The Decline of KFC...What Happened?

[@ArkliteDC]

My #1 issue with KFC is the price. The quality of the food has continued to decrease over the years yet the price has absolutely skyrocketed.

[@thuydoan7496]

Everything has skyrocketed, it's called inflation. You can thank Biden for that.

[@trevertravis8963]

That's pretty much the same at all fast food restaurants.

[@picklerix6162]

The Colonel died and quality died with him.

[@thuydoan7496]

@@picklerix6162 The Colonel left his recipe behind so that we can all continue to enjoy his original fried chicken.

[@alexgilliam75able]

I eat Bojangles that's the best chicken in the game maybe Popeyes too.

[@wanfu5634]

When I was a little kid, getting KFC was considered a treat. But the decline in quality absolutely makes me choose almost anywhere else.

[@xTechDeath]

Popeyes all day

[@-Cetus-]

Pretty much. Now I only get it out of desperation if nothing else is close by and I haven't eaten all day. It never feels good having to resort to them the few times I've done it.

[@bernie472]

Agreed. In the 1980's, when my mom was going to get that for dinner because my dad had to work late, we loved it. Today, I would rather get something better for my family as a treat. KFC is not what it once was.

[@sarcastomimic2683]

Ironically, I get the old KFC treat vibe when eating Chick-Fil-A. They have the BEST Lemonade, BTW!

[@wanfu5634]

On a tangent, I just saw an old ad for KFC from ‘83. Feed a family of four for $3.47. Dear Lord.

[@sixletters9759]

When the Colonel died, several competing fast food restaurants had signs honoring his passing. Some even closed for the day of his funeral. That's how respected he was.

[@dustmybroom288]

Wow!

[@cameronthomas1358]

"Everything I ever known or learned from the fast-food industry, I learned from Colonel Sanders and working at his resteraunt" -Dave Thomas, founder of Wendys

[@900stx7]

It's sad that the Colonel built the chain from the ground up, everyone knew his image on the sign. But just like that they changed the image and did new commercials with the Colonel portrayed as a bumbling idiot. After decades of establishing the image and brand It's destroyed in one pathetic ad campaign.

[@aff77141]

Meanwhile 15 years later, his own restaurant has random comedians yukking it up

[@randomrazr]

how many chickens do you think the colonel is responsiblefor ?

[@kevinwhite4079]

Somehow, KFC found the tiniest chickens I've ever seen. Little tiny pieces of chicken that takes several pieces to make up a normal portion. Other fast food chicken restaurants had normal sized pieces of chicken. This made KFC more expensive by volume than its competitors.

[@coldlakealta4043]

my wife thinks they are using little Cornish hens

[@remhk6672]

Church's chicken are unusually massive. Hormone injection?

[@dacypher22]

I love that the Colonel kept calling out the quality. Even after he sold the company, he still cared about the product that his face was on. As he should have

[@SoapinTrucker]

AND that he started ONE new restaurant to get back to HIS quality, and that restaurant is still in business! Claudia Sanders Dinner House!

[@franksitas2051]

Don't forget about the small arms and legs attached to the big head.

[@owenb8636]

Suing him for his comments sounds like a PR nightmare

[@MrWolfSnack]

Papa John did the same. Coincidentally it was the inside job conspired against him by marketing execs from him quoting what Colonel Sanders said 50 years ago that lost him from his company. Now Papa Johns is in the same dumpster fire as KFC. "Yum!" Brands oligarchy ruins every single fast food chain.

[@billebrooks]

@@owenb8636 KFC suing Colonel Sanders is like the US government suing George Washington.

[@Phrxshn]

First, but on a serious note - Back when the Sanders was still Alive, KFC was one of the very first franchised fast food restaurants. This used to be taken extremely seriously. Every corporate manager would do constant in-depth inspections, and if you fell below standards, you would forfeit your franchisee license. But there have been complaints that these standards have dropped with KFC.

[@Planag7]

Yes. It was a very tightly controlled system. Sadly standards have placed so much :(

[@primusvsunicron1]

If you fell below standards The Colonel himself would show up and would be pissed

[@SergioLeonardoCornejo]

He kept the company in a rather high standard for as long as he lived.

[@Raskolnikov70]

@@primusvsunicron1 I'd pay money to see a video of a geriatric Colonel beating a franchise owner with his cane over the quality of the gravy.

[@ed9492]

@@Raskolnikov70 As they roll their eyes and say Ok boomer.

[@brickman409]

Man, hearing the Colonel's own comments about the decline of quality at KFC is an eye opener. Makes me want to go back in time and try what the real original recipe was like.

[@Red_Lanterns_Rage]

if you built a time machine just to taste the best fried chicken.....well that's not the best reason to do it.... "I build the time machine to know the why's the when's and the how's of history" -Doc Emmet Brown I'm part joking but I agree, I'd love to see what his recipe was like....to grow a business like his that got that big well you know his recipe had to be really good....

[@robhogate2312]

Yeah I'd also really like to see what his recipe tastes like,if it's still floating around out there somewhere then somebody needs to get it out there....what better way to honor the man then giving the ppl a chance to enjoy his work....also I'd have to say that would be a damn good reason for someone to invent a time machine

[@theforgeryttv6449]

When I heard he complained about the new gravy being similar to "wallpaper paste" and KFC filing a lawsuit to silence him, you know it's serious trouble.

[@loganshutts1063]

there is still a restaraunt where you can get the orginal

[@saber2802]

@@loganshutts1063 What's that?

[@johnwinnard5589]

$59 for a bucket of chicken with no sides. That’s one reason.

[@Makedonac007]

I just purchase the, "KFC" Artic Frozen Bucket at, 'Upper Canada 🐔" and warm them as I type away Amen KJV* Happy autumn $19.99 17pc's

[@concepcionledezma5027]

😯

[@AlexRocks80s]

Yes you are better off just getting with the sides. But if you solely want just the chicken it will cost way more

[@joeswartz8286]

The price is criminal! $34 for 8 pieces and a pie! I’m glad they don’t charge extra for the feathers in the legs!

[@jfernando7944]

Well I know here in California they only hire my people. I rather have black people cook soul food.

[@tech9803]

Same old corporate story, cynically cut corners, cut costs and cut quality.

[@jamesd242]

Greedy c sukrs

[@terrymckenzie8786]

America in a nut shell.

[@trevor852]

Yet In n out and Chick fil a are thriving since they are privately owned and don’t have to bend the knee to shareholders.

[@ernestcote3398]

@@trevor852 Is it simply shareholders or is it more personal, the boss needs more versus give back to the customer?

[@StsFiveOneLima]

What FclUCKING SUCKS is that I remember when their chicken was excellent. It has gone to crap, over time, and THAT is why I think they have declined.

[@RandomBlackGamer]

Simple. They stopped being *Kentucky Fried Chicken* and started being KFC once they got bought out by Pepsi. Like its subsidiary brother Pizza Hut it did away with the original ingredients. They'd rather prioritize gimmick food over quality food. Which only some chains such as Taco Bell can get away with. And last but not least its too expensive. Nobody wants to break their wallet over disgusting food.

[@Raskolnikov70]

I worked at Pizza Hut for years in the 90's, through the whole TriCon/YUM transition, and they did the opposite there. "Lightning Bolt" was their program in 1997 to improve the quality of their pizza and it was a huge success. That's also around the time they bought the stuffed crust concept which was probably one of the biggest fast food success stories in decades. They'd tried a bunch of those gimmicky concepts over the years but finally did the one thing that people really wanted - improved the quality of their product - and it was a massive success. Of course that was 20+ years ago and their quality has dropped off significantly. It cost a lot of money at the time to replace canned/dried ingredients with fresh ones and I guess once they'd recaptured a bunch of market share doing that they went back to cost-cutting and scrimping on quality. Domino's and Toppers (a regional chain in the midwest) are both way better than PH these days.

[@ACoolKidsProduction]

You should watch this channel's video on Pizza Hut, he blames their decline partly on their not doing gimmicky pizza anymore. That said, what works for pizza may not work for fried chicken.

[@chiarosuburekeni9325]

All I know is they either changed their recipe or the way they cooked the 🐔 not too long ago. I always crave KFC, go buy a box, lowkey regret it and then drop it for months. It's a vicious cycle.

[@Taffer-bx7uc]

Taco Bell will destroy your anus if you have it too much.

[@nunyabiznes33]

I think KFC outside America also try novelty gimmicks (I live in the Philippines and I remember they made a chicken pizza... it's pizza but the "bread" part is fried chicken). But KFC is still pretty good here. Popeye's recently entered the market and I don't know if it'll be able to catch up.

[@VeesFunkyAZZshop]

I worked as a cook at Kentucky Fried Chicken from 1985 to 1988. Back then they made mostly everything from scratch. The biscuits were mixed in the kitchen in a dough mixer The biscuit dough was made from real flour and real buttermilk that came in a carton, now I am sure they are all pre-made and frozen. The cole slaw was made from FRESH cabbage and was grinded in the store with REAL fresh carrots and onions. The gravy was made from the "cracklings" found in the bottom of the chicken fryers. The breading to both the original and crispy chickens were dipped in real milk and egg dippings prior to being cooked in the pressure cookers. The original recipe spices though premade was pure and mixed with REAL flour! I am certain everything now comes either "pre-made" "frozen" or "pre packaged". Not to mention we were trained by KFC staff leaders to provide optimal service. Such a shame the decline in this company.

[@Buddycoop1]

The CEO took his millions and ran. Very sad this isn't called out on social media.

[@mobidkillerx]

Yeah I agree. I'm not as old as you are, but I'm still old enough to remember when KFC was KF-motherfuckin-C! The quality went down in the tubes and it's still edible, but as gross as it is to say, I do prefer Popeyes now. Now the best chicken place that I know of is Pollo Campero which is an El Salvadorian fast food chicken place. Now THAT is some A1 chicken.

[@jeffcampbell2710]

It was Kentucky Fried Chicken, KFC wasn't a thing. That was the late 60's, early 70's. I remember the first one in East Ridge Tennessee. Man it was a big deal to get Kentucky Fried Chicken. We didn't eat out but one time a week, and that was Friday night. Saturday Night was Jiffy Pop Popcorn, in the Silver Aluminum Done, cooked on the stove, and Hee Haw! I think taking away Colonel Sanders authority ruined it. It was about quality and consistency. I heard he would repossess the pressure cooker if he caught someone slacking. When he sold out, money became the goal, not quality. I think that was the biggest change. Do they still cook it in the pressure cooker?

[@mobidkillerx]

@@jeffcampbell2710 @Jeff Campbell yeah I don't know about any pressure cookers. I worked at a KFC when I was a kid for all of a month. I got laid off for what I thought was no reason whatsoever, but then a month or two afterwards the whole place went out of business so at least I can be at peace knowing that I didn't do anything wrong. I take pride in my job and that was only one of 3 jobs I've ever been fired from so I was pretty upset about it for a while until they went out of business and that's when I realized that it was just bad management, not bad employees. I've seen a lot of videos on this guy's channel and most of these businesses that fail do so when the original founders part ways and the business is taken over by some greedy dipshit who doesn't know what they're doing and never fully realized why the business they took over was successful in the first place. Oh let's stop using this more expensive ingredient, and let's switch to this cheap shit, but charge the customers the same amount. So then slowly but surely they start losing business because nobody wants to eat they're shitting low quality food. But yeah I don't remember seeing a pressure cooker up there, but they did have a shitload of deep fryers so they would just constantly be dropping this battered chicken into the deep fryers all damn day.

[@markscannell865]

I worked at a KFC around 2000. At the time, the biscuits were pre-formed frozen and not fresh. The cole slaw was a big bag of pre-shredded veggies that had to be mixed with the mayo. The gravy was still the same as what you say. The breading did not have real milk or eggs. At the time they used powdered milk, flour, and a spice mixture. The mashed potatoes would be some pre-processed dry mix as opposed to mashing fresh potatoes. KFC and Pizza Hut are in the same boat. They were great back in the 70s/80s when they used more fresh ingredients. It would be a special occasion to go to Pizza Hut for dinner or bring home KFC for dinner. The decline in quality was one among the many reasons for the decline in those restaurants.

