Church's Texas Chicken's China debut draws 2-hour lines and $22 queue-sitters

Church's Texas Chicken's first mainland China store in Shanghai opened Friday to two-hour lines in the rain - and a side hustle that out-priced the product. Queue-sitters on Chinese resale platforms advertised waiting services for 100 to 150 yuan, or up to about $22, according to local outlet Lanjing News - more than the 89.90 yuan price of a six-piece bucket. The opening drew customers willing to stand in the rain for over two hours, with staff telling Lanjing News the restaurant was handling about 800 to 900 orders a day.

The crowds are a striking signal for a chain betting big on China. Church's signed its largest international development agreement with Chinese operator Deke Shengtang, with plans to develop at least 600 restaurants across the country over the next several years. The Shanghai debut is the first step in that aggressive rollout, and the immediate demand suggests there is still room for another American fried-chicken player - even in a market where KFC has been entrenched for nearly four decades.

The enthusiasm stands out against cautious consumer spending and a prolonged property downturn in China. Spending on services has held up better than spending on goods: retail sales of services rose 5% in the first seven months of the year versus 1.1% growth for goods, while catering revenue rose 2.6% over the same period. That divergence explains why a fried-chicken opening can still generate viral buzz - it is an affordable indulgence in a category where consumers are willing to treat themselves, even as they pull back on big-ticket purchases.

The opening also lit up Chinese social media. The hashtag "American fried-chicken giant opens first China store" became a hot topic on Weibo, with users oscillating between nostalgia and skepticism. One user wrote, "I can't believe that in 2026, people are still lining up for hours for a fried-chicken restaurant opening. I thought it was 1996." Another joked about the "classy" Texas taste, saying, "When you eat it, you have to say: 'This is exactly the same taste I had when I was studying in Texas.' That's what makes it classy enough." But some questioned whether the initial enthusiasm would last, noting early food reactions had been mixed and that some overseas menu items weren't available in Shanghai.

Church's enters a crowded market. KFC, which opened its first China restaurant in 1987, had over 13,000 locations as of the end of June. McDonald's and domestic fried-chicken chains also compete for the same value-seeking customer. The novelty of a new American brand can drive opening-day traffic, but the real test is whether Church's can convert that curiosity into repeat visits - especially when local competitors already have supply chains, menu localization, and brand loyalty locked in.

For executives watching China's consumer market, the debut is a case study in affordable indulgence. The queue-sitting economy - where waiting itself becomes a commodity - signals that demand is real but also that hype can be manufactured. The $22 queue-sitting fee, which exceeds the price of a six-piece bucket, suggests that some customers value convenience over the product itself. That dynamic could be a double-edged sword: it proves the brand has cultural cachet, but it also means the opening-day frenzy may not reflect sustainable demand.

Church's 600-restaurant plan is a long-term bet that China's appetite for value-driven comfort food will outlast the opening-day buzz. The chain, founded in Texas in 1952, is leveraging its largest international development agreement to scale quickly. But with KFC's massive footprint and shifting consumer preferences, the path to 600 stores will require more than just a memorable debut. Church's Texas Chicken did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent outside regular business hours.