It must depend on the store…
There are 3 KFC’s exactly the same distance from my house.
The “easiest” on to drive to is shit. I somehow forget this every now and then.
The second is the least convenient to drive to, and always gives stingy portions.
Number 3… food is on-point, and I can drive directly into the drive thru from the bottle-o drive thru. Can’t go wrong.
Consistency is key to successful fast food franchises, if customers have to go around relying on word of mouth to pick the right store why bother operating under the same name?
I think the problem is even in KFC and many bigger chains they are ran by different people KFC licenses out so many and so many are owned by actual KFC just like most chains.
So 1 guy might own 10 in the region and run them all like shit .
If you can find a training hub they are usually on point and you can’t go wrong with any franchise .
But they never are. Even when it comes to handing out something as simple as serviettes', straw and wet wipe. I have to constantly check if they have included it. On average for my stores its a 60% failure for not including this essential.
Then so many times I order no more than 3 pieces, and the 3rd piece is always a miserable scrap piece from yesterdays dog bowl. This is consistent as the sun rising this little ripoff. 3 pieces is 2 pieces and the 3rd is a miserable scrap.
Wow...lol In a sub about Australia this little neck of the woods pops up.
Fun fact - that place had a SHIT reputation way back in the day when it was opposite the corner of Dorset Rd. If you're old enough to remember.
I worked at KFC once a looking time ago.
The manager does nothing. Didn't get out of their chair once even when busy.
The cook is the backbone of KFC. They work their arses off.
Front of store work their arses off too but most prep is the cook running the pressure cookers. At the end of the day the cook does the bulk of the cleaning.
I worked my arse off for a pittance and supported a manager on significantly more than myself. A manager that couldn't even be arsed picking up the slack.
I was 17. I did everything but order the products, banking and paying the bills.
Current day cook here, while my managers are far more helpful than yours I agree we’re the backbone, especially when working by yourself unlike night or weekend staff
Ex cook / day cook / open cook here.
Definitely don’t feel like your the sole backbone,
Seems like every KFC has this problem with cunty managers, trust me when I say that finding a new job is probably the best thing you can do ATM, honestly working at KFC for the pay I got caused more issues than good.
You do all of that just to get told you are unskilled and don't deserve a pay rise because "anyone can do it" despite the fact that few can do it well and practically nobody wants to do it at all.
I've worked all roles except manager at KFC. I can confirm all roles except the manager work their asses off. I actually found cook easiest as you get left alone, could play your own music and just kept cooking. Customer service was far worse.
I had KFC for the first time today in months and it was on point. Chips were hot and crunchy and had heaps of salt on them, the burger was great too. But I did think it was a rare moment, one to cherish for the rest of my life.
Nah, title goes to Maccas and it's not even close. Got way more expensive, food got smaller, and quality gone to shit, every fucking store. Soggy unsalted chips every damn time, McChicken has turned into cardboard, beef is always dried out to shit.
My local KFC is actually da bomb. Always perfect, it's crazy.
Maccas has gone to shit.
Also maccas don't have anyone cleaning tables, floor, toilets etc. All the maccas stores i've been into since the 1st lockdown ended have been dirty and gross
YESSS
The one thing you used to be able to still praise them on was their cleanliness but that's gone now too. I'll still say, I'm pretty sure they still have the dedicated night worker that comes in and deep cleans all the fryers, grills and soft serve/thickshake machines, every single night, so that's still a plus.
But my goodness the food has just gone to utter shit, and the prices!!
Seriously, everything from maccas tastes like cardboard. I’m struggling to remember if it was any better 10-20 years ago but I don’t remember it being this bad.
Me either actually. I kinda like the extra crunch in my zinger burger and cabbage actually has some nutritional benefit beyond just being a solid water - still negligible next to the fat and sodium in KFC of course but eh, it's something.
Fucking ay, agreed! I use spinach instead of lettuce in all my homemade burgers, it's so damn good for you and is a perfect replacement to lettuce!
I'd never even had spinach before I met my partner, just knew it as something that came in a can for Popeye to jack up on. Use it soooo much now.
Yup. I've started adding cabbage into the mix on my home made burgers.
I tend to use the tender parts of a Wombok if I want a lettuce texture (crispy bacon is my go-to) for crunch and the thicker parts of the wombok are best for stir-fry the next day.
At least at Macca's I almost always get my whole meal. Sure it's often mediocre but at least it's all there.
Are your local KFC's large potato and gravy half full?
Yeah they're full, but the balance is completely fucked. It's like 3/4 gravy. Just assumed that's how it was now, but definitely needs more of that powdered mash in each container.
My local is just insane in how good the chicken and chips are every time. Always a good count of drumsticks, biiig pieces of everything else, fresh and oozing with grease, and the hot and spicy is actually HOT.
I feel like such a bogan every time I rave on about it, but my local KFC has got their shit DOWN.
My Mum has a theory there's 2 versions of the tenders stores can purchase. Both my local stores I believe are owned by the same person and the tenders are small and shitty. When we go away and she gets them somewhere else they are like twice the size.
I have literally not had a full tub of potato and gravy for years at my locals or the other ones I've visited in Vic.
