I work at a Food Court KFC on Front Counter. Ask me anything about my job.
[AMA] KFC Front Counter Worker, Ask Me Anything
Related Stores
closed Comments
Are you allergic to good food?
I find the oil very heavy. Which oil is used?
5w40?
not sure but very unlikely haha. I think we'd be out of business pretty soon if we paid that much for oil. also, the engine thing
@realfancyman: I was a kitchenhand/cashier for 5 years and a manager for 5 years - the oil used to be palm oil. Hopefully that's changed in the last 19 years since I left.
they use solid oil, looks like Flora in woolies.
and melt into the cooker.
@Chaffix: Since when? I worked at a Perth store a few years ago when I was in high school. The cooking oil comes in a white block form, wrapped in blue plastic, inside a cardboard box, maybe 18'x12'x8'
Kitchen would simply unwrap the block and dump it into the deep fryer.I'm trying to remember if the chip fryer was the same but I can't for the life of me.. I think the oil for those came in goon bags (I'm pretty sure I remember topping up the chip fryer). It has been a couple of years!
Oh, and never eat the gravy..
Shit'll kill ya dead..@Liamv4696: Yep. This.
Chip fryers were the same as the Collectromatix.
Gravy is fine. Using the gravy fines to make gravy is how it's made traditionally and it's also why KFC gravy tastes so much better than the watery goop that Red Rooster and Chicken Treat sell.
@Liamv4696: Must be different here in Vic man, we have boxes and boxes of 15L liquid oil we use in our chip fryers and cookers. They're in a goon bag type silver plastic inside a cardboard box and they're KFC branded. Different suppliers between the states I spose.
and yeah, the gravy, oh delicious chickeny goodness
@[Deactivated]: I too worked at HJ's as a teenager and remember that stuff all too well, either dumping whole boxes in when cleaning the fryers or scooping (gooping) it out in the middle of the day to top it up.
I was under the impression it was vegetable shortening, which turns out is code for palm oil. One source claims KFC Australia used to use Malaysian palm oil, apparently beef tallow used to be big in the USA. Whatever was used, palm, vegetable shortening or beef tallow was really high in trans and saturated fats. Since about 2006 all of the fast food joints have switched to mostly canola based blends which are naturally lower in those things.
At first it was easy to notice a change in flavour, and also the canola blends generally don't last as long and need to be changed more regularly at a higher cost to business, but it is much healthier for us.
Maccas - Canola + Sunflower
KFC - Canola
HJ's - Make both claims of "Vegetable" oil and Canola oilNot sure about KFC & HJ but Maccas also use a lot of soy bean oil in their mayo's and random other products.
Bonus fun fact, Mcdonalds AU now source their ketchup from China and it's made with high fructose corn syrup.
brb@bonezAU: Was around 2012 I worked there, the store I was at still used the large slabs of that came in wrapped in blue plastic inside a box.
Quick research shows 2012 was about when the change was finished rolling out, so maybe it happen just after I left… https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2012-05-23/kfc-buckets-pal…
@[Deactivated]: Yeah, it appears they clung on until as late as possible. Apparently Christopher Pyne started a round table involving all of the fast food outlets and a bunch of 'panels' in 2006 to get some action happening then. As we know, when government is involved things can seem to take a lifetime.
Are you? Is that why you work at KFC?
You were full of crap before you went KFC.
I think you should go back to eating Dirty Dumplings
is there any chance that you eat at Concord West NSW store
I got sick after eating there
Quite literally the worst in Australia. There has to be one.
Because the Streetwise Feast isn't meant for one person.
You're getting old, your body can't take it anymore
Why can’t I get all wings on $10 for 9 Tuesdays?
Funny because most people hate wings anyways. Most stores won't allow this so we don't run out of a certain piece of chicken.
That's because wing pieces are relatively tiny and have the least amount of meat.
exactly
@realfancyman: Do you think KFC should genetically engineer chickens that have 2 additional legs in place of wings?
@Scrooge McDuck: On second thought, if possible, it would be great to have 2 arse ends conjoined at the middle. That way we get 2 parson's noses, which is the tastiest part, and the thing won't be able to run away; I've never seen a chicken walk backwards. That's 2 birds with 1 stone!
Is there a policy to give more pieces when there arent enough big pieces
We got 15 the other day for a family meal with 10 pieces
Certain store doing permanent deal on 12 wings + 2 fries for $12.95 like one in Chatswood Chase. Balcktown one in mall recently doing it too but not sure permanently.
We're doing that as well
packing procedure. 1 type for each 5 minus one breast when over 10 pieces. leg and wing can be substituted within reason and thigh and rib similar. leg and thigh get preference because there is a tray with just these pieces (breast meat utilised in fillets, popcorn nuggets).. Breast were gold but there was only so much can be done (how many breast do you think a chicken has)
the same number as they have of legs, wings and thighs?
actually 1 when you consider the bone runs down the middle… and as said earlier breast meet is also used in things like fillets, nuggets ect… hence why we get the trays of exclusively thighs and ribs
could you please confirm that the 5 second rule exists in the back cook area?
definitely not in our store haha
So it's the 7 second rule? Got it.
