Ate at KFC today

[AZshooter]

A KFC next to Harbor Freight where I did a lot of weekend shopping is now long gone. I get coupons in the mail every few weeks - sometimes for pot pies, but usually for other deals. If I want wings and drumsticks, I can get them cheap at the Kroger's down the street. This KFC was ALWAYS out of everything no pot pies, no thighs or breasts. I even stopped in on weekdays & same story. I finally sent an e-mail; to KFC and complained - got some half a$$ed reply and a link to print a coupon for a free item (they never had available). Wrote back and told them that KFC couldn't honor my coupon in several visits.

About a month I noticed the building was empty.

[dryheat]

You can usually tell when a place is heading south. Management changes and it ends up in the hands of someone who doesn't know what they are doing or just intends to make a few bucks before dumping it. I used to eat at this Mexican place. Mi Amigos. I ate there evertime I was in the area. One day I go in and the food had declined. I should have noted that I was almost the only person in the place. I couldn't be sure so I visited again. Same thing. A couple months later the place was vacant.

[Allen]

You can usually tell when a place is heading south. Management changes and it ends up in the hands of someone who doesn't know what they are doing or just intends to make a few bucks before dumping it.

Sounds like America during the Obama administration.

[AZshooter]

I was looking at the menu when a fat hispanic woman and child walked into the KFC. The hispanic employee came out just then, started talking Spanish to the woman obviously taking her order. I informed the employee I was there first, flipped him off and walked, never to patronize a KFC again. So far KFC, Jack in the box, McDonald's, Domino Pizza, Burger King, Walmart, to name a few, on my list of places that demonstrated they don't need my business.

Dumb move. Walking out without letting anyone know won't solve anything. Hispanic employee won't care if you never come back. OTOH, fire off a nice letter to the corporate office & be sure to ID the store location. There's satisfaction in getting word that the manager is aware of the problem. In my instance, it was a great feelgood to be told that the employee in question has "gone another career direction" ie: got Fired!

[Former Cav]

last time I went into a KFC, I ordered 3 RIGHT chicken wings.
it was FUN watching them hold the wings up to the light and look at them.
took them a half hour to fill my order!
that place has been gone now for a couple of years. Nobody spoke english in there. This was in Phoenix down by the Pavillion car show. (actually south part of Scottsdale but really it is Indian reservation land I am told)

[tmark]

I no longer eat at KFC. Too much fowl language!

[2A-Jay]

I no longer eat at KFC. Too much fowl language!

Hardy har har

[JB White]

Hardy har har

I don't go to Hardee's anymore either. When you come out of the hunting field just about anything would taste OK. Well, the only place open on late Sunday morning in a nearby town was Hardee's. Couldn't finish it. After two times in a row we'd stop along the highway for something.

Long John Silvers, Taco Bell, KFC etc have provided me with more fryer fat soaked, undercooked food so much it's more than a random mistake. Don't go to those places even if the belly is rumbling. I've gotten very ill at Taco Bell more than once. Food handling doesn't seem to be a top priority in whatever training they may be offering.
Some places just seem to attract more inept employees than others.

On track: KFC. Can't go there after having remodeled a few locations. While the dining areas looked fine, the vermin was the worst I had ever seen. Never mind the rodents in the kitchen and storage areas. They don't eat much. It's the orgy of roaches several inches thick inside the entire ceiling. They're the ones that go home with you! The chicken sucks most times anyway. The slaw is factory packaged like most all chains do now. That just comes from a bag. They'd have to sabotage it to mess it up.

[Allen]

Wow, all this talk is starting to make that gas station sushi look good.

I think the problem is not employee training so much as perhaps manager/owner training. With so much inconsistency it would have to be lax management. I used to work for one of the big oil majors. I don't know of any oil company that owns their own stations any more with the possible exception of Citgo. As a result the stations are inconsistent. You step into one station and it may be very nice and clean--you go to another by the same "company" and it's not fit to raise hogs in. They sell the franchise only and I wonder if this is the case with KFC and others. I went to a Kristal about 30 years ago and they told me they were out of hamburger. They had called the surrounding Kristal's for help but none of them would respond. That told me many years ago that each one was individually owned and operated. Repeating the reply I made earlier, the last remaining KFC in my area seemed to be very clean and the food was good (for KFC). The building was new and you could see into the kitchen/cooking area. When my wife and I travel we won't eat at a "mom and pop" restaurant because you never know. We eat at a number of places but have found that Cracker Barrel is the most consistent and cleanest of them all even though better tasting food can be found elsewhere. Our 2 cents worth.

[Dan Shapiro]

IIRC, KFC sold franchises in their early years, by the mid-70's all the new stores were company owned. KFC was, at one point, playing games with the franchise owners, trying to buy them out. Had a friend at the time who had purchased a local franchise. It was a gold mine. KFC got hammered in court on a couple of occasions and after that, decided to just wait the owners out. Have no idea if any of those original franchises even exist today.