[@zathras11b53]

Colonel Sanders, the founder (and a real person, NOT a cartoon) had a specific method for preparing the chicken. During one of the sales of the company the new owner decided that the original "11 herbs and spices" should be reduced to just 2 in order to save money. William Poundstone, in his 1983 book 'Big Secrets', got some of the mix and it was chemically analyzed to reveal that pepper and MSG are the only thing in the flour now.

[@djjackson-pickett7558]

No garlic? No onion?? What the f*ck

[@brianfuller9565]

Proof?

[@JohnNaturkach]

And MSG is what? Wish people would stop using that kind of wording. Like you actually think people are suppose to know what it means?

[@farmalmta]

@@JohnNaturkach Monosodium Glutamate, orginally a constituent and later an extract from seaweed. Now chemically produced and much, much overused to make up for mediocre recipes. MSG is like salt in that it enhances flavors by stimulating the taste buds. Unfortunately it can cause allergic reactions in some people, and itself alters (as does salt) the overall flavor mix. In general, unless you're using actual seaweed extract, avoid it as there is downside potentially to its inclusion. Glutamtes that occur naturally in food come intertwined with different chemicals or fiber, which the body is naturally inclined to regulate. MSG, however, comes without the natural components of food that help the body regulate glutamic levels. It’s like taking an iron supplement versus obtaining iron from spinach or red meat: the iron supplement creates an expressway between the iron and your bloodstream that you wouldn’t find in natural iron sources.

[@JohnNaturkach]

@ whaaaaaaat?

[@ZemanTheMighty]

I find KFC to be wildly inconsistent. Sometimes you’ll go to one and it will be the best fast food you’ve ever had. But most of the time it’s just kind of gross and oily. The oil sometimes drips right down your arm if you aren’t careful. I just don’t risk it anymore. I’d rather go somewhere where I know the quality will be consistent.

[@MrPoopypants]

I totally agree. Portion size there is the same. Sometimes you get a massive piece of chicken and other times they are small with no meat on them. It makes it hard to know how much to order.

[@poweroffriendship2.0]

Yeah. Fried chicken has always been oily all the time. I guess "finger lickin' good" lives up to its name, isn't it?

[@Planag7]

Completely agree

[@VernCrisler]

Yes, I've noticed that, too. A couple of times I've had to get them to redo the order. In another case, both the food and the service were so bad, I asked for a refund and never went back. If a fast food restaurant wants to stay in business, they cannot afford to lose customers, but that idea seems to be lost on some employees.

[@blacklikethesun]

Facts

[@EristiCat]

I cooked for the Colonel in 1966-1967. The product was excellent. It was cooked in individual pressure cookers about 2 or 3 times larger than a home pressure cooker. Each one held two cut up chickens. You could easily lift them with two hands. We used genuine Crisco, quality flower and a made in the store milk and egg dip from prepackaged materials so more or less a fresh milk and egg dip. Temperatures were kept on the money as was cooking time. Oil was thrown out when it was worn out, when you are cooking with it you can tell. During peak dining times it was hard work, there might be 8 pots going continually in my store, in bigger stores I would not be surprised if there were 16 going. With the quality of ingredients and the care put into cooking each pot the cooked chicken was literally finger licking good. It was beautiful to look at, fully breaded, golden brown, pretty much all the breading stuck on like it was glued in place. Because it was pressure cooked it was beautifully crispy outside and still moist and tender inside. One day we got a new shipment of "oil" and new "flour" they wanted us to try as an experiment. Obviously, an experiment to save money. We tried the new stuff and could tell as soon as it came out of the pots that it was terrible. On a scale of 0 - 100 with the real stuff being 100 it would have been about a 70. We reported back and that was the end of it. That was long long ago, and I've watched over the years as the product quality has declined. Not working there anymore I can't say with any authority what the cause is other than what would be the obvious things to conclude, they are using crappy ingredients to save money and they have switched to those gigantic pressure tubs to cook in. The final product usually looks like it was made by people who literally don't give a crap about product quality. Breading is falling off, it's greasy and undercooked and often tastes like the oil has been in use far too long. On their best day what they produce is perhaps an 80 compared to what we put out back in the 60's.

[@VegasX900]

Do you know what the recipe used to be for the gravy?

[@EristiCat]

@@VegasX900 No. The Gravy was made by "the girls" and the "milk and egg dip" was made by "the boys". I don't recall ever seeing the gravy get made. It was darn good though.

[@loydkline]

Wow: legendary cook work for colonel.sander;; ; lucky

[@Chromedome-ss6mg]

Funny comment lol

[@danielt.3152]

I remember eating KFC in the late 60’s and I can tell there is a difference between then and now. It was darn good. It is still pretty tolerable but you are right not as good as it was. My theory is they forgot the original recipe also. It used to have a bit more pepper in it and a little more kick so to speak.

[@rogermcghee8125]

I worked at KFC back in 1979 or so. The quality of the food (all of it) has gotten so bad that my friends and family won't eat there any more. People eat unhealthy food everyday, but they won't eat unhealthy food that just plain sucks.

[@nuffdoggiggey4103]

I also worked there in 79. If you ask me, I say they sold the recipe to Chick-fil-A, could swear to it, I masterd the technique of cooking the chicken and its garbage now, but Chick-fil-A taste exactly like the old KFC no doubt about it.

[@rzh3369]

Please try and review a UK based franchise called: Southern Fried Chicken, Original Lip licking flavour. The branding has boat, river and sun on it.

[@BritonAD]

That's too bad. I still eat there on occasion. Wonder what quality has been cut.

[@moopert86]

Truth. There's unhealthy but good tasting, then there's KFC which manages to be at the same time unhealthy, expensive, and just plain not good tasting.

[@RenaJMena]

Me neither, I have but I was not buying

[@Silfverr]

In July 2004, the results of an investigation into a KFC-supplying slaughterhouse in Moorefield, West Virginia, revealed that workers were caught on video stomping on chickens, kicking them, and violently slamming them against floors and walls.

[@jrxvo6080]

Well, what else do you expect them to do with uncooperative chickens? I can hear them now saying "Die faster you damn chickens!" Also, think you and I are the only two people that left comments here today.

[@jamesmullins374]

If you’ve never heard of it, KFC actually had a test restaurant in Louisville KY to try to turn KFC into more of a fast casual dining experience. KFC 11. It was so good when it opened. Fresh ingredients, friendly staff, and the southwest chicken bowl was one of the best dishes I’ve had at a fast casual location. It was somewhere I would go to a few times a week. And the only reason I stopped is because corporate got involved and started to remove items from the menu and change over to more normal KFC menu items. Eventually it was just a regular KFC and was a sad disappointment. All to make a few extra cents on the dollar that caused it to go out of business. Makes me hate KFC for ruining something that was amazing.

[@emilyadams3228]

That isn't just KFC. That's what people do, as a species.

[@poeticsilence047]

Doesn't make sense. Why ruin something that obviously is working.

[@sepg5084]

@@poeticsilence047 business is not just about something working or not, it is about market, profit, margins. You can have a great product with small profit margins, but you could also have a cheaper product that is just "good enough" but higher profit margins and sells more volume.

[@willissudweeks1050]

Whoa I didn’t know that

[@justinwhite2813]

James Mullins KFC , toco bell , pizza hut own by yum brands headquarter headquarters in Louisville Kentucky.

[@Sunnbobb]

For me, I was shocked when they raised their prices to insane levels a few years back. Haven't gone back.

[@NazriB]

Lies again? Don't Tell Password Gain City

[@steelhere5519]

- Kentucky Fried Chicken owners are Republicans. Only Republicans can be that damn greedy.

[@alexw4482]

This, the prices have gone ludicrous. I looks at the menu every once in a while and think….nah I’ll get the online boneless deal at wingstop.

[@bbm1077]

thats because the chicken isn't poison anymore. you're missing out.

[@bbm1077]

no "chicken" in those boneless pieces of "meat". kfc all farm fed chicken now...get what u pay 4

[@jeffjordan3806]

The reason our family stopped going to KFC back in the 90a,was their prices. They priced themselves out of the market.

[@roberthicks9191]

Yes

[@tedferreira155]

And their product is crap these days.

[@jjano2320]

They are really high now.

[@galerae947]

$10 for a wing and breast piece, small drink, and small side.

[@scottgriffin449]

Prices are high and quality has gone down

[@lynderherberts2828]

I remember back in the 1980's, we stopped eating at KFC because the breading spice recipe had been altered by the new owners of the franchise. It was no longer special or exceptional.

[@KaijinD]

You nailed it. As a kid, KFC night was to be looked forward to. You knew the chicken, Mac and cheese, and biscuits would make your night. Then it just changed. I haven't been to one in years because the food is cold, warmed over, and/or of noticeably bad quality. The biscuits are like rocks now.

[@the503creepout7]

i remember it was kind of special when i was a kid & my parents got us that big bucket of chicken, with green beans, mashed potatoes & gravy. And this was way after the Colonel had sold the company(were talkin the 80's). So i don't know exactly whern everything changed - for some reason i relate the name change to KFC to the decline in quality. Nowadays i hardly ever eat fast food but about 10 years ago i went & grabbed a two piece at KFC and was grossed out. It was mushy, greasy, & flavorless outside of all the sodium. And with the prices of food these days, i imagine the classic family bucket meal must be like $40. At least Popeyes is still great.

[@swtv1754]

There biscuits were the best. The last few times I tried them, they were very disappointing.

[@the503creepout7]

@@swtv1754 i dont mean to be repetitive, but again - Popeyes. They're biscuits are pretty darn good.

[@mickschnabel]

Yep! pretty sad when you can go to a grocery store or gas station and get better chicken now. Not sure how much longer KFC will last here in the states TBH

[@Goldieslaxx9]

Their macaroni and cheese tastes disgusting.

[@ronsbookreview1010]

Pricing is a really serious issue as well. A 12 piece bucket of chicken at KFC is $23.99 in my area. That's just the chicken, not with any sides. My local grocery store has a hot section in the deli where they fry up fresh fried chicken every day, and a bucket of 12 pieces costs $10.99. The quality is way better than KFC by far to the point that the smell of it makes me weak in the knees. When I pass my local KFC I can smell the grease outside, and it's nauseating.

[@commonsense2156]

Exactly, you can get cheaper better chicken at a local grocery store's hot bar.

[@waxmeltfan]

Oh man that grocery store chicken is to die for

[@JounLord1]

Thats about what I've been doing. The local grocery store has an 8 piece for about 8 bucks, a much better deal then KFC. Tastes not really that different, arguably even better with how hit or miss KFC has gotten. Seems smarter to go with the cheaper option with consistent food quality. And yes the restaurants can be pretty nauseating.

[@dodgsonwevegotdodgsonhere9970]

In Mexico, a 12 piece bucket comes out at approx. $28.5. At the local supermarket, I can get a 12 piece bucket of fried chicken for approx. $6. including a 2 lt. soda and fries. Far better taste and far less oil (it's practically oil-less) Fuck KFC.

[@GeorgeMonet]

Same. 8 piece friend chicken at the grocery is $5.99. Why would I go to KFC where the price is much higher and the quality is comparable?

[@kylebrantleyy3096]

i recently went to Japan and thought i’d give their KFC a try. it was the greatest thing ever, and brought me back to how it used to taste as a kid. a restaurant hardly ever just starts declining. the decline almost always starts on their end with the ingredients and cleanliness.

[@kamekomiyamora]

When I went on a solo 5 day tripa few years back, it was on my itinery to visit one, but I wasn't really hungry when one was nearby, and there was none in the next area. I'll definitely try it if/when I visit again 🥺

[@Author.Noelle.Alexandria]

KFC in France is also amazing!