The floor in the KFC kitchen is usually slippery as and greasy. Anything you drop on that should not be eaten.
It does exist at every kitchen especially when you are in busy time. I usually dip into hot oil for a few seconds to kill germs
And you work where?
One of Supercheapguys posts from 2 months ago is an AMA about working at 7Eleven. This explains a lot.
You'd be fired on the spot if you did that in my kitchen.
Ex KFC Shift Supervisor here, this definitely did not happen at my store. Definite dismissal on the spot .
Ex-maanger here (Perth) - and same here.
What is this 5 seconds rule?
If the food drops to the ground/floor and you pick it up within 5 seconds, it's still good to go. The theory is that bacteria/germs have not contaminated the food yet. It's obviously a joke and a disgusting practice.
no time limit, If the employee feels the customer will still eat it back into circulation it goes.
Its not like they'll get any sicker.
What are the colonels secret herbs and spices ploise?
We don't actually know, everything comes prepackaged
But what are the listed ingredients on the packaging and in what order?
No idea if there even are any, cooks would know
Ex-KFC Shift Supervisor here, started there as a cook. The original recipe flavouring packets list some ingredients, but as for the '11 herbs and spices', they are listed pretty much verbatim as exactly that 'herbs and spices', on the packaging. However as some other people have commented, the ingredients list has supposedly been leaked and tested to some degree of accuracy. Google the recipe if you like and have a crack at it, but don't expect the same results without massive amounts of MSG and a deep frying pressure cooker.
From Kfc secret recipe revealed
11 spices – Mix with 2 cups white fl.
2/3 Ts Salt 1/2 Ts Thyme 1/2 Ts Basil 1/3 Ts Oregano 1 Ts Celery salt 1 Ts Black pepper 1 Ts Dried mustard 4 Ts Paprika 2 Ts Garlic salt 1 Ts Ground ginger 3 Ts White pepperAnd apparently, the other secret is to let the meat marinate in buttermilk to soften it up and let the spices get in.
I don't KFC would trust their employees beyond a 120 second timer for deep frying chicken to marinate the meat in buttermilk.
it comes in prepackaged containers from somewhere else afaik
To make the breading at KFC.
1 x huge bag of flour.
1 x bag of salt.
1 x bag of powdered egg and milk.
1 x bag of seasoning (which says it contains "herbs and spices").No buttermilk. It's powdered egg and milk for that authentic taste.
Stuff original, does anyone know the recipe for hot'n'spicy?
Do you get a discount or any freebies?
Yep, 20% staff discount through the KFC App and if you work a close shift you get to eat the leftovers, which is technically against policy but is fine with all the managers at my store.
and if you work a close shift you get to eat the leftovers,
PROTIP: If you're friendly with the staff and make a small purchase just before close, they'll often give you extra chicken for free.
My store would always run out of chicken if I went there after 7pm. I doubt there'd be anything left at closing, maybe some stale chips..
No idea how they been in business so long but the store has been closed for a good 6months+ now due to fire.@BargainKen: Meanwhile my store always had stacks of chicken/everything at closing and the manager would just throw all of it out unless someone wanted it in which case there were still tons left over. Could've been like 5+ family meals.
it was 10% when i was there what a gib.. left about 3 years ago. but was there over 5 years total with a break in the middle
Is the code on the feedback survey ever validated to redeem the reg chips and drink? ie. can i just write any random 5 digit number to claim
No it isn't, just requires the supervisor code on the register.
Good feedback is probably the best thing you can do to thank an employee though, we get given free food and other KFC branded stuff. Just make sure you mention their name in it
and other KFC branded stuff.
Like what? Refresher towels?
Nah, leftover wing…..tips……..
Hi Fancyman, I was once told by a store that the KFC feedback expires within 2 weeks, however at all other KFC's they were fine as long as you did the survey. There is no obvious mention of any expiry. Is that right?
I think it does mention something like that at the start of the survey when you enter in your order details, possibly a new requirement. However very few KFC enforce the expiatory date.
I've had a store check the code before and got told the number is not valid.
You can validate the code by dividing it by 3. Pretty easy to beat
What are some examples of valid numbers?
A number is divisible by 3 if the sum of all the digits is divisible by 3. E.g 88881 . Sum = 33, sum = 6. Which is divisible by 3. Therefore number is divisible by 3.
Probably to hide the "Fried Chicken" part of the name, they don't want customers to be thinking about that.
Sucking off the succulent tender 9 week old chick thigh meat
Phrasing?
Authorities have been informed.
How often do you guys change your oil? Do you filter it orswap it out?
Hopefully every 10,000kms
Again that would be a cooks question. not sure
I worked at a KFC as cook 10 years ago on Bourke St. Oil gets filtered everyday, and changed around every 2 days, or if its been busy everyday. Depends on the colour of the oil.
Why do I always feel sick after eating KFC?