KFCs are hit or miss, depending upon the management. Mostly "miss" these days. Like every other restaurant, they've allowed the quality of their food and service to deteriorate as prices continue to rise.
The local KFC where I live is horrible. I decided to go there for lunch one time, and got there right as it opened to avoid the crowds. I went into the bathroom to wash my hands first. The sink faucet was leaking and there was water on the floor, creating a slipping hazard. I told the counter worker about this and got a "yeah... whatever" type of response. The place had just opened and the tables were still dirty from the night before. The food was lukewarm and the taste was just average, not at all like it was when KFC had the best chicken in town. Needless to say, I haven't been back there since.
In contrast to this experience, one time I was staying overnight in a small town in a predominantly rural area. I was there for a family reunion and one of my family members suggested going to KFC for dinner that night because it had the buffet. I was reluctant at first, but changed my mind once we walked into the place and I saw that the buffet included freshly-prepared chicken and a good variety of side dishes. It was like stepping decades back into time when KFC was in its heyday.
It's a shame the KFC where I live isn't like this. Their "buffet" consists of cheap side-dishes... but no chicken. I assume you have to order that separately.
I would also like to know how KFC and others stay in business. The trend is towards lousy service, cheaper ingredients, smaller portions and higher prices. I've added KFC to my list of restaurants that no longer get my business. Not until they clean up their act.
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MaximRecoil (4849)
3 years ago
They've gone downhill since Colonel Sanders died in 1980. But even before then, they weren't as good as before he sold the company in 1964, at least not according to Colonel Sanders himself as well as a lot of other people who are old enough to remember (1964 was before my time, but 1980 wasn't):
As late as 1979 Sanders made surprise visits to KFC restaurants, and if the food disappointed him, he denounced it to the franchisee as "God-damned slop" or pushed it onto the floor.[5][36] In 1973, Sanders sued Heublein Inc.—the then parent company of Kentucky Fried Chicken—over the alleged misuse of his image in promoting products he had not helped develop. In 1975, Heublein Inc. unsuccessfully sued Sanders for libel after he publicly described their gravy as being "sludge" with a "wall-paper taste".[6]
From what I've read, Japan's Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants are the best because they still make everything the same way that they were taught by Sanders when he originally set up franchises there.
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jonathan_k80 (6436)
3 years ago
I've read about Sanders and those surprise visits. That's one way to keep the franchises in line.
It's too bad nobody cares any longer. It seems to be a business model to come up with a great item that puts the store on the map, and then allow the product to deteriorate as more locations are opened. Subway is another example of this. They've achieved name recognition and no longer care about the quality of their food. My final Subway sandwich consisted of a dried-out bun crammed full of lettuce, leaving little room remaining for the four paper-thin slices of cheap lunch meat, the kind that can be found at any supermarket. I stopped going there years ago.
The problem lies with the general public, who either don't care or don't know the definition of quality food. Or are just too lazy to look for a better restaurant. They continue to patronize these places out of habit ("Oh look... a Subway!") when they should be going elsewhere at the first sign of product deterioration. They should be telling these places that they've lost their business and why, and stop going there until improvements are made. Go to their websites and leave feedback. But that would require effort. It's easier to just continue buying their slop and making excuses.
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