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http://www.bbc.com/news/business-43110910
Chicken chaos as KFC closes outlets
Media caption"Angry, sad, disappointed and hungry": We talk to KFC customers
KFC has closed more than half of its 900 UK outlets after delivery problems meant they ran out of chicken.
Last week, the fried chicken chain switched its delivery contract to DHL, which blamed "operational issues" for the supply disruption.
It was unclear when the delivery problems would be rectified, a KFC spokesperson said.
Workers are being encouraged to take holiday but would not be forced to do so, he added.
"Our teams are working flat out all hours to get the rest back up and running as soon as possible - but it's too early to say how long it will take to clear the backlog."
KFC has set up a web page where "fans" can find their nearest outlet that is still open.
It said that in the restaurants owned by the chain, staff on short-term contracts would be paid the average hours worked per day over the past 12 weeks, while those on salaries would be paid as normal.
However, 80% of KFC outlets are run on a franchise basis.
"Franchisees will be seeking their own independent advice, but we're encouraging them to adopt this policy too," said the chain.
Skip Twitter post by @GuyKilty
Report
End of Twitter post by @GuyKilty
Until last Tuesday, KFC's chicken was delivered by South African-owned distribution group Bidvest, which describes itself as "the leading supplier of logistical and supply chain solutions to the UK hospitality and restaurant sector".
But after the change in the contract, many of the food giant's outlets began running out of chicken products.
'Teething problems'
"The chicken crossed the road, just not to our restaurants," KFC said on Twitter.
"We've brought a new delivery partner onboard, but they've had a couple of teething problems - getting fresh chicken out to 900 restaurants across the country is pretty complex!" it added, apologising to customers for the inconvenience.
"We won't compromise on quality, so no deliveries has meant some of our restaurants are closed, and others are operating a limited menu or shortened hours."
The statement listed KFC restaurants that were still open despite the problems.
The distribution network uses software developed by the firm Quick Service Logistics (QSL).
Image copyright Getty Images
DHL said: "Due to operational issues, a number of deliveries in recent days have been incomplete or delayed. We are working with our partners, KFC and QSL, to rectify the situation as a priority and apologise for any inconvenience."
The GMB union said it had tried to warn KFC that switching from Bidvest to DHL was a mistake. The change led to 255 job losses and the closure of a Bidvest depot, said Mick Rix, GMB national officer.
He said: "Bidvest are specialists - a food distribution firm with years of experience. DHL are scratching around for any work they can get, and undercut them.
"KFC are left with hundreds of restaurants closed while DHL try and run the whole operation out of one distribution centre. Three weeks ago, KFC knew they had made a terrible mistake, but by then it was too late."
One KFC customer, Claire, told BBC Radio 5 live she was surprised when she went out with her children at the weekend.
"We went on Saturday night to our local KFC in Luton and queued for about 20 minutes in the drive-thru, about 15 cars in the queue, and when we got to the actual counter and asked for our standard family bucket, we were told there was no chicken," she said.
"The kids, who are nine-year-old twins, they wanted chicken and clearly it wasn't available, so we said there's nothing available that we wanted, and we then had the joy of queuing to get back out again."
Other disgruntled KFC customers have been taking to Twitter to express their dismay at the shortages.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/mone...urants-close-amid-delivery-mishaps/350698002/
KFC is suffering from a chicken shortage in the U.K. Yes, you read that right.
Nathan Bomey, USA TODAY Published 10:09 a.m. ET Feb. 19, 2018 | Updated 5:03 p.m. ET Feb. 19, 2018
Apparently, British KFCs are running out of chicken. Buzz60's Nathan Rousseau Smith has more. Buzz60
TWEETLINKEDIN 29 COMMENTEMAILMORE
Why didn't the chicken cross the road?
In the United Kingdom, the answer is there aren't enough of them to cross — and that's bad news for the 900 KFC restaurants there....
TWEETLINKEDIN 29 COMMENTEMAILMORE
Why didn't the chicken cross the road?
/">
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KFC is suffering from a chicken shortage in the U.K. Yes, you read that right.
Nathan Bomey, USA TODAY Published 10:09 a.m. ET Feb. 19, 2018 | Updated 5:03 p.m. ET Feb. 19, 2018
Apparently, British KFCs are running out of chicken. Buzz60's Nathan Rousseau Smith has more. Buzz60
TWEETLINKEDIN 29 COMMENTEMAILMORE
Why didn't the chicken cross the road?
