KFC -- WTF???
During the time that I've been doing this blog I have been conflicted at times against the notion of using it as a personal soapbox too much... But doggone it this is just too much!
As many of you are probably aware Kentucky Fried Chicken recently introduced their latest health-conscious chicken choice... Kentucky Grilled chicken. Many a time I've stormed out of our local (Buford Hwy - Clairmont rd) KFC, vowing never to return... But I had to admit - from the ads at least, the chicken looked pretty damn good - and I might just have to give 'em one more chance (yet again). So on friday we relented and picked up the 10 piece grilled meal bucket... and though one of the pieces was literally the size of a golf ball, overall it was easily the best food that I've gotten from that particular location in over a decade.
Too bad it just doesn't end there.
So here on the drive-thru menu board the price for the 10 piece grilled meal is clearly marked at 14.99. Seemed like a good deal to me. But when I checked my receipt at home I discovered I had actually paid 15.99 for the meal. But when I went inside the very same KFC - -the price on the ad board behind the counter read 15.99!! Just look...
Okay... so the people in the drive-thru are being lied to over a dollar. Is that worth blogging about? Maybe -- if you have no life whatsoever. But get this...
My wife and I go out to Smyrna (about 20 miles) on the way back I suggest we press our luck and get another 10 piece bucket of grilled chicken so we pull into the KFC on South Cobb drive and prepare to order when my brain ejects and falls out on the floor. Is that bucket 14.99? No. 15.99? Nope.
Read 'em and weep - THE SAME DAMN BUCKET IS 22.99!!
8 bucks more than the 14.99, and 7 bucks more than 15.99!!!
What's really weird is that this KFC was considerably more run-down than my local one.
When I asked the manager why - he said the price was "based on an estimate" (What it sounded like to me was that he had been in a position to make up a price out of thin air, and that 22.99 what he had come up with). It's been awhile since I worked for a a franchise store, but shouldn't the price be set in the front office, and not just left up to some price-gougin' manager? Grrrrr... This kind of shit shouldn't even be legal.
Is it??
I say being gouged is being gouged... nuff said!
OKAY so there's an update to this sad tale...
Call it curiousity - or maybe that I just tend to OD on new franchise food items ala Homer Simpson - but went I back thru my local KFC Drive Thru a couple more times... and the water gots muddier still.
April 24th - I roll up to the squawk box and tell the over-modulated voice that I want to order the "10 piece bucket" Again, on the outside board it clearly says 14.99.
As I'm driving off I note that the price I was charged looks like 18.99 with a minus 3.00 discount.
April 29th- (5 days later) Okay now dig this. When I order at the squawk box this time I say "I'll have the 14.99 meal"
there's a long pause and voice repeats "The 14.99 meal?" And I say "Yeah, the 10 piece bucket?" There's another long pause before he tells me to drive around. This time when I check the receipt it says 18.99 again - only this time with a discount of 4.00!
It's even a different code that they have to punch in!
So I guess the morale is, when ordering food from the KFC Drive-Thru, make sure you include the price when you order... or don't order at all.
Eat Well!
posted by C. Martin Croker at 12:47 AM
8 Comments:
The Big Chicken comes with a premium. Go get wings at the mobile trailer on South Atlanta road (if it's still there)...better than KFC and more "ambiance".
11:41 PM
That'd be enough for me to "unthink" their damn dinner. What a rip!
3:21 AM
I think the new KFC grilled chicken is great too, my big complaint though--- they hardly ever have it prepared and/or ready for the customer! Twice now I've heard "Sorry, we're out of the grilled chicken and won't have more ready for 18 minutes"... it's really annoying. I've also heard "All we have left are wings." If you're an eating establishment, and open between the hours that are clearly stated on your dining room door then PLEASE HAVE THE FOOD READY FOR THE CUSTOMER.
9:25 PM
The TV ads made the chicken look deliscious... so I bought an 8 piece dinner and when I got home, all the pieces were miniature-sized! NO breast was included at all, the thigh was a small piece and the legs, of which the pack mostly consisted of, looked like they came from a baby chicken. We felt ripped off, maybe if we eat at the store next time we'll get regular sized pieces?
7:32 PM
I think kfc chicken taste awesome. I like it very much. there was an excessive lot of drama tied up in this free grilled chicken episode from KGC it certainly demonstrates Oprah’s sway over the general public. I love KFC chicken. I eat their buffet every Sunday. thank you for shearing your post.
3:35 PM
Our local KFC closed. we now have to drive 25 minutes for the closest one. we don't ever get anything but Extra Cripsy Fried 8 piece meal. $22.99 is for sure a gouge. No excuse for that price. Did you go back and complain about the $1.00 inside/outside price difference. I would have. No reason to let a business get away with any kind of crap like that.
Dave
4:53 PM
My understanding of franchises is that the managers have significant clout in deciding how their store is run.
It may be unethical, but it's easy to argue that taking legislative action over something like chicken bucket price inconsistency is in opposition to the virtues of free market -- and certainly you'll get people arguing with you. Very probably the same people that oppose most standardization and indeed the slightest signs of an assertive government.
It's a bucket of chicken, though. Just go to the cheap one. You probably can get your dollar back though if you bring the sign to their attention.
7:04 PM
Go to your Local Walmart. There grilled chicken and broasted chicken is out of this world in flavor and piece size. Plus much much cheaper.
6:22 PM
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