[@Unpluggedx89]

Because young Americans don’t take pride in their work anymore

[@Manganization]

KFC is only declining in the US. In the Caribbean, KFC is still pretty huge. Judging by the way Americans react to KFC in the Caribbean, I'm going to assume that KFC in America just tastes bad.

[@Bibi_Dude]

Kfc In Canada is amazing

[@denniswilliams2385]

Competition caused the decline of KFC. Everyone and their brother is selling chicken now days and the number just keeps on climbing!

[@SKG1941]

If the Colonel ate anything from KFC today,he would personally go outside and pull his face off every franchise

[@tolucaheights]

He would shoot the chicken pizza

[@avery.a5948]

He would fuck the chicken

[@Loydstardeli2017]

Think his family still get paid,laugh, laugh

[@SmilingAbyssinianCat-dl9dl]

The KFC us asians have are honestly decent. Every KFC in downtown area are so busy with long lines of people waiting. Unlike the western woke obese unhygienic meth head crazies we take our job seriously and demand some standarts even if working for KFC

[@SKG1941]

@@SmilingAbyssinianCat-dl9dl yes, I can really believe that you are right. The problem in this country is that no one cares about doing a quality job unless it pays a ton of money and sometimes not even that. Enjoy it because when it’s gone it’s gone. Also, I am from the south in the US basically where that kind of chicken originated. we miss it. Luckily there are many other restaurants that still make quality fried chicken.

[@wesc6755]

Dehydrated mashed potato flakes; watery gravy; dry crumbly biscuits; soggy breading on the original recipe chicken. All of these have occurred far too many times for me to go back there. As soon as these places are subsumed into a conglomerate, they start to optimize for low cost. KFC and Taco Bell are perfect examples.

[@kennethrohen5963]

HEY! The gravy is NOT watery, as pure used Ford pickup oil is used as gravy!

[@MJ-py7dm]

Here in France, I find KFC is still the same as McDonald's, it's all very low in terms of expectations. Specialized restaurants have seduced customers over the last decade biting off competing companies like KFC. And also, why does my stomach always hurt after eating their chicken?

[@danielfox3003]

Exactly right. Once the founders sold (Sanders and Bell) and the suits take over, it’s all about the bottom line. Ironically, their food eventually tastes like bottom and not the good kind.

[@chuckvenable4409]

I totally agree 👍 Instant potatoes that have to be drank along with the gravy, if you can stand all the salt . Corn on the cob is as tough as ole field corn 🌽 used to feed animals. It's a complete kick in the head paying so much for no more than you get. We don't go to KFC anymore. Same skimpy portions at taco Bell. A couple flimsy tacos for $20.00 bucks .

[@richardfabacher3705]

Our local KFCs serve a grey, mushy, slimy breading on the chicken. Totally inedible. Even the dogs refused it.

[@Kwicdrawmcgraw]

That Oprah coupon thing was a life saver. I was in college with just enough money to put gas in the car when I heard about it. Me and my buddies ate for weeks at KFC. We just kept printing coupons! I salute you Colonel!

[@dk60ish]

Those original little snacker sandwiches were my college lifesaver!

[@Author.Noelle.Alexandria]

@@dk60ish I feel bad for the owners of the locations that were just barely getting by who were sunk by people who decided to do this. Oprah should have had to pay for it all. The individual franchises had no heads-up on this.

[@AirLancer]

@@Author.Noelle.Alexandria Well, that's why coupons are only accepted at participating locations.

[@joesmith9216]

LOL, that thing did not happen at my store, it never even was accepted.

[@caseylm100]

Fast food overseas is much better. It is considered more a luxury and the food and locations are much nicer. The ones in Ecuador are much better than the 40 year old, aging buildings with greasy food here.

[@Oo-Pitbull-oO]

In Canada it is almost entirely ran by foreigners. English is minimal at best. It used to be a PT job for high school and college kids, now entirely shut out for them. The final nail in the coffin was switching to Halal Chicken without even consulting customers. As a practising Roman Catholic, I found this insulting. Had an owner argue me over good quality a few years ago, this just cemented my desicion to steer clear.

[@jonathanLToronto]

Halal is a must have option in Trudeau's Canada.

[@Sashazur]

There’s nothing wrong with halal food if it’s actually good tasting and good quality. The problem isn’t that they tried to expand their customer base, it’s that the quality went down and the prices went up.

[@AlvoriaGPM]

Decline in quality is absolutely on point. I remember one time years ago my family and I went to KFC. Awful experience. The "Extra Crispy" was absolutely soggy and tasted like wet cardboard smells. We pretty much immediately walked out, swearing never to eat at a KFC again. It doesn't take too many families having experiences like that and making similar vows before there's just no customer base anymore.

[@TheReviewLabOfficial]

I’m with you. The crispy sucks now. Remember when it was big crunchy pieces? Not now. Urgh

[@kaythailee4767]

Agree. No amount of marketing can help when the product is no longer good. I used to have craving for it. But after a few disappointment, I don't really want it anymore, especially when it is unhealthy.

kill canada

[@ragingdemon9868]

For me, over past few years, quality of kfc chicken had been very much hit or miss, regardless of franchise location. And recently, it had been bad almost every time. I stopped going to kfc and opt for popeyes these days. Popeyes chicken simply taste much better, though I do prefer the kfc special spices...

[@REXae86]

Pretty much. It’s been over a decade since my family went there.

[@otakujoe600]

I live in Japan and KFC is crazy busy for Christmas. Some slick marketing gave KFC the image as the traditional Christmas meal in Japan. They have order forms to fill out weeks in advance to reserve your Christmas fried chicken.

[@darionrobinson1]

I heard KFC good out there.

[@Echo32x]

I love the commercials! People don’t believe when I tell them In Japan Christmas and Mother’s Day are KFC heavy

[@RedsHitpostMedia]

And ITS BETTER THAN THE STATES. WHERE IT GODDAMN ORIGINATED FROM

[@TimmyTickle]

Apparently it originated because Japanese people wanted to emulate the turkey Christmas dinner they'd seen on American movies and TV shows, and KFC was the closest thing they had

[@Midori_Ringo]

@@YourChannel-r4v KFC in Asia and Australia is a completely different beast to what's in the US. You go Indonesia, Japan and Australia and it's completely different but kind of the same - the menus are tailored to local tastes. It's popular in the Philippines as well but Mcdonalds and Jollibee reign supreme there for fast food places. It's fried chicken but not as greasy as what I experienced in the US. The conglomerate that owns KFC - Yum Foods has failed spectacularly with Taco Bell in these areas as a side note. Taco Bells popularity in the US would probably have most people confused in these areas.

[@wueskew169]

I drive for Doordash in Missoula, MT. Here's a factoid: I can't recall getting more than one order request to go to KFC despite the fact that I've completed over 1,025 pickups and deliveries. Meanwhile, I pickup at Chick-fil-A multiple times each day and Popeye's multiple times each week. I also drive by KFC regularly; I see their parking lot empty most of the time.

[@ryeinn6971]

Fuck kfc

[@wentoneisendon6502]

Very interesting, cheers brother

[@alangray9117]

Popeyes is too greasy. Culver's has the best fried chicken 🍗. I still love kfc extra crispy.

[@SuperWildsnorlax]

They’re still popular in African American and Muslim communities

[@churchofseabass9227]

I agree, I do DD in the south and every KFC is also a Taco bell, I get orders from Taco Bell all day but never KFC. Never see anyone coming in to buy it either.

[@bobbylibertini]

In China, KFC stands for Kentucky Fried Cats. [Shielding my cat's eyes as she sits on my lap as I type this]

[@Dld1985]

A friend of mine had a KFC franchise back in the 60’s and he said Coronal Sanders was very meticulous about maintaining the quality of his food. He would visit unannounced at locations to do quality checks. After he sold the franchise things started going down.

[@abysspegasusgaming]

CoLonEl Sanders had every right to, and it broke his heart to see his beloved company become diminished and disgraced by the ones whom he sold it to. (and, yes, it's spelled colonel, not coronal, as he was in the US Army as well, though didn't earn the rank of colonel)

[@Kuricang31]

​@@abysspegasusgaming Yup. His rank in the US Army was a 'Wagoner'. The 'Colonel' title was given by the Governor of Kentucky at that time to him for help making the State famous. Around the same time where he began dressed as how the world knew him, friendly old man with white suit and a string tie

[@seanpeck8748]

Dave Thomas used to be a KFC franchisee and he would tell stories about the Mr Sanders... Basically he told stories about how if he came to your franchise and didn't like how you were doing things he would literally take his pressure cookers out into your parking lot and run them over, and you were done as a KFC franchise.

[@channelthree9424]

It’s not unusual for this type of thing to happen. It’s sad but it’s not unusual.

[@MrWolfSnack]

If you tasted KFC chicken back then, you would understand why he had every right to do that. People cared about the product they created and it's not hard to just follow simple directions. People get lazy and stupid and don't know how to follow orders and then they need to be punished. @@seanpeck8748

[@friendlytester6861]

I worked at KFC and I think one thing that really works to their disadvantage is there for ever-changing menu. The structure, pricing, offerings etc. change too often so you never know what you’re going to get or for how much. It’s a lot more obvious with KFC than other restaurants.

[@mikeap1987]

The menu is also very crowded and complicating to read.

[@friendlytester6861]

@@mikeap1987 yup. The $5 fill ups helped and they took it away

[@malcolmabram2957]

I used to regularly go To KFC for their value meals, 3 pieces chicken, chips and a drink. Have not done that for a long time. Don't go now.

[@friendlytester6861]

@@malcolmabram2957 I liked the meals that had bone in and boneless chicken like the two thighs and popcorn chicken combination. They don’t have it anymore.

[@willc5512]

@@mikeap1987 Its also an arm & a leg now. Complete nonsense.

[@roymcewen8203]

I met the Colonel when I was 12 years old on my way to play Little League Baseball and I had missed dinner. The small local family grocery store at the end of my street had just been converted into something called Kentucky Fried Chicken and there was an older gentleman in a white suit standing alone in front of the new establishment. I went over to him to ask what the new place was all about and he explained that it served the best fried chicken sold anywhere. I said I had a baseball game but would come back tomorrow with money to try this new chicken. He smiled and asked an employee to give me a dinner for free !! This was very exciting and the food was excellent. The fries were exceptional from what I was used to and it was all very exciting. I did not quite understand that he was the owner of a huge chain of KFCs entering Canada.

[@billiyonaire]

KFC in the 🇺🇸 is the worst it’s just salty and very unhealthy. Best KFC I’ve eaten is in Jamaica 🇯🇲 I heard the rest of Caribbean KFCs are great also

[@roymcewen8203]

@@billiyonaire Yes that’s true. I would add that the chicken now at least in Canada is somewhat greasy on top of what you said, however in the 1960s I remember it being so much better and miles above the other choices that were out there. I think we have to see KFC as an important historical part of the creation of the fast food industry. There are many unhealthy choices out there and KFC is just one of them. I don’t eat it a lot now, but when I do I have happy memories of having it as a child and meeting the Colonel : )

[@nw8000]

Hey great story thanks for telling us, I eat KFC now and then I am glad they kept his image for the brand

[@billiyonaire]

@@roymcewen8203 well to be honest who would have thought the place where it was invented it’s so distasteful. They have butchered the colonel recipe and I would like to think he is turning in his grave. I hope you cherish those memories.

[@robertajennings3815]

Awesome,,,wish I could have met the guy,,,,best chicken ever,,,,good luck ....

[@me0101001000]

I used to teach English in Tokyo, and let me tell you how big of a sensation KFC is. Every Christmas, it's a national tradition, especially in bigger cities, to get KFC. It started as a marketing move, and it has very clearly stuck. I'm aware of how big KFC is in Korea, Taiwan, and China as well, but I'm not aware of any Christmas tradition. If someone knows if it exists, let me know. But yeah, in Japan, KFC has become enshrined in Japanese culture.