In the United Kingdom, the answer is there aren't enough of them to cross — and that's bad news for the 900 KFC restaurants there.
The fast-food chain once known as Kentucky Fried Chicken is engulfed in a crisis in the U.K., where about two-thirds of its restaurants are temporarily closed amid delivery challenges.
The cause? A chicken shortage — coming at a chain whose core product is chicken.
Trying to make light of the situation, KFC referenced the old-fashioned riddle joke in a tweet.
"The chicken crossed the road, just not to our restaurants," KFC's United Kingdom and Ireland outfit said on Twitter. "We've brought a new delivery partner onboard, but they've had a couple of teething problems — getting chicken out to 900 restaurants across the country is pretty complex!"
KFC has a new Colonel Sanders — again. On Thursday, KFC announced that the chain's newest colonel would be played by Ray Liotta, an actor best known for his roles in movies such as 'Goodfellas' and 'Field of Dreams.' USA TODAY
The chain promised not to "compromise on quality, so no deliveries has meant some of our restaurants are closed and others are operating a limited menu or shortened hours."
Only about 300 were open as of Monday morning.
The situation was not expected to affect the U.S. market. KFC spokesperson Tori Oman said it was an "isolated issue" in the U.K. that the company is working hard to rectify.
"We want to thank our incredible restaurant teams, who are working flat out all hours to get us back up and running again," Oman said in an email.
The exact cause of the delivery problems was not immediately clear, but the U.K.'s Guardian publication reported that KFC blamed the episode on delivery service DHL.
Oman did not address a USA TODAY inquiry on the potential DHL connection.
But DHL acknowledged a problem. "Due to operational issues a number of deliveries in recent days have been incomplete or delayed," the company said in a statement. "We are working with KFC and our partners to rectify the situation as a priority and apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.”
Yum Brands-owned KFC had 21,487 restaurants worldwide as of the end of 2017. Sales at U.K. KFC stores rose 5% in 2017.
Contributing: Kim Hjelmgaard
Follow USA TODAY reporter Nathan Bomey on Twitter @NathanBomey.
CONNECTTWEETLINKEDIN 29 COMMENTEMAILMORE
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Chicken chaos as KFC closes outlets
- 19 February 2018
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Media caption"Angry, sad, disappointed and hungry": We talk to KFC customers
KFC has closed more than half of its 900 UK outlets after delivery problems meant they ran out of chicken.
Last week, the fried chicken chain switched its delivery contract to DHL, which blamed "operational issues" for the supply disruption.
It was unclear when the delivery problems would be rectified, a KFC spokesperson said.
Workers are being encouraged to take holiday but would not be forced to do so, he added.
"Our teams are working flat out all hours to get the rest back up and running as soon as possible - but it's too early to say how long it will take to clear the backlog."
KFC has set up a web page where "fans" can find their nearest outlet that is still open.
It said that in the restaurants owned by the chain, staff on short-term contracts would be paid the average hours worked per day over the past 12 weeks, while those on salaries would be paid as normal.
However, 80% of KFC outlets are run on a franchise basis.
"Franchisees will be seeking their own independent advice, but we're encouraging them to adopt this policy too," said the chain.
Skip Twitter post by @GuyKilty
Report
End of Twitter post by @GuyKilty
Until last Tuesday, KFC's chicken was delivered by South African-owned distribution group Bidvest, which describes itself as "the leading supplier of logistical and supply chain solutions to the UK hospitality and restaurant sector".
But after the change in the contract, many of the food giant's outlets began running out of chicken products.
'Teething problems'
"The chicken crossed the road, just not to our restaurants," KFC said on Twitter.
"We've brought a new delivery partner onboard, but they've had a couple of teething problems - getting fresh chicken out to 900 restaurants across the country is pretty complex!" it added, apologising to customers for the inconvenience.
"We won't compromise on quality, so no deliveries has meant some of our restaurants are closed, and others are operating a limited menu or shortened hours."
The statement listed KFC restaurants that were still open despite the problems.
The distribution network uses software developed by the firm Quick Service Logistics (QSL).
Image copyright Getty Images
DHL said: "Due to operational issues, a number of deliveries in recent days have been incomplete or delayed. We are working with our partners, KFC and QSL, to rectify the situation as a priority and apologise for any inconvenience."
The GMB union said it had tried to warn KFC that switching from Bidvest to DHL was a mistake. The change led to 255 job losses and the closure of a Bidvest depot, said Mick Rix, GMB national officer.