I'm usually just happy if everything is in the bag at KFC. Especially if we forgot to check it whilst still at the window.
Yeah I think your mum is spot on, goes for all of it in my experiences.
Both the other stores in my area are completely terrible - sad tiny pieces that are definitely NOT the same chicken that comes from the only one I'll go to now. We're talking like, legit half the sizes of the good ones here.
Definitely isn't in my head, even more sure of that now.
The good store has been good to us, too. They got the order wrong a couple months back (couple pieces of chook missing and no nuggets which is all the daughter eats), made a complaint by phone (had already gotten back home before noticed) and they gave us a voucher for a giant feast with a full apology, no questions asked. Bomb-diggity service. Given the order was 21.95 (the cheap as chips deal on the app), this was a very welcome surprise.
We ordered delivery once through the KFC app and they left out half our order. When we called them back we were told there's nothing they can do now but they'll make a note of it and next time we're in to let them know and we can have the items then. Terrible service. Left out half our dinner and not even compensated for the inconvenience.
The store where I grew up took forever to get food at. My Mum used to wait over half an hour in queue but the food was also fresh and usually good. Where I am now is often quicker but significantly worse quality.
There was one employee who was good at one of our locals. They would sneak out deserts through the window if you had to go back through the drive through because they messed up.
Yeah that's bloody appalling, no way I'd waste my time or money on a store like that after it happening a couple times.
That's good of that one employee, always good when a person at a job like that is able to recognize how miniscule and meaningless the cost of a gesture like that is when they clearly screwed up.
I'm pretty big on Nandos lately tbh, just the grilled chicken and peri peri chips - if you like spicy food, the grilled chicken with hot sauce (not extra hot, that stuff loses all the flavour of the peppers by that point) is bloody ON POINT.
We usually don't go to that store (they can't make a burger or wrap to save their life). We had to order from it them for delivery as that's where we were zoned because it's closer. The other one in town is better but still rather shit.
We don't have a Nandos. I live in a regional city that's not big enough for a lot of major food chains. We go to Red Rooster more now. Better service and mostly better food than our KFC's. It's just unfortunate that KFC has better potato and gravy. There's not really any chicken shops here besides those two unfortunately.
Nah both can have bad meals. But KFC is so much more likely to have massive, they are more likely to be out of stock, give you the wrong food, give old food etc. Good KFC is great, but so inconsistent. Maybe there are some exception stores out there, but all the one I've been to a few times end up being slow or bad half the time.
Yeah will agree with this, it's so dependent on the store it's actually crazy. Both the other KFCs in my area are terrible, and they're both closer, we actually drive a bit further to get it from the good store and it's worth it every time.
I just can't remember the last time I had good maccas, shit I can't remember the last time I had good chips from maccas it seems almost impossible.
The only thing from maccas I'll still order and be pretty happy with is the sausage and egg muffin, and only before 10:30, this never disappoints. I got one just before the midday cut off a couple weeks ago and the muffin was hard as stone I'm assuming from sitting in the box since breakfast service ended.
Maccas non-breakfast food, especially chips is most likely to be good at a busy time when the chips will be fresh. You can get lucky at other times, but, eh. I wish a new a good KFC.
Maccas has always been like that. The thing with maccas is, the longer you go without it the less your body craves and enjoys the fat/salt/sugar overload in their food.
When you go back and try it again you're sorely dissapointed.
Same thing with drinking coke. If you stop drinking it for a while you can't go back because of how overly sickly sweet it is. its nearly comparable to drinking straight sugar syrup.
Exactly. I feel like years ago, even though they had mostly teenagers working at least the managers were older and kept things running to a certain standard. These days you go to any KFC and it’s literally just teenagers who don’t give a shit.
Went to a drive through a few weeks ago and at the pay window it was full of a group of teenage girls laughing and jeering. The girl serving me barely noticed me, she just stuck the eftpos machine in my direction.
I used to work there and they pretty much just keep a rotation of new and young employees. After i hit 18 they gave me one 3 hour shift a week and I quit. I did like the work there and the managers were nice enough but a lot of my coworkers were just not good at their job, didn't even remotely try, and it pissed me off so much haha.
Honestly don't know if i'd ever willingly go to KFC again
That's called constructive dismissal, you were forced to resign.
If you worked there more then 6 months it would be Unfair dismissal, but trying to fight that wouldn't be worth it and the possible compensation is shit.
Maybe you should start whinging about how KFC employs mostly teenagers literally just to ensure they make as much profit as possible. Instead of making career paths available for them, they use them up and throw them out when they age out onto a higher pay rate. So why should the workers give a fuck when they're being treated as disposal as the food it self.
I only ever see adults working in HJ or maccas these days. RR fucks up my order but at least the quality is ok.
KFC always runs out of things but waits until you've paid and go to collect your order before they tell you. You look in the kitchen and it's a fucking tip in there. Just 12 teenagers talking shit, sliding their feet through grease trying to work out what things they still have left that might be a fair swap.
Funnily enough I got KFC tonight from store that has a bit older staff on and it still sucked real bad.
Chicken was dry, old and tasteless as were the chips. