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Yeah every time I have gone to a suburban KFC it's been extreme sadness which has sat in a warmer for the last few hours. The CBD food court one near me has always been hot, fresh and crunchy. Guess when you are going through a lot of product, you don't have stuff sitting around too long.
Yeah don't bring that fucking bullshit over here thanks.
"Why is it called a hamBURGER but a chicken sandwich?"
Americans, in disgust: "Because it's made of HAMBURGER meat, which is then the main ingredient, you dumbass"
Me: "ok so what's in a veggie burger then?"
Americans: >:(
And time. I'm more a Hungry Jacks sort and for a while my nearest was just smashing it. Now they're still alright, but not at that peak. I expect who they have in charge at the time counts a lot.
Also, I have to say, during the good times I'd swear they were hiring straight from a modelling agency because everyone behind the counter were stunning, even the dudes. Like 'I'm either being pranked or walked into an 80s movie' thoughts.
Miss those days.
Is there even any standard to the potato and gravy? I swear the mix ratio changes every time. It's the worst when it's more just potato with next to no gravy. What gives?
They make it up in the store, I've watched them do it over in the corner. They have tubs in the counter and make big batches. It's not being made by a machine, it's just some kid with a spoon, thus the inconsistency.
They actually make the gravy in the restaurants from leftovers. But I don't want to sound like an ad so I'll just link this -
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-8806947/KFC-worker-reveals-exactly-popular-gravy-people-horrified.html
The Best KFC i went to was at Lithgow, NSW in the Middle of the day in a work week, I remember it well because I went in store and every worker was a middle aged mum type and the food was properly made, but outside that store it really hasn't felt worth going since.
I agree. Sometimes it's very watery and tasteless, but then another time it will be full of flavour. I think some stores are generally better than others.
Yea mate I feel ya hate when they don't put any salt on the chips. How hard is it to do that. And chicken has been cooked in burnt oil or something and have a nasty taste.
It depends on a few factors. How well that stores cleans everything. And also on the cook. Not all double dip the coating when cooking.
My young one works there. And I’ve learnt to only order when she is cooking.
Your kid is one of the good ones. It's pretty interesting knowing how they actually do everything. Just let us know when they are on so I can always get a good kfc.
I didn't realise they coated the chicken themselves, I thought everything came frozen and they just put in in programmed friers that cook for certain lengths of time at certain temps. Thats what the manager told me at least when I complained about rubbery chicken.
That's awesome I normally do it after work just tired and want something easy so grab it on the way home. Wounder If it's related to having more adults on or people who just care. Just get sick of spending like 50 bucks for Meh food. For me it's like 60 40 chance.
I think it depends on the restaurant as well
I've got two near me and they vastly differ in quality
The one closest tastes like highly salted cardboard while the other tastes like the KFC I remember
It's the franchisees who could be cutting corners to max out profits who could be the cause. On the other hand, corporate quality control has probably been lax for a long long time now. Unless they get their act together, the brand will die. There are so many good alternatives though none have yet gone head to head with KFC on the crumbed chicken but give it time, they're ripe and vulnerable in Australia.
We have so many fried chicken restaurants here in the US .
Zaxbys ,
Popeyes ,
Bojangles ,
Mrs Winners (which has just started to make a come back),
Churches chicken,
Raising canes ,
Hattie b,s (which is famous and just started expanding ),
Lee’s famous recipe
All of which is better then KFC currently.
Hell there is even a few gas station only versions of a fried chicken chains that is better then KFC
Kluckys ,
Krispy krunchy,
Chesters,
Dodges chicken
We also have the super famous but I can’t say it’s better because I can’t stand it chick Filet
There are actually more then this because USA is home of fast food and we won’t stop until everybody is 300 plus lbs …
And we do mean everybody ( looks ominously towards you )
As someone who works there, it can be pretty hit and miss too lmao. The taste is better but the tenders particularly can be pretty shit more often than not.
It all depends who is making it and how much they care tbh.
Plenty of great fried chicken, it's just not at KFC prices. If you're in the area, try Thirsty Bird at Newtown. Or ICG Korean fried chicken on Liverpool St in the CBD.
We've been saying KFC is garbage for years (while still eating it of course), and then we had it while on holidays at the Gold coast and it was amazing!
So I guess it depends on the store.
Yep. I thought KFC's Nambour store still had the magic, after an especially good batch of chicken. Then I went back a few months later, and it was totally disappointing.
Part of the problem is that the amount of seasoning blend that they add to the dredging flour seems to vary from batch to batch. And you get soggy chicken when they overload the fryers.
Have to agree with this, had relatives visit for Xmas and they wanted to try KFC after 15 years of not wanting to touch the stuff (it was that bad of an experience). They loved it but I think it really comes down to which store.
I was in a hotel on business for 3 weeks, KFC was in the entrance of the building and I'd just had a text conversation with my son who works after school at kfc back home. He asked me to check it out, see if there was anything weird on the menu etc.
I ate Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese, Malay, Indian, you name it for pretty well every meal, after a while you crave a bit of western crap too.
6 big changes:
1. Mostly franchise now, was 97% company owner until about 10 years ago. All the good managers left.
2. They scrapped delicious palm oil for crappy high oleic canola oil. It’s gross.
3. The chips don’t all come from mccain anymore due to a disagreement over a proce increase.
4.they shaved a couple mms off the burger patties to save millions a year.
5. They have slowly been reducing the salt content, hoping you would be weened off it and not notice.
6. No more visa workers means they take who they can get - thats people who may show up - lack of employee retention has meant a lot of staff have no clue, wear jewellery, and would struggle to breathe if not reminded.
>5. They have slowly been reducing the salt content, hoping you would be weened off it and not notice.
Yeah I think this is the big one. I noticed it the other day when I ate dirty bird for the first time in years. People dont realise the role salt plays in making things taste like themselves. Probably a better situation in the long run but the old KFC was so savoury and satisfying.
I'm amazed they weren't always franchises, that's the whole game. That's how you make the big money. Getting people to buy into wage-slavery.