[@FWDSUXARSE]

Last time I was in Japan (about 6 years ago) I too learned just how popular it is in Japan.

[@dane1382]

and the tradition is viewed as having come from america

[@evilmejosh]

The tradition is viewed as that it's an American tradition that's why it's popular because of that perception. It was started by a Japanese KFC franchisee I think in the '70s or '80s and it just became belief that Americans did it so the Japanese would do it lol. Even though in America we either do ham or turkey (sometimes duck,etc)

[@andygraning2190]

@@evilmejosh MatPat did a video about it that was kind of interesting kzbin.info/www/bejne/ppzdgqmOjsZkm8U

[@evilmejosh]

@@andygraning2190 yeah I saw a video on it from somebody else too. It's really interesting marketing move, that's created a cultural tradition

[@hollum1648]

Would love to see a sister video about KFC in international markets! I know Japan in particular has a tradition of everyone eating KFC on Christmas to the point where you have to order it months in advance

[@xxdesertstorm]

Japan at least will hire their own unlike Canada who rather hire one race as they are part of the racist hiring practices currently taking place in Canada #deportindia #indiansarenotwelcomeincanada

[@tonyahinrichs8828]

It's big in Jamaica too. They call it Keep From Cooking

[@brandoncammon7971]

KFC grew from Japans food shortage after WW2 & was the first resaturant to aid

[@Raskolnikov70]

Sounds like that scene from 1993's "Demolition Man" where in the near future they pull up to a 4-star restaurant and it's a Taco Bell.

[@malcolmapplet4313]

@@Raskolnikov70 Taco Bell won the "franchise Wars" that movie is underrated.

[@mikegilbert2329]

I grew up in Kentucky and used to get my hair cut at the same barber shop as the Colonel. I even remember seeing him collecting for the Salvation Army in a shopping mall in Louisville. He was a very sweet person around children, but if he was a handful everywhere else. places. In restaurants, if he didn't like the looks of the food he was served he would throw the plate in the floor and demand that the chef do it over. He lived in Simpsonville, Kentucky and had a restaurant called Claudia Sanders Dinner House. It is still there and owned by the family.

[@Jadon.MacCormack]

Thanks for sharing, might go there if I go to Kentucky in the next decade

[@greyhairedsnake9427]

Wow, thanks for the information. Interesting.

[@SimRacingVeteran]

How dare he have high standards for his brand. Outrageous.

[@JayceeOnYouTube]

@@SimRacingVeteran OP said he'd do that "at restaurants", never specified them being KFCs

[@MrRiderLtd]

Even in the UK the chickens quality you get from KFC is so bad and the size is even worse yet the prices keeps going up and up

[@robertwilliams7250]

Kfc in Jamaica is crazy popular, it's honestly a staple brand and it tastes really good (I would recommend it to anyone if you visit).... I tried KFC in the U.S. once and as I was ordering the cashier asked if I was Jamaican, when I said yes she told me that the chicken wasn't like my country's and I'm going to be disappointed and I was ☹️.... It's funny how she had to prepare me for it 😂

[@kevaughnramsay9846]

Yup.

[@amtraklover]

Had it in Negril, Jamaica and your right it was amazing. Plus the seafood items weren't bad either

[@SamBrickell]

That's honestly hilarious that she knew your expectations were going to be too high😄

[@Goldieslaxx9]

Their chicken breast taste uncooked

[@LondraCalibro9]

thailand kfc is great too

[@PepperTreeVilla]

Our local location of Kentucky Fried Chicken had a major fire. Instead of repairing the building, they closed the restaurant and tore down the location. It’s still an empty lot.

[@critter2]

i got two near me one has taco bell and kfc, the other city has taco in diffrent area and kfc in diffrent area as well. I mean i didn't go to that one cause parking lot look horrible run down... though i say is very clean in store but it very costly for kfc

[@Poet482]

Perhaps it was insurance fraud. Then again, with the awful economy it may have simply been the company viewing it as a sign from above.

[@ElTigre12024]

The KFC that I usually went to growing up had a health violation a few years back, but I never eat there anymore anyways. The quality seems to have gone downhill for years, and the last time I went the service was some of the worst I’ve ever experienced.

[@Raskolnikov70]

I'm sure they ran the numbers and figured out the insurance settlement was more than they'd make from the location in 20 years. Take the money and run...

[@stevecagle2317]

Burned down? Lucky you!

[@toppingclover7561]

Something you missed in this video, which is great by the way. Price. They got too expensive, even before the pandemic and inflation. Right now in my area, just a 16 piece bucket of chicken in $30.99 not including tax. For that amount, I can go to my local Kroger and get 16 pieces of fried chicken ($12), a carton of microwaveable mashed potatoes ($3.99) 2 cans of veggies ($1) and 4 6 packs of soda ($12) and still have a few bucks left over. There was a time when the prices at KFC were reasonable.

[@lucascady4992]

Way too expensive!! I went order a 8pcs family meal the other day, thinking it was still $20... Nope $29 dollar's for 8pcs of chicken, instant potatoes, powder gravy, and 4 biscuits... No thanks, I can make it better at home for less than half the price!!!

[@bigstupidgrin]

Yeah they're competing with sit-down restaurants at that point.

[@rheawelsh4142]

To be fair that's also because the price of chicken in general spiked first before general inflation

[@jenniferbrunson8671]

I may be wrong but it seems like other countries have higher standards for their food than we do. Maybe that's why it taste better overseas. On the price in 2022, even with all the inflation, KFC's prices haven't gone up. I don't think it's as good as it used to be though.

[@KelvinWorks]

In Los Angeles just last week, the price for an 8 piece bucket with two side was 30.99 not including tax. I was shocked! Odds are I won't be back anytime soon.

[@mrdayyumyum3712]

The fatal mistake was replacing the rolls with biscuits and the white KFC flavored gravy with brown gravy. You could sop the gray with the rolls. It was better than the chicken.

[@shyman9023]

Right you are. Biscuits are for breakfast.

[@vitajazz]

I worked for KFC. The biggest disaster to the taste of the food was a change in handling the spices. At first the chicken was washed in the egg wash, then rolled in the herbs and spices, then rolled in flour, this kept the spices close to the chicken so the flavour was crisped into the meat. But then they switched to including the spices in the egg wash, followed by the flour, so the spices were not rolled into the skin of the chicken, thus hardly any taste was left Also switching from gas cookers to electrics cookers with a shorter precook and higher pressure cook period did not as evenly cook the meat.

[@braddeicide]

I started at KFC 28 years ago and the egg was powdered and mixed with spices into the flower which chicken was rolled in (after dunking in water). How long ago were you there?

[@vitajazz]

@@braddeicide 1971 to 1977.

[@Neoprenesiren]

Have you never made chicken before? Putting spices in the egg wash is far better, actually what you just described is the exact same thing. The egg wash literally combines with the flour and spices into one whole layer. If it didn't you wouldn't be able to have fried chicken because you would never form a crust.

[@braddeicide]

@@Neoprenesiren That's his point. He liked when KFC did it that way, they later switched to water wash, then pressing the chicken into an industrial sized bag of flower that has a packet of powdered egg and a packet of spices mixed through it.

[@Neoprenesiren]

@@braddeicide sure that must be it

[@melgreier1630]

My issue with KFC has been the flavour ... I remember as a child and young adult, loving the zingy taste of the herbs & spices flavour, but now, I’ve gone several times hoping that the previous times were just ‘bad days’ but there is 0 flavour. The chicken tastes like cardboard, the fries have no flavour and the gravy (which was one of my favourites) is about as tasty as tap water.

[@loydkline]

Kfc fried chicken 🍗 🐔 is stale unless it a freshly made; French fries 🍟 are bad & biscuits are terrible; bring back potatoes wedges

[@tetrafuse3096]

@@loydkline wtf did I just read

[@loydkline]

@tetrafuse3096 don:t like Kentucky fried chicken 🍗 chicken unless it fresh made French fries are bad like potatoes wedges alot better; biscuits are terrible

[@tetrafuse3096]

@@loydkline why cant you just talk like a normal person

[@controlhallgaming8748]

@@loydkline I AGREED with you bring back potato wedges and bbq pulled chicken sandwich and ill go buy a meal

[@johndamenillusionist4342]

Quality is the killer. One of my first jobs way back when I was 17 years old was a KFC as a cook. I still remember to this day how meticulous the manager and assistant manager were about quality control (as well as cleanliness of the store). They would literally sample every tray of chicken that came out, every bisquit tray, the slaw...you name it. And more so, they could tell when even the slightest thing was off just by appearance and taste of the food. They'd know if the chicken wasn't marinated long enough, or if the bisquit dough wasn't mixed properly simply by taste, and if it wasn't right, they would not allow it to be sold and we'd have to make more...lol, no joke. Nowadays that type of dedication to product quality, and pride in who they were barely exists. I walk into a KFC now, taste the food and it's merely a shadow of what it once was back in the day. That's the simple fact.

[@ChickenMcThiccken]

was also less illegals in america in the 80's.

[@iamcleaver6854]

​@@ChickenMcThiccken I is funny how we have a similar situation in Russia. MacDonalds would only hire Russian and Belorussian citizens, respect underage labour laws and would have stringent quality control. KFC on the other hand hires illegal migrats doesn't mind teenagers working night shifts (which is a violation of Russian labour laws) and somehow manages to be 50% more expensive.

[@richardwarren7492]

@@ChickenMcThiccken Sure that's it. How about this? Stop being an a$$ hole.

[@jarate8076]

@@ChickenMcThiccken false analogy

[@Eric-jk3oi]

That's how am with Popeyes macaroni and cheese. God love that stuff! It's so delicious. Makes me nut

[@fge00]

They got too expensive and they just started to disappear. It's hard to find one now, not to mention the menu is almost unintelligible now.

[@raypabs5374]

High price was the absolute reason that I stopped buying KFC chicken. At one time, Popeyes chicken was selling ten pieces for $10 while KFC was double the cost so I abandoned KFC all together as a customer. Unfortunately, with the down fall of KFC, Popeyes has now doubled or even tripled their price so nowadays, I just spend my money to eat in restaurants instead of fast food places.

[@suzzannegabel1636]

Popeyes opened near us four years ago. We went there once. Never again. We waited 45 minutes for our eat-in order. The staff was too busy waiting on the drive through, I guess. When we finally got our food, it wasn't worth the wait. Lukewarm at best and only so-so.

[@Calamity_Jack]

No kidding, you can eat at many nice sit-down restaurants now for about the same price they charge for fast food. And don't get me started on the employees they hire nowadays. When I pull up I often just get a blank stare, not saying anything to me. They hand me the bag and off I go, never a word exchanged. Fast food places are hiring anyone with a pulse - no customer service skills required.

[@fabolousjada5070]

Thats what happened in the late 90s no lie

[@RRaucina]

8 for $10 now so I buy again... but chester fried can be better for less.

[@texan2u]

In the 60's & 70's the chicken was great. Now it's crap - not making money? Go figure that !

[@MrEjohnston]

Something definitely has changed. About 4 years ago I had KFC, it was horrible, nothing like the KFC I remember as a kid.

[@Spacecadet690]

for some reason no one can seem to notice the correlation between KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and many other chains being bought by Yum Brands then taking a dive in quality again and again and again as they use cheaper and cheaper products and often upped the filler and used ingredients that mimicked the real thing and are nothing but a cocktail of chemicals. I've even pointed it out and the cognitive dissonance kicks in high gear and they mutter on about other NPC versions of reality where it's not the same people having bought and wrecked all those chains. Look at any restaurant under the Yum Brands umbrella and tell me everyone of them wasnt a complete 180 in food quality and cooking processes during the late 90's.

