Popeyes U.S. comps -5.2% Q2’26Wingstop domestic SSS -7.5% Q2’26KFC U.S. units 3,523 YE’25Dave’s unit growth +52.3% FY’25Chick-fil-A AUV $9.16MCane’s systemwide $5.48B FY’25Franchisee QSR cap 6.85%Corporate QSR cap 5.85%Category growth +5.3% ’25Wings wholesale $0.98/lb YE’25
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Home / Markets / New York City, NY
Market profile · New York

New York City, NY

The last major American metro where the Southeast chicken brands had no presence — and the first real test of whether their unit economics survive a small-format, high-rent, no-drive-thru box.

Tracked activity

  • Zaxby's opened its first NYC restaurant in the Bronx on June 29, 2026, followed by an Upper East Side location at 1267 First Avenue1
  • The Manhattan unit spans more than 2,800 SF with 16 dine-in seats and self-order kiosks — materially smaller than the brand's suburban prototype2
  • Houston TX Hot Chicken committed to five New York units as part of a 26-unit multi-market announcement3

Sources

Every figure on this page is attributed. CSW does not publish estimates as facts — where a number is unavailable it is shown as “—”, and where a figure is derived arithmetically from two published figures it is marked as derived.

  1. [1] Restaurant Dive — Zaxbys debuts in New York (2026-07)
  2. [2] Commercial Observer — Chicken Shop Chain Zaxby's to Open First NYC Location (2026-02)
  3. [3] RestaurantNews.com — Houston TX Hot Chicken Accelerates Nationwide Expansion With 26 New Franchise Commitments (2026-01)