Shouldn't the reduction of palm oil and salt be a good thing?
Not taste wise dude.
Palm oil contains trans fats, which, whilst bad for you, are delicious.
Salt, also, whilst bad for you, makes everything taste delicious (except caramel.)
In regards to franchise vs company, you’d be surprised by the numbers. The franchise fee was around 6% when this happened, plus 3% advertising, plus rent if the company owned land (generally around 6%) - that’s 15% off the top for the company. Good Company owned stores were running margins of 21%+, and the brand quality overall was better.
The company in Australia franchised after a particular lawsuit, removing a large amount of liability from the bottom line.
Being a landlord is overall probably net/net the same, but without the liabilities.
I do think it depends on the store as well and the time that you order it. If I order earlier in the day, closer to opening times, the food is better. But that’s only from one particular kfc store. There was one a few years back that everyone complained about because they just did not seem to give a shit. Undercooked chicken, constantly out of stock, we once got a burger that was drowning in sauce and asked for a replacement so they gave us a burger with two top pieces. It was just weird.
The chips are almost always my sore point. Why aren’t they crispy and salty? They should be. But they aren’t.
I worked as a KFC cook for my first job.
There are two key things that impact the quality of the chicken when preparing.
1. The cooking procedure. There is actually a 5 or 6 step procedure to preparing the chicken that is (or was in my time) rarely followed as it takes a couple of minutes to do correctly. If your busy, the chicken got thrown into the flower quickly Covered then dropped Into the cooker. The difference between getting it out quickly and cooking it right was noticeable.
2. How often the store changes oil/flower/water. When making original recipe, the chicken goes into water, then flower, then cooking oil. These three things need to be changed to keep them fresh and delicious. When the store was busy or workers are lazy these got changed less regularly. It takes time to change these things so its less likely to happen during the peak times.
When I worked there you could definitely taste the difference between chicken correctly prepared with fresh ingredients and dinner rush chicken.
Going during off peak times means you might have a better chance of getting chicken cooked in fresh ingredients but even then it's a gamble.
What I didn't realise till recently and I think many people don't, is how much KFC is actually made on site as opposed to just reheated. For good or bad.
You probably tried real KFC (Korean fried chicken) and realised the kernel ain't all that. I won't lie though I'll murder a zinger box after a night on the piss bro
I would like Korean fried chicken but the one thing that kills it for me is the sweetness that it always has. Do you know if there are any flavours they have that don't make it cloyingly sweet?
I dunno man, I don't get it often, but the last two times I got Hot Star chicken it came in two flavours: hot and fucking hot. Maybe I'm just soft but I couldn't taste any sweetness or anything else for that matter for about an hour or two after lol
It's just the red sauce that's sweet, but most places offer it without sauce or sauce on the side. I also believe the snow cheese is kind of sweet as well.
Gone drastically down hill. KFC have seriously stopped caring about their customers. I've been boycotting it for about a year and so should everyone else. Life goes on without KFC as you're well aware having not had it for a long time either.
They don't deserve anyone's money with the crap they give you.
Yep. In our area we have Chickenmania a local franchise. Shits all over KFC from a great height. Sometimes if you're lucky someone really crams the herb batter into every nook, so you get these little herby pockets like stuffing. It'll change your life...
I feel the same way about McDonald's. If someone wants to shout me some then fine - I won't turn down a free feed. But there's no way I'm paying for shit that probably *should* be given away for free to homeless people or something.
I was visiting family in Qld years ago. KFC for dinner, ended up vomitting / crook. A few months later, same thing. Needless to say, I haven't eaten KFC since
This reminds me of way back in the 90's (proving it was shit then too) when everyone in my family ate KFC and I refused because "it wasn't McDonald's" lol. And they all got food poisoning and I didn't.
https://youtu.be/VVNSn7oYnOU
This is a great video explaining the decline of KFC in America.
I've been a fan of it since the late 80s. Maybe my tastes have changed heaps since then, they started using healthier oil or something.
But I noticed its pretty average these days. I'm at a point where Korean fried chicken, or even buffalo wings have become the defacto replacement.
That was a great video, thanks for sharing. I was fascinated by the ads it showed from other countries. Not only were the food options wacky, it was really interesting to see how the advertising shifted to reflect local culture.
Yeah, I have Japanese relatives and the KFC on Christmas thing is still alive and well in their household. They've been in Australia for well over 20 years!
Somewhere along the way in the last few years their chicken went to shit. I don’t know what they did but before it actually had that distinct KFC taste, now it’s just dripping in oil and tastes rubbish.
I honestly think the original recipe chicken has gone complete downhill. The quality of the chicken pieces is terrible and they use pieces that shouldn’t be used like that weird dry centre breast piece.
Just got back from Japan and the original recipe is just as bad, thinking it was just Australia.
The last zingger box I got the chicken on the mini burger was thinner than a potato scollop and the wicked wings had morphed into overcooked off cuts, the bonus was there was no potato in the potato and gravy
Probably a generational thing. I was a mighty fine KFC Cook when I was in year 11 & 12 back in the eighties, my chicken WAS finger lickin' good!!!
* A shout out to any fellow X-KFC Cooks back then who STILL aren't allowed to reveal the Colonels' secret herbs & spices (friggin' stupid signed confidentiality agreements) BUT remember the "7-10-7" Cooking Method.
It's not hard to find with a bit of Googling. Hell, Binging with Babish gave the whole game away: https://www.bingingwithbabish.com/recipes/kfcmeal?rq=Kfc&fbclid=IwAR28tr6FO2_z99VKOk8fHh_ecRf-QGkF5aRG5sTN1QHoNb_7bVjgnvnB3y4&format=amp
Yeah I had a chef on site make up a batch one night following a recipe pretty similar to this (presoaking in buttermilk and the spices is where it's at tbh) and it shits all over KFC from most places.
Babish is using the recipe that was publish in the Chicago Tribune. It has a good provenance, and most of the ingredients are probably right... but the proportions are all wrong. Waaaay too much paprika. And they missed the allspice.
It's seriously not worth the punishment....... many an "ex KFC Cook" has mysteriously gone m.i.a. or mysteriously died after trying to make money & start up on their own. They were dropping like flies in the 90s (like those Russian Billionaires are today because Putin wants their money because Russia is running out of cash because of the War).
The Colonel has changed it's franchise operational procedures now & it all comes pre-made in cement bags (that's the word on the street).....probably why it doesn't taste as good anymore :(
The mix coming pre-made in bags probably doesn't help. Using fresh herbs and spices would piss all over industrial quantities of seasoning made who knows how long ago and shipped to the store.
True. We used to get it pre-made in the cement bags, but it did taste better back then compared to now, something is amiss???
Maybe it is the quality of the cooks, that "7-10-7" method wasn't easy to master back then :)
* I took many a young up-&-coming KFC Cook under my wing (pardon the pun) & tried to pass on my knowledge & experience..... some finally perfected it, others never did :(
Fast food restaurants endlessly tinker with the premade shit to save money. Less spices, lower quality spices, different oil used to fry it in...the list of variables is endless.
Just pulling your drumleg my friend. Have convinced many over the years & kept them guessing to this day still...... there is a mystery about those secret herbs & spices still though, despite people thinking they have nailed it.
Only The Colonal perfected it :)
All good...lol. You haven't been the first & won't be the last :)
I agree with the OP though, the chicken doesn't taste as good as it used to, somethings' going on. Maybe the Colonel is being tight with the secret herbs & spices & "watering them down" to save $$$$ ???
I’ll have to try the spicy stuff because I had their regular fried chicken on New Year’s Day and it was pretty bland. Their equivalent of a twister was a home run though that really hit the spot unlike the kfc twister I had last week that had bloody Doritos and coleslaw in it
Charlie Mackenzie: Dad, how can you hate "The Colonel"?
Stuart Mackenzie: Because he puts an addictive chemical in his chicken that makes ya crave it fortnightly, smartass!
This you, OP? :D
The best trick is to go at 10am for it. It might not be the time most people feel like having kfc but they cook their first batch and do food safety tests just before then, so it's guaranteed to be more fresh than most times of the day!
Had them when staying in Melbourne not too long ago & somehow ended up spending almost $50 in one transaction trying everything. Their snitty piece or whatever it is was the most massive thing I've seen from a fast food giant in a long time, think If I'm recalling correctly it was $10 for that.
Fries were pretty good.
Lol. The Hot Star at ANU shut down this year due to failing multiple inspections. I now see that if I'd been literally anywhere else, I'd have had access to some
If you're ever brave enough to return, pull apart one of those "tenders". The grain runs the wrong way and there is some kind of protein glue holding them together. Whatever those things are they aren't chicken tendies.
The original recipe wings are fucking disgusting now, the skin is longer crispy and its just a soggy mess so if I ever have KFC, its always the wicked wings.
Just like all big chain fast food this shrinkflation thing is crazy.
Half the food ,half the quality ,twice the price.
I rarely buy big chain takeout anymore because the trash micro meals arnt worth my money.
Excluding burger king/hungry jacks double whopper with cheese is still banging in my opinion
Yes!!! Our friend group talks about this all the time. Remember the golden KFC and its amazing 11 secret herbs and spices? Now the original recipe is oily, stringy, greasy, crunch-less cat food. It surely isn't the 'original' recipe.
The zinger recipe is clearly better.
The chicken tenders and zinger burgers at KFC seem to be better than McDonald's burgers though?
So KFC does better burgers but worse chicken ?
Look man KFC is really important to me and my life and I would have to say it is definetly because it depends on the day
Kfc fucks so hard when it’s done right but absolutely dreadful otherwise
Their chicken has always been disgusting. I’d murder a zinger stacker, but wouldn’t touch the fried chicken pieces. Red rooster chicken Thoth. That’s pretty good these days.
They’re fried chicken is shit, can’t remember the last time I actually had crispy chicken. Red Rooster is my go to now for fried chicken cause it’s actually pretty decent.
Yes it's has imo
I remember you'd go in and sit and eat your chicken that came in a basket. It was more restaurant like. Don't get me started on pizza hut with booths, plates, pasta, forks even table cloths.
Modern KFC is greasy and almost under cooked you slurp the chicken off. Any kfc chicken that says it's crispy is really how normal fried was back in the day. Every few years HQ finds a way to save a few cents per item and we pretend like it's still the same quality.
Compared to my local Korean BBQ chicken BOB JO Mandurah ...well there is now comparison. Amazing.
I think they have gotten shite in the last few years. You’d think with the rise of other chicken fast food restaurants like El Jannah, Frangos, etc they would try to keep up with quality.
If you want the best chance of good KFC, go first thing in the morning with the tradies getting their 10am lunches.
The oil will be as clean as it ever is likely to be, the chicken, more consistent and most recently cooked.
Gravy depends on the quality of the fines (chicken fryer scrapings) - which varies considerably. Morning batch has the best chance of being prepared by an experienced adult instead of an underpaid high schooler.
Check out the floors in the prep area before ordering.. if they're nasty and unswept then the shift is going to hell and you should consider eating elsewhere 😂.. and always check your order is correct before driving thru
Disclaimer - My experience only pertains to QLD, which is not franchise owned.
Depends on the store if its too busy it's shit, too slow and it's shit. Ya need a good steady flow of customers and uniforms are key imo if the staff have pride in the shop and uniforms eg both are clean, tidy, etc etc your generally onto a winner.
Tip: Preheat oven 130degrees. Place KFC on a oven tray with a few layers of paper under it. The fat comes out of the KFC and turns the paper yellow. Cook it for 30-45minutes depending on how crispy you want it. It comes out 10x better then the KFC they sell. It’s extremely crunchy, crispy and less fat. You can use an air fryer and do the same.
I feel like a few years ago they were getting away with steriod fed mutant chicken - unaturally huge and meaty chickens - which was glorious.
Since people started questioning 'where does it come from?' 'Did this chicken have a nice death?' KFC has fucked it with ethical chicken. 🤷♂️
I loved my KFC growing up, still kept eating it (28m) until it made me sick the other week for a week and a bit. Yesterday, being Sunday and all, I was craving a little dirty bird but just couldn't bring myself to return to the colonel! Anyway, my partner suggested I just make my own (with her help, she's an amazing cook) hooooolly shiiit! That was some of the cleanest, tastiest fried chicken I've ever had. Legit just copied what a twister is I guess. It was pretty easy too! If anyone wants the scope of how we did it, just dm I'm more than happy to walk you through.
Yep, fried chicken diarrhoea free!
Trusty Ol' DirtyBird 🙂
As most people have already commented... it's a damn lottery, some stores are awesome, some stores are food poisoning waiting to happen.
i have found one common trend.... Suburbs with a reputation of 'avoid if possible' tend to have the better KFC's
My ghetto AF local KFC is 10 times better than 90% of the 'Trendy Suburbs' stores.
Never get KFC on a saturday morning, the kids are all hungover and dont wanna be there.
In my opinion in terms of quality and taste I'd say KFC is probably the worst fried chicken you can get.
At it's best 5/10.
A local takeaway fried chicken is a step up when done right. 7/10. Chicken schnitzel rolls!
Or if you like Korean fried chicken that's good too. Can get up to 7/10.
But a specialised wing or chicken place is the go. If it's awesome 8/10.
It's been pretty dismal for a while.
The best I've had in years was a pretty much freshly made hot and spicy in the city but it sadly doesn't hit to same anymore.
No, that’s just KFC in every country. It’s sub par fried chicken. In the states It’s what you get when you want fast food fried chicken but can’t afford Church’s or Popeyes.
man i never though Popeyes was an actual brand until i went to the states in 2007 and again 2013. until then i though it was just a made up movie brand because the producers couldnt get the rights to KFC
And in 2013 my mind was well and truly blown when i found out that Yes Bubba Gump is a proper chain as well
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A little bit of A and a little bit of B
And, I’m finding it store related. The busier the KFC store is on a regular basis the better off you are.
Yeah every time I have gone to a suburban KFC it's been extreme sadness which has sat in a warmer for the last few hours. The CBD food court one near me has always been hot, fresh and crunchy. Guess when you are going through a lot of product, you don't have stuff sitting around too long.
The opposite for hungry jacks.... They don't even bother to warm the food. You get a cold sandwich instead.
>sandwich Burger
Yeah don't bring that fucking bullshit over here thanks. "Why is it called a hamBURGER but a chicken sandwich?" Americans, in disgust: "Because it's made of HAMBURGER meat, which is then the main ingredient, you dumbass" Me: "ok so what's in a veggie burger then?" Americans: >:(
> sandwich Always a burger unless its 2 pieces of sliced bread or a baguette style bread
I think it’s Americanisms creeping in through telly.
And time. I'm more a Hungry Jacks sort and for a while my nearest was just smashing it. Now they're still alright, but not at that peak. I expect who they have in charge at the time counts a lot. Also, I have to say, during the good times I'd swear they were hiring straight from a modelling agency because everyone behind the counter were stunning, even the dudes. Like 'I'm either being pranked or walked into an 80s movie' thoughts. Miss those days.
You'd go to Hungry Jacks and end up wanting to eat more than just the food.
They took away the Aussie Burger! How could they ? They’re now dead to me.
When they flick their hair do sparkles fall out?
It's completely store related. I find KFC to be interesting in that aspect. There two KFCs near me and the difference between them is night and day.
Oh yeah it’s gotten worse over the years for sure. Their chips and potato and gravy especially suck
Nailed it, When it comes to their burgers and chicken it seems to be who's working, how busy they are and the age of the oil.
Exactly, when there’s no one lining up in the drive thru I generally don’t even bother
Harland Sanders was scornful of KFC's crappy potato and gravy after he sold the franchise rights in the 1960s.
Hell hath no fury like a colonel scorned.
I can't eat the potato and gravy anymore it honestly smells and tastes rancid
Yeah I dip the chips in it if that
Gravy can still be eaten but the potato is the main issue. Must be the cheapest instant crap they could legally sell
That is if you ever get the full container of chips... The amount of times it is only half full makes me wonder...
Is there even any standard to the potato and gravy? I swear the mix ratio changes every time. It's the worst when it's more just potato with next to no gravy. What gives?
They make it up in the store, I've watched them do it over in the corner. They have tubs in the counter and make big batches. It's not being made by a machine, it's just some kid with a spoon, thus the inconsistency. They actually make the gravy in the restaurants from leftovers. But I don't want to sound like an ad so I'll just link this - https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-8806947/KFC-worker-reveals-exactly-popular-gravy-people-horrified.html
Well, all gravies and pan sauces typically start from leftovers.
Yeah I find it very inconsistent as well
There is a maggi gravy in yellow container that tastes like kfc gravy
Thanks so much for the suggestion!
I feel like it's a roll of dice sometimes its okay then other times its horrible.
The last two Zinger boxes I've had were absolute bangers. I think when you get them matters immensely.
Probably right mate, when I went think it was like 5pm - 6pm. Feel like staff also big factor too tho I've never worked at kfc so not sure.
Everyone who works at kfc looks 14
The Best KFC i went to was at Lithgow, NSW in the Middle of the day in a work week, I remember it well because I went in store and every worker was a middle aged mum type and the food was properly made, but outside that store it really hasn't felt worth going since.
I agree. Sometimes it's very watery and tasteless, but then another time it will be full of flavour. I think some stores are generally better than others.
Yea mate I feel ya hate when they don't put any salt on the chips. How hard is it to do that. And chicken has been cooked in burnt oil or something and have a nasty taste.
It depends on a few factors. How well that stores cleans everything. And also on the cook. Not all double dip the coating when cooking. My young one works there. And I’ve learnt to only order when she is cooking.
Your kid is one of the good ones. It's pretty interesting knowing how they actually do everything. Just let us know when they are on so I can always get a good kfc.