He said: "Bidvest are specialists - a food distribution firm with years of experience. DHL are scratching around for any work they can get, and undercut them.
"KFC are left with hundreds of restaurants closed while DHL try and run the whole operation out of one distribution centre. Three weeks ago, KFC knew they had made a terrible mistake, but by then it was too late."
One KFC customer, Claire, told BBC Radio 5 live she was surprised when she went out with her children at the weekend.
"We went on Saturday night to our local KFC in Luton and queued for about 20 minutes in the drive-thru, about 15 cars in the queue, and when we got to the actual counter and asked for our standard family bucket, we were told there was no chicken," she said.
"The kids, who are nine-year-old twins, they wanted chicken and clearly it wasn't available, so we said there's nothing available that we wanted, and we then had the joy of queuing to get back out again."
Other disgruntled KFC customers have been taking to Twitter to express their dismay at the shortages.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/mone...urants-close-amid-delivery-mishaps/350698002/
KFC is suffering from a chicken shortage in the U.K. Yes, you read that right.
Nathan Bomey, USA TODAY Published 10:09 a.m. ET Feb. 19, 2018 | Updated 5:03 p.m. ET Feb. 19, 2018
Apparently, British KFCs are running out of chicken. Buzz60's Nathan Rousseau Smith has more. Buzz60
TWEETLINKEDIN 29 COMMENTEMAILMORE
Why didn't the chicken cross the road?
In the United Kingdom, the answer is there aren't enough of them to cross — and that's bad news for the 900 KFC restaurants there....
TWEETLINKEDIN 29 COMMENTEMAILMORE
Why didn't the chicken cross the road?
/">
SUBSCRIBE NOWto get home delivery
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KFC is suffering from a chicken shortage in the U.K. Yes, you read that right.
Nathan Bomey, USA TODAY Published 10:09 a.m. ET Feb. 19, 2018 | Updated 5:03 p.m. ET Feb. 19, 2018
Apparently, British KFCs are running out of chicken. Buzz60's Nathan Rousseau Smith has more. Buzz60
TWEETLINKEDIN 29 COMMENTEMAILMORE
Why didn't the chicken cross the road?
In the United Kingdom, the answer is there aren't enough of them to cross — and that's bad news for the 900 KFC restaurants there.
The fast-food chain once known as Kentucky Fried Chicken is engulfed in a crisis in the U.K., where about two-thirds of its restaurants are temporarily closed amid delivery challenges.
The cause? A chicken shortage — coming at a chain whose core product is chicken.
Trying to make light of the situation, KFC referenced the old-fashioned riddle joke in a tweet.
"The chicken crossed the road, just not to our restaurants," KFC's United Kingdom and Ireland outfit said on Twitter. "We've brought a new delivery partner onboard, but they've had a couple of teething problems — getting chicken out to 900 restaurants across the country is pretty complex!"
KFC has a new Colonel Sanders — again. On Thursday, KFC announced that the chain's newest colonel would be played by Ray Liotta, an actor best known for his roles in movies such as 'Goodfellas' and 'Field of Dreams.' USA TODAY
The chain promised not to "compromise on quality, so no deliveries has meant some of our restaurants are closed and others are operating a limited menu or shortened hours."
Only about 300 were open as of Monday morning.
The situation was not expected to affect the U.S. market. KFC spokesperson Tori Oman said it was an "isolated issue" in the U.K. that the company is working hard to rectify.
"We want to thank our incredible restaurant teams, who are working flat out all hours to get us back up and running again," Oman said in an email.
The exact cause of the delivery problems was not immediately clear, but the U.K.'s Guardian publication reported that KFC blamed the episode on delivery service DHL.
Oman did not address a USA TODAY inquiry on the potential DHL connection.
But DHL acknowledged a problem. "Due to operational issues a number of deliveries in recent days have been incomplete or delayed," the company said in a statement. "We are working with KFC and our partners to rectify the situation as a priority and apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.”
Yum Brands-owned KFC had 21,487 restaurants worldwide as of the end of 2017. Sales at U.K. KFC stores rose 5% in 2017.
Contributing: Kim Hjelmgaard
Follow USA TODAY reporter Nathan Bomey on Twitter @NathanBomey.
CONNECTTWEETLINKEDIN 29 COMMENTEMAILMORE
Share your feedback to help improve our site experience!
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The Future of Manufacturing Plants, M
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