KFC Standards gone down?

Bought some KFC yesterday (9 pieces for $9.95 + 2 large sides for $5)

It's been a little while since I had KFC, but the batter on the outside smelt kind of fishy (literally, it smelt of fish) it didn't really taste like it was supposed to (not as flavoursome as I remember) it was sort of bland and not the slightest hint of "spice", I was quite disappointed, plus I had asked for no wings, but the lady gave me 4! Felt quite sick later that night and threw up :/ I'm thinking the chicken wasn't very fresh.

Has anyone experienced anything similar? Perhaps I just had a bad batch, but it's put me off KFC for a while.

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KFC Australia
KFC Australia

Comments

  • +8

    I haven't noticed any change to KFC chicken myself… though I do hate it when you get something like a 3 piece feed and they give you 2 wings and a drumstick… and those wings are tiny… =(

    I'd chalk it up to bad batch and give it another shoot… but I'd also give them two weeks before trying again…

    • +6

      I also don't like the breast pieces, too dry, but there have been numerous occasions where I've bought a family meal and instead of 10 pieces of chicken, they'd give me 8 or 9. but I cbb driving all the way back for one piece of chicken.

      • +6

        I wish that would happen to me. Prefer breast but normally lucky to get one.

        • If me and my family want breast meat we tell that cashier that we want some! They normally give us as much as they can, All ya gotta do is ask. :)

        • @XxDkoYxX:

          not all shops willing to do that

      • Had that happen to me before… funniest thing was… one time they gave me no chicken and two bags of chips… lucky I was right outside and checked before driving away lol.

    • if you're getting a 2 or 3 piece feed, ask for "centre pieces only" and they usually will grant your request

      • +25

        Wings and legs = small pieces.

        It used to be company policy that:
        2 piece pack = 1 small and 1 regular piece
        3 piece pack = 1 small and 2 regular pieces
        9 piece pack = 4 small and 5 regular pieces. It should be a whole chicken. 2 wings, 2 legs, 2 thighs, 2 ribs, 1 breast.
        10 piece pack = same as 9 + regular sized piece.
        21 piece barrel = 2 x 9 piece pack + 3 piece pack.

        In regards to the "fishy taste" I've never experienced that before. Chicken has a very, very distinct odour when it has gone bad and it is definitely not fishy in any way. If I was you I'd report it to the health department and (if you have a sample of chicken left over) give it to them so that they can investigate.

        Source: worked there for nearly 10 years - 5 as ktchenhand, 5 as manager.

        • Chicken smells sulphurous when it's off. Personally, I haven't eaten there in years as I always felt sick after eating it. Probably from a combination of way too much salt, fat and chemicals.

      • Yeah, I usually ask for thigh pieces after that time with the two wings and a drumstick lol.

        Funny thing is, they sometimes give me three pieces of thigh. Not that I'm complaining but thats alot of chicken =)

      • +10

        Last time I tried that I got the company policy speech that wings must be included… DOH!
        KFC wings… skin, bone, fat = PROFIT
        Just go to Wollies and get a whole cooked chook for $11.

        • yeah just not worth it

        • Last Tuesday I went to Willie's and Coles and both were out so had to resort to KFC, it was Tuesday too, would have thought the local supermarkets would have some market share taken off them on a Tuesday but I guess not.

          To answer the OP, I had at least 4 drumsticks and a wing, breast and 2 two thighs. The drumsticks looked like they came off a quail, I put it down to every person in the queue in front of me ordering the 9pc deal and they probably were short on chook

        • @Jackson: Ask for exact packing, and after you leave check the pieces - should be as mattyman explained; 2 thighs, 2 legs, 2 wings, 2 ribs and a breast.

        • go to a woolies half an hour before they close and if they still have chickens they will sell them for half price.

    • Edit: oops Wrong reply.

    • +1

      I got 3 wings once upon a time. Still sore about it several years later.

    • Just say which parts of the chicken you want. nicely i.e - 'Can i get 2 drumstix and a wing please?'

  • They may have given you emergency stock, you're likely to get that if you buy from a high traffic area like shopping centers or 'express' stores.

    • +2

      "Emergency stock"?

      I have no idea what this means.

      Having managed some of the busiest KFC's in WA - the only "emergency stock" we ever received was on special days (i.e. Mother's Day which used to be the busiest day of the year). The "emergency stock in these cases was freshly cooked chicken transported from other stores in catering boxes.

      • +3

        "Emergency stock"?

        In previous KFC advertising KFC crowed about the chicken being sourced fresh from its suppliers Inghams and Steggles. It did note that it did have emergency frozen stock.

        On the KFC website, Under Our Food - Get To know our chickens
        It states
        "All of our core ingredient, chicken, is sourced locally in Australia and at least 97% of our chicken on the bone, chicken fillets and strips are delivered to stores fresh, not frozen."

        As for the chicken, KFC at Highett (V) is really busy on Tuesdays so usually I have to wait as they cook up another batch. The advantage is I get to read the paper as I wait and take home freshly prepared KFC.

        I don't think standards have dropped at all.

        Maybe the "not as flavoursome as I remember" is due to ageing ( http://www.bonappetit.com/entertaining-style/trends-news/art…)

        • +3

          Oh yeah, that's right. I had forgotten about that. That's more to do with Steggles/Inghams supply not being able to meet demand on busy days (like mothers day) so they send frozen stock to compensate.

          Express stores and shopping centres aren't likely to use frozen … it's actually a major pain to thaw chicken out before breading it up and cooking it. It takes too long. In high volume stores it's actually easier to order fresh becuase of the high volume. If they over order a little, it doesn't matter because they'll still be able to use the extra stock way before the use by date.

        • @mattyman: Plus we aren't allowed to heat the chicken to cook it, it has to be defrosted in the coolroom which makes it a major frustration. Food courts really are always better for that sort of thing.

  • +2

    Try a different KFC…?

    • I have, last time I had it at another place wasn't great so tried this place, was even worse!

  • Which store did you order from!?
    Write the store manager a letter saying you weren't satisfied.
    You might get a complimentary voucher.

    • +18

      … and from the same store again, maybe a complimentary vomit.

  • +1

    Try a different KFC place.

    They are such an inconsistent bunch.

    I had been to a few different KFCs and they all have different taste and textures, and one nearly killed me from food poisoning. LOL.

    Luckily, out of them all, the KFC nearest to my home is THE BEST!

    • +5

      You nearly died, not that funny lol

  • I highly recommend the one in Mentone vic 3194. Was very impressed with the service and the quality of the food the couple of times I've been there.
    Disclaimer:I'm not in anyway associated with them.

    • +14

      I'm not driving to the other side of the country for KFC lol, but thanks, if I'm ever having a craving and I'm in the area, I'll make sure to drop by

      • +3

        edit: highly recommend to anyone who lives close by
        @pyro love bird, if you're ever in the area, pm me or wicket1120 and we'll shout you to a free lunch at KFC :-)

        • +1

          Ah, that's too kind! How about we just have a small OzBargain get together then? There haven't been any get togethers in WA so far so I think it'd be good to meetup with others :)

        • +1

          @pyro love bird:

          Count me in! I'm always up for some Hot N Spicy!

        • +1

          @Pigey:
          Sounds hot! And spicey!

        • @pyro love bird: Sounds good. would we be allowed to bring 2.5 (maybe) adorable (sometimes) kids along?

        • @Jar Jar Binks: s

          Sorry, but 2.5?

        • +1

          @DAOtmc: Depending on when is this ozbargain meet-up , we might have another one on the way…

        • @Jar Jar Binks:

          Congratulationnnsssss!

        • @Jar Jar Binks: Yes! I love kids!

        • @DAOtmc: lol ..we're not quite there yet. We're still working on making him/her:-)

  • -4

    No, it is fine. /end

  • -1

    I reckon it's because they get super busy on Tuesday nights because of the $9.95 deal. You were probably unlucky and got a bad batch and wings that you didn't want. I've gotten schnitzel and wicked wings substituted instead of getting a chicken piece…

  • +2

    I would write a complain to the KFC hq through their web site, their complaint management dept is very2 good I must say. I have had some issues with my local KFC in the past, when I complaint through their site they always ring me back to apologize and give me replacement meal.