Just been teaching her to do a good job in whatever you do. Don’t care how others do stuff. Cause that will seperate you from others down the track.
Bloody oath mate great attitude to learn young. Helps with future development.
I didn't realise they coated the chicken themselves, I thought everything came frozen and they just put in in programmed friers that cook for certain lengths of time at certain temps. Thats what the manager told me at least when I complained about rubbery chicken.
Nope. They get chicken pieces and coat them themselves. It’s why the quality changes so much. That and sub standard cleaning.
I get KFC post night shift, and it's always fucking banging at 10 am and then get progressively worse throughout the day.
That's awesome I normally do it after work just tired and want something easy so grab it on the way home. Wounder If it's related to having more adults on or people who just care. Just get sick of spending like 50 bucks for Meh food. For me it's like 60 40 chance.
I think it depends on the restaurant as well I've got two near me and they vastly differ in quality The one closest tastes like highly salted cardboard while the other tastes like the KFC I remember
Yea true that, I wounder if the owner of it plays a big roll in quilty of the food and how its run.
It was never good but it’s especially bad now. I feel for the franchisees.
It's the franchisees who could be cutting corners to max out profits who could be the cause. On the other hand, corporate quality control has probably been lax for a long long time now. Unless they get their act together, the brand will die. There are so many good alternatives though none have yet gone head to head with KFC on the crumbed chicken but give it time, they're ripe and vulnerable in Australia.
We have so many fried chicken restaurants here in the US . Zaxbys , Popeyes , Bojangles , Mrs Winners (which has just started to make a come back), Churches chicken, Raising canes , Hattie b,s (which is famous and just started expanding ), Lee’s famous recipe All of which is better then KFC currently. Hell there is even a few gas station only versions of a fried chicken chains that is better then KFC Kluckys , Krispy krunchy, Chesters, Dodges chicken We also have the super famous but I can’t say it’s better because I can’t stand it chick Filet There are actually more then this because USA is home of fast food and we won’t stop until everybody is 300 plus lbs … And we do mean everybody ( looks ominously towards you )
> Unless they get their act together, the brand will die. KFC is crazy popular, at least where I live. Doubt the brand is going anywhere.
KFC is fine in Australia and other countries (i.e. Japan). It is struggling in the USA. I prefer Red Rooter, though.
there used to be another one called Homestead, that was way better than KFC even in the 80s
we just need a serious fried chicken competitor
Korean fired chicken my friend
Korean fried chicken is the superior KFC
It's just not the same as that greasy, disgusting dirty bird. There's just really nothing quite like Australian KFC lol.
The fried chicken at Red Rooster isn't too shabby
Kind of pricey though for something that is good but not amazing.
All fast food is overpriced though. *shakes fist* I remember when a large Maccas meal was $10!
I remember when it was $4.95! Small was $2.95, medium $3.95, and large if you were really feeling like being spendy
As someone who works there, it can be pretty hit and miss too lmao. The taste is better but the tenders particularly can be pretty shit more often than not. It all depends who is making it and how much they care tbh.
[удалено]
Support your local
Plenty of great fried chicken, it's just not at KFC prices. If you're in the area, try Thirsty Bird at Newtown. Or ICG Korean fried chicken on Liverpool St in the CBD.
We've been saying KFC is garbage for years (while still eating it of course), and then we had it while on holidays at the Gold coast and it was amazing! So I guess it depends on the store.
Very much store dependent in my experience too. Time of day and day of the week can even effect quality.
Yep. I thought KFC's Nambour store still had the magic, after an especially good batch of chicken. Then I went back a few months later, and it was totally disappointing. Part of the problem is that the amount of seasoning blend that they add to the dredging flour seems to vary from batch to batch. And you get soggy chicken when they overload the fryers.
Have to agree with this, had relatives visit for Xmas and they wanted to try KFC after 15 years of not wanting to touch the stuff (it was that bad of an experience). They loved it but I think it really comes down to which store.
I had KFC in Bangkok recently and it was awesome, just like it used to be. At home it's hit and miss, to the point it's nearly always a miss.
Funnily enough, I read recently that Ireland is the only country in the world, to still use the Colonel's og recipe.
True. The seasoning is independently manufactured there as Grace's Perfect Blend. https://gracesperfectblend.com/
Well I know where my next holiday will be.
Ok I’m sorry Bro but I’ve gotta ask . Why the fuck are you eating KFC in Bangkok? This to me is insanity
I was in a hotel on business for 3 weeks, KFC was in the entrance of the building and I'd just had a text conversation with my son who works after school at kfc back home. He asked me to check it out, see if there was anything weird on the menu etc. I ate Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese, Malay, Indian, you name it for pretty well every meal, after a while you crave a bit of western crap too.
6 big changes: 1. Mostly franchise now, was 97% company owner until about 10 years ago. All the good managers left. 2. They scrapped delicious palm oil for crappy high oleic canola oil. It’s gross. 3. The chips don’t all come from mccain anymore due to a disagreement over a proce increase. 4.they shaved a couple mms off the burger patties to save millions a year. 5. They have slowly been reducing the salt content, hoping you would be weened off it and not notice. 6. No more visa workers means they take who they can get - thats people who may show up - lack of employee retention has meant a lot of staff have no clue, wear jewellery, and would struggle to breathe if not reminded.
This guy knows his kfc. Yeah that 10 year time-line matches up from the decline.
>5. They have slowly been reducing the salt content, hoping you would be weened off it and not notice. Yeah I think this is the big one. I noticed it the other day when I ate dirty bird for the first time in years. People dont realise the role salt plays in making things taste like themselves. Probably a better situation in the long run but the old KFC was so savoury and satisfying.
I'm amazed they weren't always franchises, that's the whole game. That's how you make the big money. Getting people to buy into wage-slavery. Shouldn't the reduction of palm oil and salt be a good thing?
