Taco Bell’s Naked Chicken Chalupa has proven to be a hit for Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM).
The new menu item is a taco with a fried chicken shell that was reportedly discontinued in February as it was slated to only be a temporary product, but it proved to be a real success in its brief stint.
Taco Bell-owned company Yum Brands — which also owns KFC and Pizza Hut — posted a same-store sales growth of 2% during its first quarter of fiscal 2017.
The Naked Chicken Chalupas were especially popular as the burrito chain sold 25 million units of the menu item. Other popular items this period include $1 double-stacked tacos and the Triple Double Crunchwrap, which helped the company garner an 8% sales growth.
Pizza Hut underwhelmed in the period as sales fell 3% for that segment. However, Yum Brands announced that it will be injecting $130 million into Pizza Hut with the purpose of boosting sales by improving its look and upgrading equipment.
Yum’s profit from continuing operations saw a 24% increase year-over-year to $180 million. Its first quarter ended on March 31.
Revenue saw a 2% decline to $1.4 billion, but earnings came in at 77 cents per share, topping the 60 cents per share posted a year ago by the restaurant company.
YUM stock grew 0.4% during regular trading hours Friday.
