There was a time when if you heard “fried chicken”, you immediately thought of KFC: The chain was huge in the 1980s, 90s, and to a lesser extent, 2000s, but has been struggling to relive its glory days. Both in the United States and around the world, KFC was as famous as McDonalds and Pizza Hut. It still is one of the most well-known fast-food brands in the world but there’s no getting away from the fact that, according to experts, the chain is failing to adapt to changing consumer preferences. “KFC’s same-store sales in the U.S. tumbled 5%, marking their third straight quarter of declines this year,” Reuters reported in November 2024.
KFC no longer dominates the market, with chains such as Popeyes, Raising Cane’s, and Jollibee experiencing growth and expansion while KFC struggles to win the “value wars”. And while no fast-food can really be considered cheap right now, KFC is just really expensive.
“I haven’t been to a KFC in years, they’re always hilariously overpriced,” one Redditor said. “I decided to check how much a simple 8 piece bucket of chicken costs there now and it’s $22.99!! Who would pay that for 8 pieces of their chicken?! After taxes that’s over $3 for each piece of chicken. I’d rather go to a Costco for $5 and get an entire rotisserie chicken.”
Other customers are convinced the quality of the food itself has gone downhill fast. “I worked at KFC in the mid 90s and was there when they switched from their ‘house’ gravy mix to a different one. My mom swears to this day that the new gravy was just beef gravy mix. She had me get as much of the old gravy mix packets as I could get my boss to let me buy.”
Other customers don’t understand why wildly popular menu items (like the popcorn chicken) were discontinued. “Popcorn chicken was 5 times better!!! It was all different sizes of the actual original recipe. Now the chicken isn’t the same, it’s all the same size, and the flavoring is not nice,” one former fan said.
“I grew up in the late 1980s early 1990s,” one Redditor said. “Once in a while one of my parents would bring home a bucket of KFC chicken and some sides for dinner. It didn’t break the bank. It was considered affordable. But it was also delicious. I wasn’t even a chicken fan back then and I loved KFC night. The fluffy buttery biscuits, the creamy Mac and cheese, the crispy flavorful juicy chicken that hit just right. Mmmm! Now I wouldn’t buy it, no way.”
KFC parent company Yum! Brands just appointed Scott Mezvinsky, a 20-year veteran of the company, as CEO of KFC—hopefully a sign that things will improve for the brand. “In his most recent role as President of Taco Bell North America and International, Scott has helped implement Taco Bell’s well-known bold and exciting ideas and ensured that global restaurant teams and customers have an industry-leading experience,” said Yum! Brands Chief Executive Officer David Gibbs. “He is a natural choice to lead KFC’s long-term global growth strategies, working in close partnership with our franchisees.”