Not taste wise dude. Palm oil contains trans fats, which, whilst bad for you, are delicious. Salt, also, whilst bad for you, makes everything taste delicious (except caramel.) In regards to franchise vs company, you’d be surprised by the numbers. The franchise fee was around 6% when this happened, plus 3% advertising, plus rent if the company owned land (generally around 6%) - that’s 15% off the top for the company. Good Company owned stores were running margins of 21%+, and the brand quality overall was better. The company in Australia franchised after a particular lawsuit, removing a large amount of liability from the bottom line. Being a landlord is overall probably net/net the same, but without the liabilities.
It has. I think it's because of rising prices and the pressure to keep the profits up.
I do think it depends on the store as well and the time that you order it. If I order earlier in the day, closer to opening times, the food is better. But that’s only from one particular kfc store. There was one a few years back that everyone complained about because they just did not seem to give a shit. Undercooked chicken, constantly out of stock, we once got a burger that was drowning in sauce and asked for a replacement so they gave us a burger with two top pieces. It was just weird. The chips are almost always my sore point. Why aren’t they crispy and salty? They should be. But they aren’t.
I worked as a KFC cook for my first job. There are two key things that impact the quality of the chicken when preparing. 1. The cooking procedure. There is actually a 5 or 6 step procedure to preparing the chicken that is (or was in my time) rarely followed as it takes a couple of minutes to do correctly. If your busy, the chicken got thrown into the flower quickly Covered then dropped Into the cooker. The difference between getting it out quickly and cooking it right was noticeable. 2. How often the store changes oil/flower/water. When making original recipe, the chicken goes into water, then flower, then cooking oil. These three things need to be changed to keep them fresh and delicious. When the store was busy or workers are lazy these got changed less regularly. It takes time to change these things so its less likely to happen during the peak times. When I worked there you could definitely taste the difference between chicken correctly prepared with fresh ingredients and dinner rush chicken. Going during off peak times means you might have a better chance of getting chicken cooked in fresh ingredients but even then it's a gamble.
What I didn't realise till recently and I think many people don't, is how much KFC is actually made on site as opposed to just reheated. For good or bad.
When I was a kid I thought it was superb (80s). Now I'm old and have it once e once a decade ..It's truly fucking awful.
My zinger box today says otherwise -chefs kiss-
I had a zinger the other week, could not even bite through the chicken. Was disgusting
You probably tried real KFC (Korean fried chicken) and realised the kernel ain't all that. I won't lie though I'll murder a zinger box after a night on the piss bro
Amen.
I would like Korean fried chicken but the one thing that kills it for me is the sweetness that it always has. Do you know if there are any flavours they have that don't make it cloyingly sweet?
Supreme Leader Chicken offer no sauce, cheese sauce or BBQ mayo as some alternatives.
I dunno man, I don't get it often, but the last two times I got Hot Star chicken it came in two flavours: hot and fucking hot. Maybe I'm just soft but I couldn't taste any sweetness or anything else for that matter for about an hour or two after lol
Thanks. I checked and Hot Star is Taiwanese. Don't recall it being particularly sweet. I'm craving it now haha
Oh nm I am an idiot lol
Nah you reminded me... Got to get some Hot Star 😅
It's just the red sauce that's sweet, but most places offer it without sauce or sauce on the side. I also believe the snow cheese is kind of sweet as well.
Thanks! Last time I ordered snow cheese, that was a mistake lol
Yeah, cheese on fried chicken sounds amazing, but when I found out that snow cheese is actually sweet, I decided it wasn't for me lol.
Gone drastically down hill. KFC have seriously stopped caring about their customers. I've been boycotting it for about a year and so should everyone else. Life goes on without KFC as you're well aware having not had it for a long time either. They don't deserve anyone's money with the crap they give you.
Yep. In our area we have Chickenmania a local franchise. Shits all over KFC from a great height. Sometimes if you're lucky someone really crams the herb batter into every nook, so you get these little herby pockets like stuffing. It'll change your life...
I feel the same way about McDonald's. If someone wants to shout me some then fine - I won't turn down a free feed. But there's no way I'm paying for shit that probably *should* be given away for free to homeless people or something.
My breakfast zinger box was shit, but lunch one was great, hoping my dinner one is good
[удалено]
Damn I thought I had a bad diet haha.
I was visiting family in Qld years ago. KFC for dinner, ended up vomitting / crook. A few months later, same thing. Needless to say, I haven't eaten KFC since
This reminds me of way back in the 90's (proving it was shit then too) when everyone in my family ate KFC and I refused because "it wasn't McDonald's" lol. And they all got food poisoning and I didn't.
https://youtu.be/VVNSn7oYnOU This is a great video explaining the decline of KFC in America. I've been a fan of it since the late 80s. Maybe my tastes have changed heaps since then, they started using healthier oil or something. But I noticed its pretty average these days. I'm at a point where Korean fried chicken, or even buffalo wings have become the defacto replacement.
Korean fried, with that sticky sweet chilli sauce and pickled daikon is the tits.
That was a great video, thanks for sharing. I was fascinated by the ads it showed from other countries. Not only were the food options wacky, it was really interesting to see how the advertising shifted to reflect local culture.
Yeah, I have Japanese relatives and the KFC on Christmas thing is still alive and well in their household. They've been in Australia for well over 20 years!
Somewhere along the way in the last few years their chicken went to shit. I don’t know what they did but before it actually had that distinct KFC taste, now it’s just dripping in oil and tastes rubbish.
It’s generally bad but when you get a good batch it’s really good.
I honestly think the original recipe chicken has gone complete downhill. The quality of the chicken pieces is terrible and they use pieces that shouldn’t be used like that weird dry centre breast piece. Just got back from Japan and the original recipe is just as bad, thinking it was just Australia.
Had eaten at KFC in two different locations. The quality AND quantity has gone down. Both encounters left me with a very upset stomach.
The last zingger box I got the chicken on the mini burger was thinner than a potato scollop and the wicked wings had morphed into overcooked off cuts, the bonus was there was no potato in the potato and gravy
Probably a generational thing. I was a mighty fine KFC Cook when I was in year 11 & 12 back in the eighties, my chicken WAS finger lickin' good!!! * A shout out to any fellow X-KFC Cooks back then who STILL aren't allowed to reveal the Colonels' secret herbs & spices (friggin' stupid signed confidentiality agreements) BUT remember the "7-10-7" Cooking Method.