    • never accept replacement meal, they might spit on it…..

    • I remember a lady that use to come to the KFC I worked at and would put in a complain with every family meal she ordered so that she could get 2 for 1. It got to the point where I had to tell her that if she didn't like our food and we were unable to satisfy her that she shouldn't order from us. She still came back every 2nd day.

      • It's the way it works for so many customers, we have regular complainers at my store and there's really nothing we can do except make sure everything is so perfect there's nothing to complain about.

  • +5

    I'm sad to say that for mine KFC as we know it today is a pale imitation of how good it used to be back in the 1980's when it was known as Kentucky Fried Chicken.

    Back then you could always taste the herbs and spices on every piece of chicken.

    These days it is more a case of luck of the draw.

  • +11

    KFC has standards?

    • +5

      Yes. sub standards.

    • Search for old forum. I complaint before. My friend and myself stopped eating KFC now….

      • -8

        I complaint before. My friend and myself stopped eating KFC now….

        Could you stop complaining as well ?

        • +1

          If someone is selling crap then speak up about it.

        • +2

          Could you stop complaining as well ?

          undeclared KFC employee you think?

        • Fine, complain to the Management of the store, report it to Health Inspectors, create a forum and post it there. But don't keep whinging about it over and over.

          Search for old forum. I complaint before

          Read hzac's comment -

          I don't understand why people keep going back to places they've had several bad experiences with.
          "it's been just terrible the last 4 times ive eaten there"
          Well stop going there. This doesn't just apply to KFC obviously. Anywhere. If the standard is not up to what you expect it to be shop somewhere else. Somewhere better that deserves your money for putting the effort in.
          Maybe it's just me but it's so annoying when people complain then keep doing the same thing, get the same result only to complain again over and over. Its even worse when it gets to the point where people do it just to complain.
          I'm gonna stop there before this becomes an endless rant. I know everyone deserves a certain level of quality for their money But maybe just think about eating / shopping else where for a bit.

        • @Tal_Shiar: No, but aren't you in the food industry ?

        • @Baysew:

          "Complaint before" in different shop from Ops…….. the meaning of complaint before here is "added to the bad experience statistic……", and warn others to becareful

          meaning there are likely most of the KFC are the same….. and yes, I stopped going to that shop, and feel doubtful about others too and stop eating KFC altogether.

          I believed most ozbargainer interpret as what I mentioned than you being negative or selfish not to warn others

  • I agree that when it's fresh, KFC is less tasty now than it used to be.
    As far as dropping standards are concerned, KFC gave me food poisoning back in 1989, so it's always been a possibility with them.
    Bottom line, if you start to get dubious at the start of a meal, throw it away!

    • +6

      As you age your sense of taste diminishes….

  • It could be a Tuesday thing.. The last two times I've ordered the 9 for 9.95 the chicken tasted pretty gross. Any other day though its pretty good.

  • I remember ordering KFC chicken drumsticks for the first time in 1996. I led a sheltered life and was steered away from junk food. Anyway, I returned to my table with the drumsticks and was shocked to discover… the batter just covered up loads of skin, fat, bone, and some chicken meat. It was the whole chicken leg. After watching all those TV ads I naively believed that the sexy actors were biting into huge drumsticks loaded with nothing but meat. Never eaten KFC chicken pieces since that time. I just don't see the attraction.

    • +6

      loads of skin, fat, bone, and some chicken meat

      That's what most chickens are composed of lol. Count yourself lucky that you didn't get some feathers in there too… like others have.

      • +2

        was shocked to discover…

        Biting into a chicken drumstick and discovering it was a chicken drumstick !

        Also KFC didn't invent chicken, they have been around since 300 BC.

        The price you pay for having a sheltered life.

  • Wait a Minute!!!!

    DID KFC HAVE STANDARDS WTF :O

    Why would anyone eat that shit.

  • I'm with the above guy. KFC has never had standards. They have the reputation of being the dirtiest of all the fast food chains. The things you hear from people who've worked there in the past are enough to put you off.

