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If there’s one thing Reddit is good for, it’s showcasing people’s unfiltered impressions about any given subject — and chain restaurants are no exception. Apparently, when it comes to fried chicken joints, one in particular really ruffles some feathers. The social media platform has previously debated whether Raising Cane’s or Popeyes rules the chicken chain roost; but regarding the worst choice, Redditors classify the fare at KFC as second-rate, at best.
In one thread under the subreddit r/kfc, folks trashed the chicken chain’s cuisine as abhorrent. “Every time I get their chicken it’s basically slimy and very off-putting,” one person posted. Another chimed in with, “The wings are dry and stale, and they look like the oil they were fried in is about two weeks old and has been used more than 50 times.” Subpar oil quality seems to be a common complaint, with another individual saying, “The frying oil was dripping off the pieces of chicken onto the liner paper, and the oil looked dark brown, so it obviously had not been changed out or filtered recently.”
The chain’s signature product — fried chicken cooked with the secret KFC blend of 11 herbs and spices — sadly isn’t the only thing that has drawn the ire of Redditors. Some pointed out that the sides have also dropped in quality as KFC is clearly struggling to remain relevant. One customer who had recently ordered from KFC wrote, “The mash was disgusting. The gravy was a shell of its former self.” Even condiments received some scorn, with one person opining in a separate thread bashing the restaurant, “The mayo they use now is so bad.” Few defended the restaurant’s fare, but those who did had one surprising thing in common: location.
Many say KFC is better outside the U.S.
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If you’re looking for the best fried chicken restaurant in your state, KFC likely won’t be on your radar. Yet, the same can’t be said for overseas locations. In Japan, for example, Christmas dinner from KFC is a tradition, and it’s unlikely that would be the case if the restaurant was serving shoddy cuisine. In another thread under the subreddit r/kfc, some people had nothing but praise for the chain in the Land of the Rising Sun. “Japan KFC hits different,” one person wrote, with another claiming, “I had KFC in Shinjuku, and it was fantastic.”
Asia wasn’t the only region where people came to the chicken chain’s defense. One Redditor claimed, “KFC in Egypt absolutely tastes amazing.” Another defended European locations (while simultaneously taking a low-key dig at U.S. restaurant operations), saying, “For my part, I really like KFC. However, my perspective is that of someone who lives mainly in Germany and the Netherlands, where the legal requirements for food are very high, and people pay more attention to quality.”
Still, it’s not just the substandard fare at U.S. KFC locations that have Redditors up in arms. “I spent $18 on a six-piece tender,” one person posted. Another fumed, “I tried to order an eight-piece tender and a Diet Coke today. No sides, just tenders. $29?!!!!!” Some placed the blame squarely on corporate actors gouging prices, while others pointed to rising food and labor costs being the cause of exorbitant rates. Whichever is the case, the combination of high prices and lack of quality has some folks looking elsewhere for their chicken fix. As this Redditor alleged, “In my area, a 12-piece chicken meal for $64. My local grocery store deli has the same meal for $20.”