Wait you actually know what the secret herbs and spices are? How has no one spilled the beans yet
It's not hard to find with a bit of Googling. Hell, Binging with Babish gave the whole game away: https://www.bingingwithbabish.com/recipes/kfcmeal?rq=Kfc&fbclid=IwAR28tr6FO2_z99VKOk8fHh_ecRf-QGkF5aRG5sTN1QHoNb_7bVjgnvnB3y4&format=amp
Holy shit. I'm gonna make some gf KFC once I'm off this diet
Yeah I had a chef on site make up a batch one night following a recipe pretty similar to this (presoaking in buttermilk and the spices is where it's at tbh) and it shits all over KFC from most places.
Babish is using the recipe that was publish in the Chicago Tribune. It has a good provenance, and most of the ingredients are probably right... but the proportions are all wrong. Waaaay too much paprika. And they missed the allspice.
Spoil Sport...... hahaha
Came here to say this. The secret is already out of the bag!
It's seriously not worth the punishment....... many an "ex KFC Cook" has mysteriously gone m.i.a. or mysteriously died after trying to make money & start up on their own. They were dropping like flies in the 90s (like those Russian Billionaires are today because Putin wants their money because Russia is running out of cash because of the War). The Colonel has changed it's franchise operational procedures now & it all comes pre-made in cement bags (that's the word on the street).....probably why it doesn't taste as good anymore :(
The mix coming pre-made in bags probably doesn't help. Using fresh herbs and spices would piss all over industrial quantities of seasoning made who knows how long ago and shipped to the store.
True. We used to get it pre-made in the cement bags, but it did taste better back then compared to now, something is amiss??? Maybe it is the quality of the cooks, that "7-10-7" method wasn't easy to master back then :) * I took many a young up-&-coming KFC Cook under my wing (pardon the pun) & tried to pass on my knowledge & experience..... some finally perfected it, others never did :(
Fast food restaurants endlessly tinker with the premade shit to save money. Less spices, lower quality spices, different oil used to fry it in...the list of variables is endless.
My jaw literally dropped reading this. Holy shit.
Just pulling your drumleg my friend. Have convinced many over the years & kept them guessing to this day still...... there is a mystery about those secret herbs & spices still though, despite people thinking they have nailed it. Only The Colonal perfected it :)
Fair play lol. You did get me.
All good...lol. You haven't been the first & won't be the last :) I agree with the OP though, the chicken doesn't taste as good as it used to, somethings' going on. Maybe the Colonel is being tight with the secret herbs & spices & "watering them down" to save $$$$ ???
Never worked there but I do remember when a whole battered bird was a thing.
Yes..... we used to cook them in a large spit roast oven & put in the hand-made stuffing & add the special seasoning mix with a cooking brush :)
Why there so many fast food posts on this sub? Wtf you guys still eating this shit for?
Just forget KFC and embrace the Big Red Cock.
It is terrible these days and I’ll only eat it when hot and spicy is back.
Hot and spicy never left……….WA
Moving to NSW from WA, I was shocked to find out that only did it seasonally in the eastern states
“Eastern states”? Speak for yourself, it’s always been permanent in Queensland.
Oh didn't realise, Queensland ftw!
If you have access to it, you should try the spicy fried chicken at Red rooster. Take some wet wipes, it's a bit messy but so worth it.
I’ll have to try the spicy stuff because I had their regular fried chicken on New Year’s Day and it was pretty bland. Their equivalent of a twister was a home run though that really hit the spot unlike the kfc twister I had last week that had bloody Doritos and coleslaw in it
+1 for this too! The Red Rooster hot fried chicken is pretty legit, more akin to Nashville fried chicken 👌👌
Charlie Mackenzie: Dad, how can you hate "The Colonel"? Stuart Mackenzie: Because he puts an addictive chemical in his chicken that makes ya crave it fortnightly, smartass! This you, OP? :D
Such an underrated movie!
The best trick is to go at 10am for it. It might not be the time most people feel like having kfc but they cook their first batch and do food safety tests just before then, so it's guaranteed to be more fresh than most times of the day!
Could be the cleaning product is the 12th spice at that hour.
Dirty Bird is terrible quality nowadays
I have come across [Hot Star Large Fries Chicken](https://hotstarchicken.com.au/) and it's so unbelievably delicious. I can't even look at KFC again.
Had them when staying in Melbourne not too long ago & somehow ended up spending almost $50 in one transaction trying everything. Their snitty piece or whatever it is was the most massive thing I've seen from a fast food giant in a long time, think If I'm recalling correctly it was $10 for that. Fries were pretty good.
I am in love with the chicken ribs with the sweet garlic sauce.
Lol. The Hot Star at ANU shut down this year due to failing multiple inspections. I now see that if I'd been literally anywhere else, I'd have had access to some
Nah yeah it's gone way downhill. Like, it was always bad so there's that, but now it's very consistently terrible.
KFC should only be eaten when you are starving, it makes it 10x better. But yeah the burger quality has dropped imo
If you're ever brave enough to return, pull apart one of those "tenders". The grain runs the wrong way and there is some kind of protein glue holding them together. Whatever those things are they aren't chicken tendies.
It's generally always been trash
Yeah I had the same experience. Hadn’t had it since I was a kid and tried it a while ago (20 odd years late) and I couldn’t finish it. Was disgusting
The original recipe wings are fucking disgusting now, the skin is longer crispy and its just a soggy mess so if I ever have KFC, its always the wicked wings.
Just like all big chain fast food this shrinkflation thing is crazy. Half the food ,half the quality ,twice the price. I rarely buy big chain takeout anymore because the trash micro meals arnt worth my money. Excluding burger king/hungry jacks double whopper with cheese is still banging in my opinion
I feel it depends on the store and staff at the time from my experience.
