Some nine months after KFC opened its first "fast casual" restaurant KFC eleven in Louisville, parent company Yum Brands is almost ready to unveil another new concept. Ad Age reports that Yum Brands is behind a new fast food operation called Super Chix opening this week in Arlington, Texas. 
 
 The Super Chix website makes no mention of Yum Brands, and credits "three food-obsessed friends who believed chicken could and should be better" as the creators of the restaurant. Reps from Yum Brands say the store will be "an exploratory concept that may in the future be considered for international purposes" and that it is only in its "infancy." 
 
 With its focus on fried chicken sandwiches, Super Chix may be an attempt for Yum Brands to compete more directly with the often-controversial but cultishly adored Chick-fil-A. A menu of "fresh frozen custards" also suggests Super Chix may be borrowing from the Shake Shack playbook. 
 
 · Super Chix [Official] 
 
 · Yum Targets Chick-fil-A With Concept Store in Texas [Ad Age] 
 
 · All Fast Food Coverage on Eater [-E-] ||||| People camp out at the latest Chick-fil-A opening in west Houston, Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2014. The first 100 customers to walk through the doors tomorrow will receive a free Chick-fil-A meal per week for a year. 
 
 People camp out at the latest Chick-fil-A opening in west Houston, Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2014. The first 100 customers to walk through the doors tomorrow will receive a free Chick-fil-A meal per week for a year. 
 
 Photo: Cody Duty/Houston Chronicle ||||| In an email, Yum Spokeswoman Virginia Ferguson said the concept "is not being considered to go up against U.S. competitors" but rather for international purposes. Yum periodically has new concepts like this, the spokeswoman added. 
 
 Read MoreThe worst tippers live here ... 
 
 
 
 Interestingly, Super Chix's website does not mention that it is owned by Yum Brands although Super Chix's trademark application indicates that Yum is the owner. 
 
 
 
 Some of the new chain's offerings bear a striking resemblance to those of KFC rival Chick-fil-A and debut at a time when Chick-fil-A is widening its U.S. lead over KFC, which has shuttered hundreds of stores over the past few years, according to market research firm Technomic. 
 
 Read MoreSkip the tip, restaurant CEO says 
 
 
 
 In 2012, Chick-fil-A first snatched KFC's longtime title as the top chicken chain in the U.S. Last year, Chick-fil-A's U.S. sales were $5.05 billion compared with KFC's $4.22 billion, according to Technomic. 
 
 Read the full AdAge article here. ||||| × KFC owner launches ‘secret’ restaurant ‘Super Chix’ to rival Chick-fil-A 
 
 ARLINGTON, Texas — KFC’s parent company Yum Brands has quietly launched a new concept restaurant in Arlington, Texas that will take aim at Chick-fil-A. 
 
 This week, Super Chix opened with a limited menu including chicken sandwiches, chicken tenders, salads, fries and custards. 
 
 The Super Chix website describes the chicken as “hand-breaded” and says it’s free of MSG, high-fructose corn syrup and phosphates. 
 
 Some of the chain’s offerings resemble KFC rival Chick-fil-A, experts noted. 
 
 Despite being listed on Super Chix’s trademark application, Yum Brands is not listed as the owner on Super Chix’s website, according to CNBC 
 
 Chick-Fil-A took over as the top chicken chain in the U.S. in 2012. Super Chix’s slogan is “The Last True Chicken Sandwich,” an obvious reference to Chick-fil-A’s slogan “We Didn’t Invent the Chicken, Just the Chicken Sandwich. 
 
 Read more: CNBC and AdAge ||||| NEW YORK (AP) — As KFC struggles in the U.S., parent company Yum Brands is testing a new chicken restaurant called Super Chix. 
 
 A website for the restaurant in Arlington, Texas, shows a menu that seems positioned as a more premium offering than KFC, in line with the trend toward foods people feel are higher in quality. The menu is fairly simple and lists a chicken sandwich, chicken tenders, fries and custard. Toppings include kosher pickles, jalapenos and sweet pickles, while sauces include smoky honey pepper and Sriracha sweet and sour. 
 
 The website also notes that, "Our chicken is marinated daily in our kitchen, then hand-breaded and cooked in 100% refined peanut oil. No MSG, HFCS or phosphates." It refers to its sandwich as "The Last True Chicken Sandwich." 
 
 Virginia Ferguson, a spokeswoman for Yum, downplayed the suggestion that the restaurant was being tested for the U.S. market. 
 
 "This is an exploratory concept that may in the future be considered for international purposes," Ferguson said in an email. She added that the company will be exploring other concepts for international purposes in the near future, such as a "Banh Shop" that sells Asian subs. 
 
 The test comes after KFC ceded its position as the No. 1 chicken chain to Chick-fil-A in 2012 in terms of sales volume, according to food industry researcher Technomic. Although KFC has many more locations than Chick-fil-A, its sales have declined despite new menu items, such as boneless chicken pieces that were touted in "I Ate the Bones" commercials. Last year, sales at established KFC locations in the U.S. declined 5 percent. 
 
 Yum has also been testing a higher-end concept called "KFC eleven" that does away with mentions to founder Colonel Harland Sanders. 
 
 KFC had about 4,500 U.S. locations last year. 
 
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– Yum Brands, which owns KFC, is quietly testing a single store in Arlington, Texas, that appears to be in direct competition with Chick-fil-A, Ad Age and other outlets note. Super Chix offers up "hand-breaded," MSG-, HFCS-, and phosphate-free chicken sandwiches and tenders, toppings like pickles and jalapenos, and signature sauces like honey mustard and Sriracha sweet and sour. Oh, and the store, which opened this month, is not referencing its relationship to KFC at all. A restaurant industry analyst says that's likely because Yum wants to "start free and clear of all perceptions of all existing brands," whether positive or negative. The move takes advantage of a trend toward "premiumization" of menu items, another expert says. As for whether more stores will eventually open, a spokesperson tells CNBC the restaurant "is not being considered to go up against US competitors," but is being tested for the international market. The move comes as KFC struggles, having ceded its position as No. 1 chicken chain by sales volume to Chick-fil-A in 2012, the AP reports. (Yum is also testing a fancier version of KFC in Kentucky.)