Idahoans are eating ‘mor chikin.’ This fast food chain is Idaho’s go-to for a quick bite

Remember those ominous and slightly threatening cows that would demand that we “Eat Mor Chikin”?

Idahoans certainly took that threat to heart — along with residents of 26 other states. A new study from market intelligence company My Telescope used online marketing metrics through Google to find each state’s favorite fast food chain. One chain dominated over the rest.

Maybe in part to its intimidating cows and definitely in part to its delicious chicken sandwiches, Chick-Fil-A was found to be the go-to fast food chain in 27 states, including Idaho.

My Telescope used a metric called “share of search” to determine each state’s favorite fast food chain. The metric measures the relative interest in a search term using specifically defined search terms, with the idea that there is a correlation between what people search for and the final outcome.

“Share of search measures search data combined with sentiment analysis to give a more accurate measurement of consumer and business purchasing intent and demand,” My Telescope CEO Rodrigo Graviz stated in a news release.

“Data can be geo-fenced by state or country to give an accurate look into what people in the area are searching for,” Graviz continued. “When combined with specific keywords, Share of Search data can give valuable insights on what people are going to do, what they think, how they feel, and what they’re going to buy.”

Idaho isn’t the only state in the west that craves Chick-Fil-A every day of the week — especially on Sundays, the one day of the week that the chain remains closed all day to provide employees a day of rest and worship.

The Gem State’s two neighbors to the north, Montana and Washington, as well as California, all join Idaho in eating mor chikin.

Oregon is the only state that most regularly searched for Burgerville — a burger chain founded in Washington in 1961 — while Nevada is one of two states that prefers Raising Cane’s, a direct rival of Chick-Fil-A.

But despite its popularity, Chick-Fil-A certainly doesn’t come without its fair share of controversy.

Many people began having an issue with the fast food chain in the early 2010s when it was discovered that the company had donated nearly $2 million to anti-LGBTQ groups.

The fire was further stoked in 2012 when Chick-Fil-A chief operating officer Dan Cathy — son of founder Samuel Truett Cathy — said in a radio interview that same-sex marriage is “inviting God’s judgment.”

The company has attempted to fan out that fire in recent years and, in 2020, began focusing on education, homelessness and hunger as its three main philanthropic priorities.

Chick-Fil-A’s in the Treasure Valley

Built up an appetite for a spicy chicken sandwich or some nuggets after reading this story? The following map shows the five Chick-Fil-A restaurants in the Treasure Valley.