    I haven't eaten KFC in years, so I wouldn't exactly know about the quality now, but let me ask you this: Do you think the quality of KFC food would be better than what it previously was? Always looking for a way to save money on supplies by reducing quality.

    • Where is that reputation from? I worked there years ago when at uni, and the food hygiene standards were good enough that we (the staff) all ate it.

      • +1

        yeah their motto "YUM" - You Understand Me .

        meaning if the customer thinks it's dirty, they make it dirty

        cmon . fast food is fast food, so many bad news about it - Macdonalds, Hungry Jacks, KFC, Red rooster…..

      • +1

        That's what I've been told by friends who work there and have worked there in the past. My friend used to love KFC gravy until his job involved making gravy at KFC. From then on, when we went he either swapped his gravy for coleslaw or never bought meals including gravy again. Told me that the ingredients they used were sometimes expired and they took "shortcuts" all the time. Also been told by two friends that after chickens dropped on the floor, they would still use it. Also that the fryers and oil gets extremely filthy, to the point where they feel sick and they still use it.

        • +3

          Literally all that goes into the gravy is water, powdered gravy mix and leftover fines (all the loose bits) from the chicken fryers, all boiled together and strained so I fail to see how it can be made with expired ingredients, or how you can make shortcuts in such a simple process of combining ingredients and heating them up. At the store I work at, we have never used dropped chicken and it is company policy not to - if your friends have been then they should have been fired. As soon as it touches the floor, it stays there or goes straight in the bin. The oil one can be true, but that's all about the store manager's discretion.

        • I made a mistake there, using expired ingredients wasn't just related to the gravy is was about other products in the store. Your store may be cleaner then, but in reality all fast food stores have no standards. None of them actually care about their social responsibilities, they're only in place to make them look ethical. If fast food stores could get away with it unnoticed, they'd be doing even dodgier practices. That's why I refuse to give them my money anymore. I'm starting to sound like a whirlpooler now, but I hope you understand my point :)

  • +5

    Well if you ate 9 pieces of chicken and 2 large sides all by yourself I'm not surprised you'd feel sick! If not how did everyone else feel afterwards?

    KFC is rubbish food but they're usually anal about food handling and safety.

    • +1

      If PLB ate the 9 pieces, chips and a coleslaw, that's:

      Energy 11920.50kJ
      Protein 163.05g
      Fat, Total 154.30g
      Fat, Saturated 28.20g
      Carbohydrates 204.90
      Carbohydrates, Sugars 64.10g
      Sodium 5348mg

      Throwing up would be the least of your worries!

    • LOL I only had 1.5 pieces of chicken and a spoonful of gravy. I didn't eat it all by myself.

  • +5

    I don't understand why people keep going back to places they've had several bad experiences with.
    "it's been just terrible the last 4 times ive eaten there"
    Well stop going there. This doesn't just apply to KFC obviously. Anywhere. If the standard is not up to what you expect it to be shop somewhere else. Somewhere better that deserves your money for putting the effort in.
    Maybe it's just me but it's so annoying when people complain then keep doing the same thing, get the same result only to complain again over and over. Its even worse when it gets to the point where people do it just to complain.
    I'm gonna stop there before this becomes an endless rant. I know everyone deserves a certain level of quality for their money But maybe just think about eating / shopping else where for a bit.

    • i fully agree, some people don't understand that I don't want to eat at Nando's anymore after seeing a rat on the table. Sure it was one store, and if was closed then reopened, but fool me once shame on (insert chain) fool me twice shame on me!

      • I used to go to nandos to get me a $14 chook, even though its more than coles its still worth it i told myself. Then it went to $15. Then $16. Once it hit $18 i said no more as i could almost get 2 chickens for the same price. And yes ive tried the 'pour a bottle of nandos sauce on the chicken' but it isnt even close to a flame grilled chicken, its not bad but its not the same.

        Oh well, more money for me.

  • +4

    I don't get a lot of takeaway but have scored gray rotten coleslaw from KFC, stinky rotten chicken from Dominos and a mouldy roll from Red Rooster so far this year.
    A heroic Subway sandwich artist cut his finger and served up a blood-soaked footlong.

    • +1

      Wow….. just wow.

