• by Karlene Lukovitz , May 8, 2009

Despite health concerns about fried foods -- and last week's stampede on KFC for free samples of the chain's new Kentucky Grilled Chicken -- fried foods are far from on the way out.

According to a new "Future of Fried Foods" study from restaurant industry consultancy Technomic, these foods' growth rates will decline somewhat over the next three years, but no more than that of the foodservice industry as a whole.

While more than half of the 1,500 consumers interviewed for the study describe themselves as fried food "curtailers" or "avoiders," that's offset by the strong impulse factor. About one in five (21%) of respondents said that their fried orders in restaurants are usually made on impulse.

Another third (32%) said that they like to order these foods in restaurants because they don't normally prepare them at home. Basically, the crispy texture and "craveable" flavor can't be duplicated at home, notes Technomic EVP Bob Goldin.

Perhaps most important in driving the billions of fried food servings ordered each year, these foods are widely available and frequently bundled with now-ubiquitous value-meals. "Fried foods are offered at a reasonable price point that has strong appeal across multiple consumer groups," sums up Goldin.

Top consumer associations with fried foods include "tasty" (cited by 89%), "satisfying" (86%), "filling" (83%), "something I crave" (80%), "comforting" (77%) and "good value" (71%).

Judging from this study, the overwhelming demand for the KFC grilled chicken meals probably had more to do with the allure of free food and Oprah Winfrey's on-air/online plugs for the coupons.

Indeed, Goldin says he can't see KFC actually aiming to phase fried out completely in favor of grilled. "Customers still love the fried chicken," he says. "I think KFC just wants to be able to offer an alternative for those who are interested."

Meanwhile, the demand for the free grilled chicken quickly forced KFC to stop honoring the coupons, but president Roger Eaton created a video apologizing to disappointed coupon downloaders and offering a rain check.

Consumers who visit a KFC, fill out a form, attach their original coupons and give the papers to a restaurant manager or mail them in by May 19 will receive a rain check for the chicken meal. (Redemption dates are apparently being staggered to enable locations to handle the demand.) KFC will also throw in a free Pepsi.

As would be expected, online activity around the KFC offer and problems delivering on the offer were intense. According to Hitwise, U.S. traffic to KFC.com jumped by 1,600% between May 4 and May 5, the day of the promotion. Social media buzz about KFC, as measured by Vitrue's Social Media Index, increased 21% between May 3 and May 8 (the SMI scores for those dates were 142 and 181, respectively).