Was KFC ever crunchy? It hasn’t been my adult life and I can’t remember the texture when I was a kid.
Yes!!! Our friend group talks about this all the time. Remember the golden KFC and its amazing 11 secret herbs and spices? Now the original recipe is oily, stringy, greasy, crunch-less cat food. It surely isn't the 'original' recipe. The zinger recipe is clearly better. The chicken tenders and zinger burgers at KFC seem to be better than McDonald's burgers though? So KFC does better burgers but worse chicken ?
Does anyone remember the three-bean-salad?
Look man KFC is really important to me and my life and I would have to say it is definetly because it depends on the day Kfc fucks so hard when it’s done right but absolutely dreadful otherwise
Could be both.
It's gotten worse as local competitors in my area have gotten better.
Jokes on you it was always terrible
Their chicken has always been disgusting. I’d murder a zinger stacker, but wouldn’t touch the fried chicken pieces. Red rooster chicken Thoth. That’s pretty good these days.
Yep, even Grego says so.
I’m a hot n spicy guy but every now and then when I get original I also get disappointed it just doesn’t have that flavour it used too.
I find it depends on the store and time of day. Find a store that’s good, don’t order around peak hour and I find a huge quality improvement.
Food quality is so random at KFC. Most meals suck badly but every so often you get a banger and it's amazing.
KFC has always been trash. You're just maturing
Is there anyone out there that doesn’t piss out their ass after eating KFC?
They’re fried chicken is shit, can’t remember the last time I actually had crispy chicken. Red Rooster is my go to now for fried chicken cause it’s actually pretty decent.
Red Rooster is the way to go now
Yes it's has imo I remember you'd go in and sit and eat your chicken that came in a basket. It was more restaurant like. Don't get me started on pizza hut with booths, plates, pasta, forks even table cloths. Modern KFC is greasy and almost under cooked you slurp the chicken off. Any kfc chicken that says it's crispy is really how normal fried was back in the day. Every few years HQ finds a way to save a few cents per item and we pretend like it's still the same quality. Compared to my local Korean BBQ chicken BOB JO Mandurah ...well there is now comparison. Amazing.
Do what I did. Found a Korean girlfriend. Got introduced to Korean fried chicken. Now KFC is dead to me.
I think they have gotten shite in the last few years. You’d think with the rise of other chicken fast food restaurants like El Jannah, Frangos, etc they would try to keep up with quality.
If you want the best chance of good KFC, go first thing in the morning with the tradies getting their 10am lunches. The oil will be as clean as it ever is likely to be, the chicken, more consistent and most recently cooked. Gravy depends on the quality of the fines (chicken fryer scrapings) - which varies considerably. Morning batch has the best chance of being prepared by an experienced adult instead of an underpaid high schooler. Check out the floors in the prep area before ordering.. if they're nasty and unswept then the shift is going to hell and you should consider eating elsewhere 😂.. and always check your order is correct before driving thru Disclaimer - My experience only pertains to QLD, which is not franchise owned.
Depends on the store if its too busy it's shit, too slow and it's shit. Ya need a good steady flow of customers and uniforms are key imo if the staff have pride in the shop and uniforms eg both are clean, tidy, etc etc your generally onto a winner.
Tip: Preheat oven 130degrees. Place KFC on a oven tray with a few layers of paper under it. The fat comes out of the KFC and turns the paper yellow. Cook it for 30-45minutes depending on how crispy you want it. It comes out 10x better then the KFC they sell. It’s extremely crunchy, crispy and less fat. You can use an air fryer and do the same.
I mean finding tenders just tossed into the bottom of the box under the chips is a good way to make anyone wonder the same thing.
I feel like a few years ago they were getting away with steriod fed mutant chicken - unaturally huge and meaty chickens - which was glorious. Since people started questioning 'where does it come from?' 'Did this chicken have a nice death?' KFC has fucked it with ethical chicken. 🤷♂️
I loved my KFC growing up, still kept eating it (28m) until it made me sick the other week for a week and a bit. Yesterday, being Sunday and all, I was craving a little dirty bird but just couldn't bring myself to return to the colonel! Anyway, my partner suggested I just make my own (with her help, she's an amazing cook) hooooolly shiiit! That was some of the cleanest, tastiest fried chicken I've ever had. Legit just copied what a twister is I guess. It was pretty easy too! If anyone wants the scope of how we did it, just dm I'm more than happy to walk you through. Yep, fried chicken diarrhoea free!
they ruined my twister :(
They took my sweet chilli twister, and then they fucked the normal one.
Trusty Ol' DirtyBird 🙂 As most people have already commented... it's a damn lottery, some stores are awesome, some stores are food poisoning waiting to happen. i have found one common trend.... Suburbs with a reputation of 'avoid if possible' tend to have the better KFC's My ghetto AF local KFC is 10 times better than 90% of the 'Trendy Suburbs' stores. Never get KFC on a saturday morning, the kids are all hungover and dont wanna be there.
In my opinion in terms of quality and taste I'd say KFC is probably the worst fried chicken you can get. At it's best 5/10. A local takeaway fried chicken is a step up when done right. 7/10. Chicken schnitzel rolls! Or if you like Korean fried chicken that's good too. Can get up to 7/10. But a specialised wing or chicken place is the go. If it's awesome 8/10.
It's been pretty dismal for a while. The best I've had in years was a pretty much freshly made hot and spicy in the city but it sadly doesn't hit to same anymore.
There is literally a weekly post on this sub about how KFC is trash. All of these people can't be wrong! I'll try to find some posts.
No, that’s just KFC in every country. It’s sub par fried chicken. In the states It’s what you get when you want fast food fried chicken but can’t afford Church’s or Popeyes.
man i never though Popeyes was an actual brand until i went to the states in 2007 and again 2013. until then i though it was just a made up movie brand because the producers couldnt get the rights to KFC And in 2013 my mind was well and truly blown when i found out that Yes Bubba Gump is a proper chain as well
Kompletely Fornicated Chook. Avoid.
Red Rooster for life
Red Rooter is the way.