[@johniii8147]

Tastes change and you get use to better food as you get older in a lot of cases. Didn't even like them much as a kid (other than the fried chicken original skin. And their sides have always been awful.

[@johniii8147]

@@DieWitnessWell that's fried chicken in general.

[@Wally97523]

I agree with your comment completely. I stopped at a KFC in Cheyenne, Wyoming while traveling. I was a ways away from Cheyenne. When I pulled over to eat, there was a piece of plastic webbing in the chicken caulked into the coating. KFC was a regular dinner for me after my wife passed away. Not anymore I haven’t been to a KFC since that happened. I sent feedback to the company and of course I got no response.

[@gioluvs1893]

​@repentandbelieveinJesusChrist2shut up!

[@richerDiLefto]

What happened to KFC is the same thing that happened to other fast food restaurants. Crap food quality, crap service, crap sanitation (often literally), and crap prices. It’s not a big mystery.

[@jrxvo6080]

What happened to KFC? I'll tell you what happened: Back in the mid-1990s they removed the 11 herbs and spices from there regular original "11 herbs and spices" batter. And ever since then there was a steady decline of customers. Back in the mid-1990s KFC was sold and purchased by a large conglomerate Corporation. The new owners decided to remove the ONLY best reason why people like eating at Kentucky Fried Chicken. And when I called the new owners of KFC and asked them why they removed the 11 herbs and spices they told me that fewer old people were eating there because the old people thought the chicken was too salty. What a much a bull crap! That was NOT the reason. They got rid of the 11 herbs and spices because that was the most expensive ingredient of that particular batter. They did it ONLY for additional major cash profits so that they could more quickly pay off the purchase cash price of KFC. And I remember, before KFC sold out to some cheap ass corporate conglomerate, I used to notice how other people at the KFC restaurants would finish eating all the meat off the chicken bones and then they would carefully pick off the leftover chunks of batter of the 11 herbs and spices and eat those leftover chunks of batter because of how good a flavor it was. And ever since they removed the 11 herbs and spices I stopped eating there but occasionally about every five years I would try the chicken again to see if they put at least 50% of the spices back in BUT they did not. They continue to have bland tasting better. These new large corporation conglomerates keep doing these kind of things destroying so many fine once superior quality U.S. products and services. They are slowly helping to turn the United States into another Third World crappy poor quality country.

[@bobthetvfan]

@@jrxvo6080 The KFC in my town hardly has any customers. It has a bad reputation for sanitation and poor quality food; I can't eat it without getting sick. Bojangles has the chicken business here.

[@jrxvo6080]

​@@bobthetvfan Yeah, I hear that a lot about different KFC's. And the last one I visited about a month ago was disgustingly dirty ! There was caked up grease and dirt on the floors around all the door jams including inside the kitchen. The main entrance door to the lobby had caked up grease and smear marks that were obviously several months old that were NEVER cleaned by the manager. And the men's bathroom did not have a partition board/wall between the commode and the toilet which meant only one person could use the bathroom at a time. So, since so many KFC restaurants have fewer and fewer customers and are not clean properly, that means ONLY one thing: KFC will file bankruptcy and every single one of their restaurants will be closed permanently. GOOD! And, as I mentioned earlier, the main reason fewer and fewer customers don't want to eat at KFC anymore is because the new owners of KFC removed the famous "Colonel's 11 Herbs and Spices" from their Original Batter Recipe beginning in the mid-1990s. And they did that only to save a lot of money to help them to sooner pay off what they paid for purchasing KFC. Careless fools and lousy investors.

[@MarkSmithhhh]

​@jrxvo6080 lol "old people said it was too salty"...wow...what a bunch of bs...it's fried chicken, it's supposed to be salty, greasy, and delicious...the same "too salty" taste they allegedly complained about was the same flavor that made america fall in love with it...such garbage

[@jrxvo6080]

@@MarkSmithhhh I agree with your statement. I guess when people get old they have a problem distinguishing the difference between a good strong spicy seasoning and salt. But, again, the main reason why the Corporation conglomerate new owners removed the "Colonel's 11 Herbs and Spices" was to ONLY save money. For the past several decades the heart and soul and the best parts of the United States are slowly being destroyed right before our eyes and there is NOTHING we can do about it. And now that the Biden/Harris socialist and Marxist administration allowed between 15 and 20 million scum people of the world into the United States we are now, and will be more so so than ever before, becoming more of a crappy Third World country. And there's no way Trump can remove enough of them forcing them to come back into our once great country LEGALLY instead of ILLLEGALLY entering our country due to open borders.

[@martinbones681]

Price is probably my biggest complaint. And it's down to greed. The usual length of time it takes to raise chickens to a supermarket standard is about 8 weeks. KFC used to buy this sized bird. Now they want birds at six weeks for the simple reason that they buy chicken by the pound, but sell it by the PIECE. It's obvious in the size of the buckets they sell....a 12 piece bucket used to be 2 inches taller, but they don't need that space anymore.

[@the-kilted-trucker59]

As a trucker I have been to several KFC'S, the quality of the food varies greatly. Some of the stores where so dirty I didn't even order. It has become a far cry from the KFC of the 60's and 70's.

[@aliasofanalias7448]

I was born in the 90s and I remeber kfc used to be greasy and succulent but not dirty you know? Now it's just dry and dirty

[@martinportelance138]

Yeah exactly. One doesn't know anymore what he'll get.

[@dianalord5825]

You even the KFCs in the hood don't taste right.

[@patrickancona1193]

@@aliasofanalias7448 born in 68, had one of the franchises the Colonel personally taught the owner nearby, it was incredibly good, so good kids saved their nickels just to get a meal, 3 piece, only had the 3 piece meal, mashed taters, slaw & a biscuit, or gtfo, it stayed great until the owners son lost it in a divorce in the 80’s, overnight it went to crap, I miss Kentucky Fried Chicken, you can keep kfc whatever the hell that cap is

[@beesafesweetheart8738]

I loved kfc in the 90s as a kid, damn wish I could have tried it then... No chemicals hey if anything you had the first chemicals and gmo chicken they been doing this shit forever

[@blitzmom2674]

Can’t believe you didn’t mention the price. It is ridiculously expensive. And at a time when you could buy a supermarket rotisserie chicken for 5$. Also their pieces were not thigh breast etc but often broken up halves of pieces.

[@NattyPi]

the price is definetly the biggest issue. I havent eaten KFC since 2011 when the double down came out. Their 10 piece is like $50 bucks wtf

[@williewonka6694]

Rotisserie chicken is a loss-leader in most supermarkets. They lose money on the chicken to lure customers into the store. Notice the chicken is located far from the store entrance?

[@GregMoress]

@@williewonka6694 You mean in front of the check-out aisles? Along with the baked bread? Places like Wal-Mart would get those customers anyway, the cheap food is just another razor-thin profit margin they accept to eliminate the competition.

[@Psythik]

Nah it's not the price, it's the quality. bb.q Chicken (a Korean fried chicken joint) recently came to my town. It costs literally twice as much as KFC, yet they're *always* slammed to the point where they often have to close early due to running out of chicken. You want to know why? Because it's some of the most delicious fried chicken one could have. It's so tantalizingly juicy and has *just* the right amount of crispiness. KFC always comes out mushy and overcooked, even if you order extra crispy. *That's* why they're failing. Price has nothing to do with it.

[@amdenis]

Because their chicken smells like sewage-literally. Cheap, poorly managed chicken supply. Ate it i the 70’s-80’s couldn’t eat it now.

[@kirstenspencer3630]

In 1974 I went to a " grand opening " of a KFC. COL SANDERS was greeting the customers. His wife had passed away about 6 months earlier. He looked so tired and frail. I felt so sorry for him. His handlers should have let him simply retire.... I am sure I was not alone in this sentiment......

[@kentbetts]

He didn't want to retire. He wanted to be a part of KFC. The company tried to tell him that it was no longer his company but he couldn't figure it out. He still went into franchise restaurants and told them how to run their business.

[@raheemallen2003]

Friends ALL these calamity's that are going on around the world will lead to a Sunday Law Which will The Mark Of The Beast, Those that keep Gods seventh day sabbath will be prohibited from buying and sell and persecuted. Jesus is coming are you ready?

[@vladimirputindreadlockrast812]

In 1974, you went to a grand opening of Kentucky Fried Chicken. it didn't become KFC until 1991. That marked the beginning of the decline of civilization. No longer did citizens need to learn how to read or spell.

[@anonymousjohnson976]

@@kentbetts : He should have told them how to cook the chicken, because today it is not the same taste as it used to be, not as good. Also, the cole slaw used to be so good too, but now it's not. I have never seen such small chicken either. They need to get back to the "secret recipe" and hire people who know how to actually cook.

[@ryanjofre]

Thanks for Sharing. Unlike Sam Walton who use to do the same thing(greet people at his stores), the Colonel wasn’t a scumbag.

[@byronmarshall3924]

KFC is very popular in Asia, mostly in the mall food courts there.

[@counterfeitsaint7479]

I think of KFC the same way I think of Subway. For years they were the only fast food restaurant offering their particular type of food, and they got huge and complacent. Now there are several other chains offering the same type of food but better quality, there's little reason to keep going to the original. I also think that being publicly traded will universally result in a lower quality product.

[@Raskolnikov70]

That's a great point I'm not sure CM covered as well as he could have in the video. I'd been going to KFC since the early 70's and saw in real time how the quality dropped as more and more fried chicken places opened up. The one that gave them stiff competition in my town was Roy Rogers/Hardee's. They offered fried chicken of similar quality for WAY cheaper because it was only one item on a large menu. You could bring a bunch of people there when some people (but not everyone) wanted fried chicken and people could order whatever they wanted. KFC did try to branch out a bit but they could never compete with another big fast food chain offering a similar and cheaper product.

[@wrenlmao124]

It's true, I think its about complacency. They were big in the 90s and they just kinda stopped trying. The newer companies are doing something new or just keeping up with the times.

[@ericwalker8382]

For sure, Chik-Fil-A, Zaxbys, and Popeyes destroy KFC. Then you have Jersey Mike's, Firehouse Subs, and Jimmy John's putting Subway out of business.

[@uselessinformation3634]

That bottom statement is completely true. A family member of mine used to work for UPS when they were still a private company and said that the company actually cared for the workers, gave their employees stuff like turkeys for Thanksgiving, etc. All of that stopped once UPS went public. As somebody that used to work at Worldport (UPS's Global Hub), nobody working there gives a shit. UPS employs at least 80% college kids to do the work but there's no accountability. I could throw your package around, smash it down in the bags, etc. and there was no consequences.

[@GeorgeMonet]

It's the leveraged buyout that kills the corporation. The buying corporation raises the price and reduces the value to try to payback the bonds it took out within 5-6 years. But this destroys the purchased company as it drives away customers who might not come back.

[@brodiedriscoll2003]

The KFC in Australia is fantastic, easily our most popular fast food chain. I tried KFC in America and was shocked at how different it was...pretty much not even the same food at all it was way worse!

[@keeleeng]

I agree.. had it in the US and it was rubbish and at that time had no burgers, the place was small and dirty.

[@BassBanj0]

Same here in the UK, it's still really big and a close second to McDonald's They are still opening restaurants quite often and are seen as one of the best It seems to be one of the chains that varies drastically from country to country

[@scottgfx]

I didn't know they had KFCs in Austria… (kidding)

[@grndzro777]

In the US go to Popeyes. Most supermarkets also have pretty good chicken. I'v found that Save Mart's is particularly tasty.

[@indevelopment3453]

wicked wings \m/>.

[@lukecat3825]

I was a teen in the 60s and actually worked at the local KFC for a short time. The one thing I miss and almost no one remembers is the original gravy. It was real thick and fresh made style gravy. Not like the “Motor oil” looking liquid they call gravy today. We would get a quart of gravy and a dozen rolls (biscuits) and just eat it alone. They changed the rolls also. If that gravy recipe was still around it would be gold.

