the patty know-how of the "Ssai Burger," Mom's Touch has continuously improved its quality. Last year, the company renewed its signature chicken with "Big Ssai Boneless," doubling the weight per piece and enhancing the juiciness and flavor of 100% chicken thigh meat, and also launched "Hot Cheese Big Ssai Boneless," which features an upgraded spicy flavor and crispiness.
"Hot Cheese Big Ssai Boneless" has gained a strong fan base, especially among the brand's core MZ generation target, and its cumulative sales in the first quarter of this year increased more than 30-fold compared to the previous year, demonstrating strong performance. The recently launched "Edward Lee Big Ssai Boneless" also sold over 100,000 units within just one week of release, causing a shortage and setting a record for the fastest and highest sales of a new chicken menu item in the brand's history.
The growth of the chicken menu has also boosted the company's overall sales. Mom's Touch & Company, which operates Mom's Touch, recorded sales of 417.9 billion KRW and operating profit of 75.4 billion KRW last year. These figures represent increases of 14.7% and 21.9%, respectively, compared to the previous year.
A Mom's Touch representative stated, "As customer demand grows not only for burgers but also for high-ticket chicken and pizza, we are evolving into a QSR platform where a single Mom's Touch store can effectively operate as three different restaurants." The representative added, "We are making company-wide efforts to continuously strengthen our products and brand competitiveness so that customers clearly recognize us as a 'chicken hotspot,' while also contributing to increased profitability for our franchisees."
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