    • +2

      Dayum……

    • +4

      This might explain why you don't get a lot of takeaway.

  • I have never come across this before with KFC I purchased. But I know my 2 local stores and when the good time to purchase is.

  • +1

    KFC in Australia is pretty crap, never realized how big they are in China and not only that they have a huge range of menu as well..

    Also their Pizza Hut makes ours looks so bad.

    • KFC in HK has hot 'n' spicy all year round! =)

      And Pizza hut in HK looks like a proper restaurant… with proper pasta and stuff.

      • +1

        Sucks how we get crappy stuff when fast food restaurants in China/US/UK all crap on us. Its sad how alot of Australians don't realise how far behind we are.

      • +2

        KFC in Qld and WA have hot n spicy all year

        • There's a store in Brisbane that sells more hot'n'spicy than original. As far as I know it has a lot less salt (just going by the 1kg bag of salt that's added to original mix which isn't added to hot'n'spicy, although it's hard to say what the marinate is).

    • +3

      I'd rather our 'crap' food than anything grown/farmed in China.

      If people here are already complaining about Australian KFC lacking 'standards', then do some research into the food industry standards in China.

      • Please do me a favor and never read wikileaks or go into the darkweb. I don't want you to ruin your innocent mind where even 10% of meat in Australia is Australian Farmed..

        • +1

          And what makes you think I eat meat? I make very sure that everything I consume is grown in or product of Australia. The only meat I eat is kangaroo and even that is on the very very odd occasion. Mostly vegetarian. Seasonal, local produce only. Mostly home grown. Innocent mind? Hardly. But thanks, boss.

    • +2

      KFC in Australia is pretty crap, never realized how big they are in China and not only that they have a huge range of menu as well..

      Hmmm, yes they do have a diverse menu, but it's the same dismal tasting crap you get here…and why would you bother, there's so many awesome local restaurants in China where you can feed a family with decent tucker for what a bloody junk food snack costs in a Western "restaurant" (I used that term very loosely indeed for this context) there…only an idiot would be buying it anyway!!!

      Also their Pizza Hut makes ours looks so bad.

      Dafuq??? PH in China (actually, most parts of Asia) was abysmal last time I was there…same deal as KFC, simply having a larger range of overpriced, pathetic junk food doesn't somehow make it a great restaurant.

      • +1

        sadly, I have to agree with you.

        in Asia those are "luxury" food, fast food? more like slow food.

  • +6

    dont eat kfc anymore, but i had an urge to the other day. what a mistake. it was so greasy and oily, had a mad upset stomach later that night. dont know how people can eat this on a regular basis ?

    • Happened to me 3 months ago…. stomach upset after never eat it 12 months ago. Until permanently banned it

    • I wish I could give you more points, you have spoke my mind :)

      I have the similar feeling last weekend, bad mistake of having KFC for lunch.

      • +1

        My friend said "KFC is a great idea before, and during the first few bites, then a terrible idea the rest of the meal and after".

    • The last time i ate kfc made me extremely sick, that was about 5 years ago, put me off all fast food places, havent touched mcdonalds, pizza hut, dominos, red rooster or hungry jacks since. I used to eat that shit regularly , but what a difference it makes in your health when you stop eating it all together. I have never felt better. The only place i do eat occasionaly is nandos.

      • you sound like the person who sit in front of me………

  • the chicken is always bad tasting and cold and some times are cooked so bad, I gave up on kfc long ago, the burger bread is dry and old, this is not just one branch i have experiecend it in a couple of kfc's, sticking with HJ

  • Tuesdays are bound to deliver a few dodgy batches. I’ve had burnt tasting chicken which was awful and most recently it was so thick in batter the usual 9 pieces couldn’t even fit in the box properly.

    After complaining to the manager how the overly thick batter spoilt the taste (hot and spicy) I wasn’t given an apology, just asked, "how many do you want?"

    Anyway, even though it should be a matter of consistency you will find most of their younger employees probably dread the Tuesday shift and receive no real incentive other than their usual mediocre pay.

  • Interesting comments from everyone, but can anyone suggest an alternative to them out there? One that does seasoned fried/baked chicken like they do?

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