[@damonlam9145]

I doubt you know or remember the gravy recipe but just out of curiosity since you did work there did you seen how it was made or at least tried to replicate the gravy?

[@RedSpade37]

it do be motor oil lookin tho

[@patyoung7802]

@@damonlam9145 I worked at KFC from 1968 for 8 years. That gravy was made by straining the oil used during frying and using this bits that were left over (like we make gravy at home today). We used the seasoned flour to mix with the bits and added water. It WAS delish. We went through at least 6 gallons a day. I shudder to think what that stuff they call gravy is now but it's tasteless. BTW: wwe used solid Kraft shortning to cook the chicken...not oil. All our chickens were the same size. They had to be since they were cooked with timer and cooked under pressure.

[@rocaverde2829]

The downfall for me was 2 years ago when I went into a KFC and they were out of Chicken! Totally out!. I asked what they had and they said macaroni. I ordered that and it was pretty good, but even so I think that most of you can figure it out.

[@proudcanadian5713]

The single biggest problem with KFC is the changes in cooking the chicken. In fact, there's a video on KZbin SHOWING how they cooked the chicken back in the 60's and it's brilliant. When I was a kid growing up in the 60's, I LOVED KFC and there was a location just down the street that I lived on. When they were cooking it up, the smells blanketed half a block and it made your mouth water. NOW, go anywhere near a location as they're cooking and the smells make you want to throw up. I would make a suggestion that they take a few locations and go back to cooking the food like they did in the 60's. Could call it CLASSIC KFC and I predict they would blow the competition out of the water.

[@mikezylstra7514]

I can't figure out why Church's hasn't grabbed the loose ball and headed for the goal line. Their chicken was way better than KFC for at least 35 years. And all I've seen Church's do in the past 20 years is close restaurants. Stupid idiots.

[@elainemurphy2406]

I agree KFC has changed alot since the early 80's when I first had it, its nowhere near as nice now. Something in the recipe has changed drastically and I think the colonel would turn in his grave if he knew.

[@JohnSmith-nj4zq]

Back in the 60's, you can use lard or bacon fat as the oil to cook the chickens. That's what made the chicken tasting finger licking good.

[@proudcanadian5713]

@@JohnSmith-nj4zq That's what they were using, Lard. Could still use it today but they switched out because it was too expensive and then fed us BS about how it was so bad for us.

[@guysumpthin2974]

Seemed like the venting stopped when the owner died , tables and chairs were covered in grease (you can write your name in the grease film) . Also , get the aluminum out of the biscuits , and put real honey in the “honey” packets (corn syrup and sugar is not the same as honey)

[@secretbeach999]

I can tell you exactly what happened, I experienced it first hand recently: the owners have no idea what’s going on and they have no idea how to train, or put in place leaders to train their staff.

[@phillipholland6795]

Popeyes. That's what happened.

[@sandybruce9092]

We had a Popeye’s where I live until it closed before Covid. I did like them but it was just a bit too spicy for me! I’ll give them another try when I can find one!

[@eq2092]

My issue is that every other time I go they are out of chicken. 😂

[@agems56]

I grew up in the sixties with KFC, and find it amazing how employees in those days were men in their mid 20's to thirties, supporting families, and then when fast food outlets became synonymous with outsourcing, and hiring cheap labor, everything went downhill!

[@wumpus808]

couldn't agree more. honestly kinda shows why society nowadays is in a sense, a failure.

[@tomspencer4371]

Illegal immigrants and legal immigrants coming from dirt hole countries.

[@15collitm]

@@tomspencer4371 lol I've seen tons of meth heads from the boonies too

[@tomspencer4371]

@@15collitm Meth heads are everywhere unfortunately.

[@blackoutgstar9949]

not only that. when they started making fast food companies change the recipes because of trans fat mcdonalds isn't close to what it used to be, barely tolerable at some locations even pizza pizza is not the same pizza as it used to be

[@DwightStJohn-w1l]

1995 KFC "bbq" was the No. 1 in Everett Wa. but in Vancouver, BC you couldn't GIVE bbq (essentially ketchup soaked chicken) away.

[@coldlakealta4043]

same in Toronto. Their stores and staff are unpleasant, dirty and sloppy and the food is getting smaller all the time. Walk into a store and instead of a pleasant odour of cooking chicken you get a lung full of overheated grease. Judging by the signs all over town for "under new management" the customers aren't there any more. My nearest store is a one stop lesson in how not to run a food store. The Colonel's way of doing things isn't working in 2024.

[@BUYBOTH]

I liked KFC when it was mostly chicken meat. It gradually became a thick coating of spicy chrispy batter with a chicken center. Portions shrunk and prices rose. We used to get KFC weekly. Now I might stop in once every few years and get reminded why I don't eat there.

[@harrysmusicroom]

exactly right.

[@gumpyoldbugger6944]

Agreed

[@rrob692326]

Try buying a fricken 16 piece bucket of their stinking chicken only, in Hawaii, for the bargain price of a mere 73 Bucks and change, only to toss out a third of it! because it was so damn lousy! Really, an honest thief would just use a gun to rob you!!

[@joeybleu66]

is the breading some of that factory food we been hearing about?

[@ratdad48]

@rrob692326 Indeed. The breading makes up half of the leg or breast of the damn hatchling they are serving you.

[@pamelamays4186]

I'm from a time when KFC mashed potatoes and gravy were made from scratch. When I was a kid with a single Mom who was also a college student, going to KFC was a treat.

[@sixletters9759]

I remember the days when the potatoes and gravy were great. Now the potatoes taste like a box of dehydrated potato flakes, that they've added too much water to them. The gravy taste like salty wallpaper paste.

[@dan44zzt231]

Same for me. My family didn't have much and KFC was like a birthday or special occasion treat. The food used to way better but also more expennive. Seems like prices haven't risen all that much but they've sacrificed quality massively.

[@Hero-hs4gt]

I remember KFC after church on a Sunday would be packed and it was hard to get a booth or a table. People would wait on you at KFC like a real restaurant and take your order. Those memories of my dad and my grandad is what I have left. When they're gone they're gone. Some of the best times of my life and I didn't even know it.

[@Wade_Fucking_Wilson]

" you don't know what you have until it's gone" sums up nostalgia 😢

[@vicioannou]

Reason why I’ve stopped going to KFC is because I couldn’t get legs & wings only in Giant Family meal

[@poncharitaville]

I can't believe anyone goes to KFC anymore, especially in Canada. I was a die hard KFC customer. Here in Canada years ago they started cutting pieces into smaller pieces and charging almost twice the price overnight. I was so pissed that i stopped going altogether. I was with a friend one night and she wanted KFC for dinner, so we went. It was absolutely terrible, pretty much inedible we threw most away and now the price is even twice the price of the last time I was there. The Colonal would vomit if he knew what they did to his amazing chicken. So sad to see what has happened to almost every business. Everything is terrible and way over priced. I'm gunna miss you KFC.

[@corners23251]

Where do they get that fluorescent green cabbage? It's scary.

[@Barbara-jq2se]

Re:comment: 👆I hear ya. That’s a revolting experience! Much like just putting terrible grease in your mouth. And it’s very true the Colonel would be really disturbed & probably even have something to say about the destroying of his delicious recipe. I question if he’d stay quiet about this!

[@darshilmashru8479]

Did you go KFC or PFK?

[@jameslafreniere9458]

Yes that's so true and places are run poorly. I stopped long ago too. I'm in Michigan

[@user-yn9mx7xu1r]

I keep telling myself that this time it’s gonna be good, but every single time I get disappointed. I shouldn’t give them any chances anymore. With every bite I first feel a mouthful of oil going down my throat and it’s only then when I can taste the chicken! Also I usually get upset stomach and diarrhea right away. My husband does too. I am also from Canada

[@tylerdurden7869]

Honestly food quality vs price has gotten so crazy I stopped eating out all together. As a tradesmen it's saved me 1000s . As a person I actually feel healthier

[@robmaddison8645]

the first rule about nutrition is YOU DO NOT TALK ABOUT NUTRITION

[@cathoderay305]

My wife feels the same way. In the past few years food quality (and service) has dropped off considerably. It's cheaper and healthier to just eat at home.

[@dazzaMusic]

Tyler Durden when’s your next fight?

[@joeydelrio]

as a fellow working man i agree, its a hard habit to break, those drive throughs are so tempting when your on the road between service calls. but so much better off.

[@thespacecowboy420]

Me too I never eat out anymore, it is all total garbage or grease, the reason to go out was supposed to be quality but there is none anymore!

[@timothykaczmarek5871]

The price for KFC is completely outrageous. Remember back in the day, they had weekend sales on buckets of chicken and their take out locations had lines out the door and down the street

[@Pete391]

The price is cheaper than many fast foods......

[@timothykaczmarek5871]

@Pete391 Dude I don't know where the hell YOU have been eating but paying 20.00 for 8 pieces of chicken is OUTRAGEOUS. Paying 36.00 for 12 pieces of chicken, and you think THAT'S REASONABLE? YOU'RE DEFINITELY DELUSIONAL.

[@BobRooney290]

$4 worth of 8 pieces of chicken they sell for $30. their stores are always empty when walking by for lunch and dinner every day. cant imagine why.

[@timothykaczmarek5871]

@@BobRooney290 ABSOLUTELY agree!!

[@deedsofdecapitation7477]

The price on everything these days is outrageous.

[@mikebrzostowski8183]

It is NOT what it used to be. Doesn't taste the same, poor quality, all "fast food" is no longer what it used to be. When one gets it, old, soggy, and a mess when received. I avoid all of them now.

[@jimcoulter5877]

I will tell you, they priced themselves out of Business. About 5 years ago I went to purchase a bucket of Chicken, and they wanted 52 dollars! I just turned around and purchased Tacos they sell under Taco Bell. I told them I would not be purchasing any more Chicken. All these Years later I have not been inside a KFC. They Priced themselves out of Business.

[@Greenfrom3]

Agreed. I actually almost laughed the last time I went in there. It shouldn't be cheaper to feed my family tbone steaks

[@daintree98]

Many KFCs sell Halal chicken, which costs more to bless by a Mufti.

[@Nookdashiddole]

Underrated comment

[@Iconic_maya9]

Wthh 52 $?!

[@aarutuno]

I switched from KFC to Popeyes when KFC raised their prices a few years ago. You could get more for $9 at Popeyes than for $11 at KFC, and I never looked back.

[@tonyahinrichs8828]

I switched to Popeyes too but now I'm team chick fil a

[@Kane26510]

Plus, Popeye's has better chicken.

[@Raskolnikov70]

Seemed like KFC was always expensive. Not compared to a sit-down full-service restaurant, but for fast food it was way overpriced. Even back in the 80's and 90's ordering a full meal + drink ran you over $10 which was the price point where fast food stopped feeling fast.

[@Coyotek4]

My wife got me hooked on the chicken sandwiches at Popeyes; I tried the similar fare at KFC, and likely won't do so again.

[@raidenkeify]

Idk it's pretty much the same i just like the cajun flavor alot more

[@Pantoja3136]

I recall their bucket of chicken contained at least 16 or more pieces. Today, they consider anything more than 5-6 pieces a bucket. The size of the chicken pieces have definitely changed as well. KFC chicken pieces resemble something a bit larger than pieces from a Cornish hen - but not by much!

[@louisliu5638]

My Indian Game (Cornish) hen is looking at me right now: I call her Lil KFC. She's my "kitchen chicken".

[@louisliu5638]

@@klausschlobluvsmesometwood4679 smaller. the pigeon they used is now extinct. much smaller.

[@reginaldwhite3788]

Yes a bucket of Chicken had at least 10-12 pieces of chicken I’ve gotten 18 it depends on what time you went there and the flavor has changed drastically

[@joebob1603]

For me, the quality and taste hasn't changed very much, but the quantity and price definetly took a huge dip

[@stangreen4134]

Somehow simultaneously dry and greasy.

