The Decline of KFC...What Happened?

Kentucky Fried Chicken is not as large or as respected as they once were. This video attempts to identify the main reasons behind their decline.

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Company Declines:
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[ArkliteDC]

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

[sixletters]

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

[dacypher]

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

[smujer]

Back in the 70's, their food was really good, home made. Was a treat to pick some up and have it for dinner. Now, pieces are small and stringy and it doesn't taste good at all, none of it. The price is crazy too. Hate to see that happen.

[wanfu]

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

[Phrxshn]

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

[brickman]

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

[zathrasb]

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

[tech]

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

[RandomBlackGamer]

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

[EristiCat]

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

[tonyfourpaws]

I gave up eating out at ANY corporate place years ago. every.. single..place.. has gone to shit. not ONE of them has improved on ANY level.

[Sunnbobb]

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

[VeesFunkyAZZshop]

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

[rogermcghee]

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

[jeffmeredith]

My biggest issue with KFCs in my area is that the workers are ghetto and unprofessional and the restaurants are dirty and the service is slow and they always mess your order up and then want, to get a attitude with you....not to mention the prices have gone though the roof.... I've stop eating at all fast food places...

[ZemanTheMighty]

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

[jamesmullins]

If you’ve never heard of it, KFC actually had a test restaurant in Louisville KY to try to turn KFC into more of a fast casual dining experience. KFC 11. It was so good when it opened. Fresh ingredients, friendly staff, and the southwest chicken bowl was one of the best dishes I’ve had at a fast casual location.

It was somewhere I would go to a few times a week. And the only reason I stopped is because corporate got involved and started to remove items from the menu and change over to more normal KFC menu items. Eventually it was just a regular KFC and was a sad disappointment. All to make a few extra cents on the dollar that caused it to go out of business.

Makes me hate KFC for ruining something that was amazing.

[jeffjordan]

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

[kaunas]

Decades of ownership by corporations and conglomerates trying to push for ever greater profits by cheapening the quality is never good.