The ongoing cost of living crisis has left customers more conscious of their spending than ever before. In 2026, value isn’t optional, it’s what drives customer decisions.
Customers are watching every penny, but their appetite for chicken remains unchanged. For QSR operators, this is a golden opportunity: by leveraging the nation’s favourite protein in well-crafted meal deals, you can drive footfall, boost basket size, and keep customers coming back.
#1 Protein Chicken remains the top-performing choice to drive sales volume. 2
+18% Increase in meal deal popularity year-over-year. 1
20% Of all fast-food menu choices are now bundled meal deals. 1
Why meal deals matter more than ever
The cost-of-living crisis isn’t going away. Customers are making deliberate, considered choices about where they eat, and value is the deciding factor. As a QSR operator, meal deals are no longer a nice-to-have; they’re a proven mechanism to drive decisions right at the point of purchase.
Operators across Ireland are responding, with promotional activity increasing and meal deals emerging as the primary tool to drive footfall and visit frequency.
Fortunately, chicken is uniquely placed to deliver on every level. It’s familiar, versatile, high-margin, and universally loved. Whether you’re running a takeaway, a chicken shop, or a broader QSR menu, a robust chicken meal deal can be your most powerful tool this season.
What makes a great chicken meal deal?
Before diving into execution, it helps to understand the anatomy of a winning bundle. The best meal deals share three core traits::
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A strong hero product: Something customers recognise and crave (this is where your chicken comes in).
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A complementary bundle: A side and a drink that feel like a natural pairing, not an afterthought.
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A smart price point: A price that feels like a genuine saving, making the customer feel clever for choosing it.
A chicken burger or tenders with chips and a can is a classic combination for good reason. It’s simple, satisfying, and easy to execute at volume. Big Al’s Breaded Chicken Burger or Big Al’s Chicken Tenders are all purpose-built for exactly this format, cooking from frozen in minutes and delivering consistent quality every single time. Making them the ideal backbone for any meal deal format.
5 ways to be successful with chicken meal deals
1. Build around a hero chicken product
Your meal deal needs a centrepiece customers are excited to order. The Big Al’s chicken range gives you strong options to anchor a meal deal, like the Breaded Chicken Burger, Chicken Nuggets, or Chicken Tenders. Serve them with chips and a can for a deal that feels complete. Choose one as your headline offer or rotate them to keep the menu fresh across the summer.
2. Price it so it feels like a win
3. Make it visible use your POS properly
A meal deal that isn’t prominently promoted doesn’t sell. Use every surface available, window posters, counter cards, and digital menu screens, to put your offer front and centre. Kepak’s ready-made POS assets are designed specifically for QSR environments and available now. Don’t leave footfall on the table by under-promoting your best offer.
4. Upsell with “Fancy Something Extra”
Once a customer commits to a meal deal, there’s a natural opportunity to grow the basket size. The Summer Madness campaign includes a dedicated upsell mechanic: “Fancy Something Extra.” This encourages customers to add goujons or nuggets to their order for a small additional spend. It’s a simple, low-pressure prompt that increases average transaction value without adding complexity in the kitchen.
5. Get more from your supplier and join Food Alliance
The most successful operators don’t just buy products they leverage every resource available to them. Food Alliance is Kepak’s operator programme, giving QSRs access to exclusive deals, ready-made POS materials, product support, and promotional assets that would otherwise cost significant time and money to produce. It’s free to join and designed specifically for independent operators who want to compete with the big chains.
Why chicken is your best meal deal ingredient
Chicken’s dominance in the QSR sector isn’t accidental. It is driven by versatility, margin, and universal appeal:
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Operational Efficiency: Fully cooked and ready from frozen means faster service and lower labour costs.
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Waste Reduction: Portion-controlled and individually wrapped for easy stock management.
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Menu Versatility: Works flawlessly across formats—burgers, wraps, nuggets, and tenders.
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Broad Appeal: Attracts all demographics and dayparts, from lunchtime workers to late-night crowds.
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High Margins: Delivers an excellent profit profile, especially when bundled with lower-cost sides and drinks.
Get the tools to make it happen
Knowing what to do is one thing; having the materials to execute it is another. Kepak’s Summer Madness campaign gives you everything you need to run a compelling, well-promoted chicken meal deal this summer.
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Ready-made POS assets for your meal deal: Kepak’s meal deal POS pack includes print-ready posters and digital screen assets. Put your offer in front of customers the moment they walk through the door. Get your POS assets →
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Already a Food Alliance member? Log in to access your full Summer Madness asset pack, including posters, digital screens, and product support materials. Go to Food Alliance →
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Browse the full Kepak chicken range: From breaded chicken burgers to nuggets and tenders, the Big Al’s range is built to power high-volume QSR menus with consistent quality every time. Browse the full product range here →