[@scottiusnevious4838]

I worked at one. They hate when you waste time to defeather the chicken before battering. There is also some other parts with bits that need to be removed, that didnt matter to them…

[@GenSignups]

Here's the real issue (at least for people like me who live in suburbs close to the cities): Why would you spend about $20 for a mass produced, pre-cooked, meal which is really unhealthy when you could spend $15 at the local chicken shop for a charcoal cooked fresh chicken with your choice of sides/sauces which are roughly the same portion size?

[@maggie937]

I mean I've just never heard of a local "chicken shop". I live in suburbs

[@bobby1970]

Charcoal cooked anything doesn't sound all that healthy either.

[@seancascanet1420]

How do you figure? It's grilled or smoked...you can't get healthier than that besides baking...

[@JazzYachtrocker]

Or you could just cook

[@GenSignups]

@@JazzYachtrocker What is this... 'cook'? you speak of? Is that one of those long lost ancient boomer arts?

[@TheHiil598]

I've worked at 2 KFC's and I think a big reason for their bad reputation in the US is poor customer service. Managers had no problem with their employees literally yelling at customers and the hiring criteria was basically just "can you walk?"

[@ronk9830]

I saw a restaurant comparison clip recently, and it said KFC has the worst order accuracy of ALL restaurants. Chick-fil-A was the best with Wendy's second.

[@MrAsmith1583]

The KFC in my small town looks like it's about to fall apart and hasn't been updated in 20 years. With "shrinkflation" nowadays the pieces are tiny and whatever meat that is left on the bone is fried to nothing. Agreed the customer service is lacking - the employees don't know the difference between original and extra crispy, thigh vs breast - wing vs leg. Tried to give me 2 thighs and 2 legs in a 4 piece combo and I was like AW HELL NAW!

[@andrewwomble2722]

I haven't been to a KFC in 2 years because my last experience was so bad. I ordered a simple chicken tender combo and they told me to park my car on the side and they would bring it out in a few min. I waited for 20 min and decided to go inside where to my surprise were a lot of other angry people wanting their orders. At that point, the workers were just serving orders based on which customer was the most angry and in their face about it, not by who placed their order first. After the angry crowd cleared, the store manager started putting my order together and just in the middle of prepping it, walked outside for a cigarette and 5 minutes later came back and finished it. It literally took me 1 hour from the time of ordering to actually receiving my chicken strips.

[@ronk9830]

@@andrewwomble2722 Years ago, I was waiting a really long time in the drive-thru, and I started doing something to occupy myself. The line pulled up and I hadn't noticed, and the manager yelled "Hurry up!" to me very rudely. Never went there again. Jerk.

[@DownriverBusinessEventsGroup]

@@ronk9830 The Wendy's that are by me tend to mess up.or forget Items to Orders often.

[@davidletasi3322]

We have noticed over the last several years how few customers are in KFC, and their parking lots are usually empty. The last time we ate there, the price was outrageously high. I would love to get a bucket of chicken from them, but the price is just too high, and the quality has dropped significantly.

[@faraz596]

It's a completely story here in Pakistan KFC is still very popular among the masses and here parking is almost full so you can China Pakistan and even UAE

[@campbelltsamuel]

I just went there a few days ago. If you order mobile. They had a deal for a 8pc for $10. That with a large side of Mac and potatoes oh and their new 8pc spicy wings. I paid $30. That fed me and 3 kids with leftovers. KFC is cheap if you know what to order.

[@Ken-ue9ny]

There food is SHIT

[@johnnoone4323]

Quality of the chicken is poor compared to the 1960s, and the dietary habits and knowledge of food has changed.

[@ATSFVentaSpurNscaler]

I first tasted KFC in the mid-1960s when a new franchise opened near my home. I loved it! Back then, its chicken pieces were large, plump, tender, juicy and the secret batter coating them was to die for. KFC side dishes were also very tasty. The coleslaw wasn't sweet then, but savory and seasoned with just the right amount of black pepper to give it a kick. The mashed potatoes and gravy tasted delicious - almost as good as mom used to make at home. Then under different corporate owners over the years, KFC sacrificed flavor and quality for almighty cost-cutting greed, so that its corporate overlords could pocket more profits for themselves while serving us an increasingly inferior product. I can't stand to eat KFC chicken anymore in USA. It got so bad by the early 2000s that I generally stopped going there. Today its chicken pieces remain too small and scrawny, full of gristle (and I mean a bunch of gristle, a tell-tale sign of chicken raised under unhealthy conditions) and the chicken meat itself lacks flavor. The secret batter doesn't measure up to what it was originally - and don't get me started complaining about KFC's pathetic side dishes! KFC in USA disgusts me. KFC in Mexico is somewhat passable and tastes a little better which I'll sometimes eat, but it still doesn't compare to the delicious U.S. KFCs from the 1960s through the 1980s.

[@tedlawrence4189]

You saved me the trouble of saying everything that you did! Lol.

[@dar4431]

Buddy you took the words right out of my mouth. I absolutely loved Kentucky Fried Chicken through the 60s, 70s and 80s, but noticed a decline in the quality of their product in the 90s and it has even gotten worse through the 2000s. I've had pieces in the bucket that I don't even recognize as pieces of chicken. But alas, I still try it hoping it'll return to its glory years of tasty, juicy, succulent chicken.

[@ATSFVentaSpurNscaler]

@@dar4431 I hear you. I wish KFC would return to its quality glory years, too, but sadly something tells me that it'll go bankrupt before that would ever happen. KFC would have to make a monumental investment and a 180° change in corporate priorities for it to gradually rebuild its brand loyalty that it has so carelessly trashed among us, its ever-expanding former customers, for whom I don't think its corporate executives currently care enough to act in any meaningful way. These ruthless executives will just milk their cash cow dry until it drops over dead and then they'll move on to the next company to scavenge. We've all seen this playbook too many times before when greed takes precedence over customer satisfaction.

[@jazzyjace1]

I agree they changed the recipe for one but say they haven't pfft. Now the chicken pieces as you pointed out are smaller I Karened one of their ads on here and the spokesperson stated that due to better farming practices the chicken are much bigger than before forcing them to cut the chicken into more pieces. I was like so you mean the chicken is a GMO product. While not saying yes or no they went on to explain how wonderful and sustainable farming practices were now ummm ok. So for profit it's an amazing product but for taste and contented patrons not so much

[@danielmorgan4899]

I remember the bucket was a five gallon bucket now it’s the size of a sand pale I’m glad the colonel is gone he would be Disgusted to see what they pass off as his secret recipe

[@KowalskiStyL]

I worked at KFC for years back in the early 2000s that's around the time they switched from using traditional lard bricks to a Yum!? Liquid mystery oil. Also the chickens came from different farms periodically. We could all tell that sourcing the chicken from one farm to another the taste was better or worse. Same when we borrowed mashed potatoes from different locations if we ran out. The package would look the same but the potatoes were always wildly different. Final note... Many popular hand breaded items like popcorn chicken, littles, wings, etc started to come prebreaded from the factory which killed the flavor entirely.

[@kennethrohen5963]

Lard is an artery clogger!

[@burnermill5241]

@@kennethrohen5963 No it's not, you bought into propaganda. Vegetable oils are unnatural and cause inflammation, which is WHY arteries get clogged.

[@larrybrock6811]

@@kennethrohen5963 That's actually an antiquated misconception. Eating fats and even high-cholesterol foods like eggs and full fat dairy has been proven to have little effect on cholesterol in blood and no consistent link to heart-disease. Lard has less saturated fat than butter and when you look at the countries that eat the most saturated fats(like Mongolia where a very large part of the average diet is meat and dairy) they have very little problem with heart disease compared to countries with a high intake of carbohydrates like the US.

[@trippzy8048]

​@@kennethrohen5963flase

[@prontsc]

My 5 reasons: 1. Soggy, oily chicken 2. Small sized pieces 3. Expensive 4. In a bucket order, you got the pieces they had too many of 5. The inside restaurant always seemed dirty and greasy

[@erossinema8797]

The last time I was at a KFC, the chicken had a strange after taste, so I stopped going there. That was ten years ago.

[@andreabutitsruth]

I had the hope that a new location near me would be a clean and pleasant place to be in, but even then, it was just a gross place to be in. The drinks machine was moldy, for example.

[@florabarron5878]

@@andreabutitsruth yes cost me $58.78 "for Potato chicken

[@stalloneandrew9961]

idl about this but is this only applied to your country, you should need to see how's my country Malaysia's KFC

[@stephenthomas1492]

@@erossinema8797 - Plenty of times they don't even have the famous spice on the chicken! It's just bland, sub-par chicken.

[@chucky2316]

Im in england and enjoy a kfc but in recent years quality has lacked and the prices have gone up.

[@calamityjenn]

My elder sister managed our local KFC in the mid-80s. I remember fondly her bringing home their delicious parfait deserts. All that changed when she and her crew were robbed at gun point one evening, where they were locked in the freezer for about an hour. My sister thought she was going to die. Instead of offering sympathy or improved security, her supervisor made her repay all of the money that was stolen, which she stupidly did because she was young and naive. It took her three years to pay it off. I haven't set foot in a KFC since.

[@SuperWildsnorlax]

I worked in KFC once and I believe you.

[@truthillinois6397]

That’s against federal work laws.

[@share_accidental]

i'm so sorry that happened to her

[@peoplethesedaysberetarded]

Made … her … repay? Wow. That’s sue-into-oblivion mistake-levels, right there. Wow. Just wow.

[@killman369547]

@@truthillinois6397 Business owners don't give a shit, they have the political connections to make law enforcement look the other way.

[@canerkose7769]

When Mr Sanders Passed away, I think the secret recipe went with him! I remember the term Finger licking Good and really was! Those day's are long Gone!

[@gordonhblair]

It's been said around here in his old home of Louisville, Kentucky, that when Colonel Harlan Sanders sold his ownership of the company he founded in 1964, he kept the Original recipe he developed, and gave the new owners a modified version of it. Which they kept altering over the years, to save money. Sanders, on the other hand, kept the true original recipe he developed, in the family. Today, if you want to taste chicken made with the actual seasoning mix that made Colonel Sanders Famous, The locals say Sanders's true recipe is still in use today, at the chain of Chicken Restaurants founded 2 years later, by Sanders' Nephew, and former employee, Lee Cummings, called "Lee's Famous Recipe Chicken" When Cummings started selling fried Chicken in the neighboring state of Ohio in 1966, Lee Cummings' fried chicken was already branded "Famous Recipe" because the seasoning mix already was. It was the same, famous recipe that started the Famous Chicken Restaurants his Uncle Harlan Sanders founded. Some say that the new owners of KFC attempted to sue Cummings, so Cummings also dips his raw Chicken in honey to make it slightly different (probably to appease the court)

[@alfredliggins8510]

Lee's here in Muskegon Michigan​@@gordonhblair

[@MrWhitmen1981]

Kentucky chicken in Japan is closer to the original. Restaurants need to move closer to that model.

[@Barbara-jq2se]

Re: comment: 👆💯% agree with this sentiment! I too remember the past with his special chicken & his cute saying! Yum 😋

[@Barbara-jq2se]

Re: comment: 👆Yeah. I too remember those days. Way back then.

[@darksuperganon]

I hadn't heard about being popular in China, but KFC is *huge* in Japan specifically around Christmas. KFC is considered a Christmas-time meal in Japan and is extremely popular, with customers getting reservations and placing orders weeks ahead of time! My friend is from Japan, and when he was in America for Christmas he and his girlfriend would go get KFC.

[@organicallymaz]

Heya! Im in China, and it's indeed incredibly popular! The menu is amazing and the quality is amazing, not to mention the McDonalds and other restaurants are not very good

[@truthadvocacy]

"KFC is considered a Christmas-time meal in Japan", which doesn't even know what Christmas is about? 😂😂😂😂😂 Percentage of "Christians" in Japan is 1.5%🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@darksuperganon]

@@truthadvocacy Christmas in Japan is more of a romantic holiday like Valentine's Day than a religious one... basically exactly like Valentine's Day come to think of it! Most Americans aren't Catholic and celebrate a secular Valentine's Day that has nothing to do with St Valentine.

[@Andrew-tq8ij]

I love Japanese KFC! Japanese KFC was always a treat! I avoid KFC in the USA at all costs.

[@hugsfordrugs9025]

Also in Caribbean countries KFC is really good and their food chains are up to standard

[@jdog2345]

We recently saw that KFC in Canada uses only halal chicken…have written to the company waiting for a response……

[@clawmachinez26]

My biggest complaint is the customer service. Nearly every time I’ve been there the employees act like I’m inconveniencing them by ordering food.

[@jeffbangle4710]

Exactly. And often none of them speak English (or pretend that they don't).

[@ninjitsuliz9812]

I dont eat there often anymore because all i get is a 6-8 piece wing box, and they were confused even tho its on the menu, yet when i ordered doordash there wasnt any issue.

[@nukemall3678]

@@ninjitsuliz9812 Every time I place an order, they act like they have no idea what I'm talking about when I'm reading directly off of the menu.

[@ninjitsuliz9812]

@@nukemall3678 Exactly!

[@mengelemaestro89]

this is a problem with most fast food joints tbfh

[@Joe_Goofball]

I remember in the early 1960's when they first opened restaurants in Phoenix, we used to LOVE the buckets of chicken--my parents would get a bucket on Friday nights and we took it to a local drive-in movie theater, enjoying our fried chicken and cold sodas. Great memories...

[@fposmith]

Threw the bones out the windows did ya ?

[@Joe_Goofball]

@@fposmith No--there were plenty of trash cans provided...

[@genxx2724]

@@fposmith I’m imagining greasy hands all over the car, and bits of flatter dropped in the dark, to go rancid in crevices.

[@akidim13]

I love KZbin comment section, all the personal experiences you can read about from real people is amazing, I’m jealous you lived through the 60’s probably a much simpler time

[@Joe_Goofball]

@@akidim13 The 60's was a simpler, more innocent time. People weren't held captive by electronic devices indoors--kids played outside, and neighbors looked out for one another's kids. Drugs wouldn't become popular until the late 60's, when the world became gradually more dangerous, the war in Vietnam became a source of social unrest as well as the terrible murder of Dr. King. At that point, the 60's completely lost it's innocence.

[@daviddinu1089]

I live in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and Americans don't have it as bad as we do. A few years ago, KFC in Canada decided to cut their thighs in half as they claimed their Chickens were oversized. Can you imagine half of a thigh and counting that as 1 piece. The pieces looked so weird and unrecognizable as a thigh.

[@waynejohanson1083]

Pieces are small. As for me I prefer Mary Brown's.

[@Jamie-1985]

Also from Toronto. They lost me when they discontinued their mixed veggie salad and macaroni. They were nice complements to the rest of their menu but apparently too $ for them. Mr Sub lost me too when for similarly reasons they discontinued their milkshakes. Companies monomaniac focus kills then for regular dining.

[@Iambetterthanyouanduknowit]

I’m from the 6ix too I swear it’s pigeon meat from Dundas square 😂😂😂

[@andrewz6986]

For me the final blow was making the gravy watery and bland

[@JamesJohnson-ig6of]

@@waynejohanson1083 BRO, I live in Minnesota. There is a local KFC in my smaller city where I'll shop. I stopped by to pick up a bucket of original, went home, and never was so disappointed. The pieces were small, and greasy. And, concurring with another comment, I found small pieces or fragments of bone under the coating. A few years before, a buddy and I had to travel to the Twin Cities. We stopped at KFC along the highway, advertising a "buffet", which was actually good, with BBQ chicken featured.

[@jamesmitchell4927]

its usually greasy and soggy, the hotwings are ok though. In the UK we have no idea wtf you americans are talking about when you say KFC biscuits, they just don't sell them here thank god, they sound like scones and I can't imagine that with fried chicken and gravy

[@AmericanFlyOnTheWall]

They dropped the potato wedges, corn on the cob, and “little bucket” parfait desserts. Then, the chicken became less flavorful and the pieces are tiny. The service is terrible now in most KFCs, also. I can’t wait 30 minutes at lunch for a 2-piece. I stop at a KFC once every 3 or 4 months now to see if anything has changed besides building renovations. Nothing has changed.

[@drew72493]

You’re telling me they don’t have wedges anymore wtf

[@adotintheshark4848]

KFC has really cut back on their menu (even the pot pie is gone!) and they are closing non-drive through stores.

[@justinhendrix5953]

Growing up, KFC was an event in my house. There was 11 of us, and the table would be covered in buckets and boxes. I got my first job at KFC when I was a teenager, all of my friends worked there too. 10 years ago when my wife and I were struggling to get by I took a job there again for a time and taking home the leftovers at the end of each shift helped keep us afloat just as much as the meager paycheck did, and while it sounds rough it was one of the happiest times in my life. KFC may be in decline but I have many fond memories of eating and working there, I get sentimental about KFC in a way I just don't about any other chain. I hope they find a way to bounce back.

[@ernestworrellspeaksout1285]

I'm afraid that our Oligarchal masters have "Kentucky Fried Bugs" in mind for our future. Eating real meat is being phased out of the diet of the peasants. "Make America Medieval Again" is their mantra. Only the Lords and Ladies get to eat the good stuff...

[@TheAmateurEditor]

No shame in taking home leftovers from your workplace. Many of us have been there. Hope you see better days soon mate 🙂

[@justinhendrix5953]

@John Smith thank you! That was ten years ago. We are in a much better place now.

[@TheAmateurEditor]

@@justinhendrix5953 Glad to hear it 🙂

[@michaelargenta3856]

@@justinhendrix5953 let me guess. u moved up to chick filet A....

[@carmickael42]

I read several years ago, that when the Colonel was still in charge he would do surprise inspections on each of the locations twice a year. If you weren't doing things his way, he'd pull your franchise license on the spot.

[@trevor2001]

You should have mentioned that KFC has become the Christmas meal of choice in Japan, people order meals ahead of time, and line up for hours outside KFC’s to get their Christmas dinner. That is a unique phenomenon in the fast food industry.

[@Klaaism]

Aye KFC was pretty early in the Japanese market. Granted that was back in their glory days.

[@TimmyTickle]

Apparently it all came about because Japanese people wanted to emulate the turkey Christmas dinner they'd seen on American movies and TV shows, and KFC was the closest thing they had readily available

[@coyotelong4349]

KFC in South Korea is delicious too and really high quality

[@ZhovtoBlakytniy]

@@howarddamico1237 nope, it's a thing, look it up. I have first heard about going for Chinese on Christmas from 'A Christmas Movie', and maybe some people got an idea from that or just because it's the only thing open on those days.

[@patientallison]

I was shocked when he mentioned China as his example of how they've thrived internationally instead of Japan. A Japanese baseball team also has The Curse of the Colonel, after they went on a losing streak after celebrating a championship win by throwing a Colonel Sanders statue in a river. The legend says that the curse will only be broken if they can recover the statue in its entirety, and while most of it has been found his glasses and left hand are still missing.

[@bobdevreeze4741]

My mother knew the Colonel. She had the job of looking after his stay when he came to Toronto. Your accuracy is uncanny. Specially about his complaints . He was not afraid to say it exactly how he thought. I was young ..but I do remember meeting him once.

[@Dwightstjohn-fo8ki]

He loved to go dancing. Mom of a great friend had a franchise in Calgary and they'd always go dancing when he visited.

[@paulholmes1303]

One of the biggest problems I've found is the massive reduction of the spice ratio. I had a one KFC here in Richardson Texas that the KFC always tasted like I remembered from the 70's, 80's and 90's, both chicken and and the signature spices in harmony. In the last couple of decades, most KFC's started just having fried chicken, the spice flavor was nonexistent. After my Richardson place changed managers, it too, started getting more and more bland. I assume the issue is a lot of the franchisees do not want to spend extra for the spice blend as sold by the parent company so they either reduce it or eliminate it entirely, assuming people only care about breaded chicken. Only problem with that is if they sell generic fried chicken they will become part of a crowd where people only go because it is locally convenient or priced competitively. Oh Well.

[@setcheck67]

This! It's not even just KFC... A lot of the Franchisee operators are cutting corners so bad they made circles. One McDonald's I went to sold popcorn and pretzels, but didn't carry the McRib and permanently didn't operate the icecream machine. It's like what... The... Fuck. Don't even get me started on the pinch of salt for the fries or various other penny pinching on ingredients. A microwaved Walmart brand cheeseburger from the frozen aisle tasted more flavorful than those burgers.

[@ronalddavis]

@@setcheck67 never been to a mcdonalds where the ice cream machine worked. they just dont want to clean it

[@pink1433]

@@ronalddavis not the reason. Search for mcdonalds ice cream on you tube and you will get a ton of videos explaining the real reason. And how corporate mcds is trying to stop a fix to the issue

[@ts.elliot5870]

The KFC's in my area don't open the dining rooms, hence no buffet and no walking in to place an order. I used their app to order a 2 pc meal plus a large Coleslaw. The wait time was 45 minutes!! I get a hour lunch so I won't be back. The food was not the quality I remember.

[@jameslyons6655]

Worked at Kentucky Fried Chicken in 82. It was still pretty good back then. Years later I would stop by one here and there and something was off. They changed the recipe. I used to say it all the time and people told me I was crazy. I’m pretty good with things like that though and I had noticed that the amount of white pepper (probably the most distinctive spice they used and one that’s almost a signature flavor for the original recipe) had dropped off or been removed entirely. The CEO actually came out at some point and admitted they had changed it so I feel vindicated. Popeyes is a better choice although their “spicy” packs none of the heat it did years back. Chic-fil-a has a good product, great quality control and service but the reality is it’s kind of a bland. If someone could replicate the original recipe chicken they would really have something though.

[@jamesmcluvlee]

Recipe is easy. You can make the same chicken at home.

[@Icare202]

I totally agree and these day's it's not even chicken as much as it is GMO or veggie chicken! Even with all that taken into consideration, some of these branches have the utter nerve to under cook the tasteless GMO chicken!🤮

[@jameslyons6655]

@@SunriseLAW actually just had Popeyes for the first time in ages. You are correct, mediocre at best. They’ve really slipped.

[@anonymoose2474]

Chick FIL a with sauces god tier

[@kfc136]

There’s a place called the chicken hut (I think) in Ireland that uses the og kfc recipe

[@cruehead23]

About 10 years ago in Australia, a girl contracted salmonella from a KFC and ended up in a coma fir 6 months. She came out of it, but she now has severe brain damage, uses a wheelchair and is blind. Her family sued and instead of trying to make any kind of amends, they've fought and fought not to pay out. Bad customer service is an understatement when they do things like that.

[@Abdullah_the_Palestinian]

how are they still popular there?

[@cruehead23]

@@Abdullah_the_Palestinian personal injuries never really hurt big companies. They have the resources to bury things and keep them out of the public eye. The lady at McDonald's wasn't even the first one to suffer from massively overheated coffee, other people had been severely burned by them before but they were able to get out of any negligence charges.

[@Abdullah_the_Palestinian]

@@cruehead23 Sad world we live in. Capitalism allows the rich to buy their way out from consequences

[@cruehead23]

@@Abdullah_the_Palestinian yes it does. And then people blame the victims. The woman from McDonald’s has passed now, and she said before that she was going to die a laughing stock after the gag order McDonald's stuck her with. She didn't even want to sue originally, she just wanted 10k for her medical bills and the only offered her something like $800.

[@mohamadsowaid6275]

I remember that. it was at the villawood kfc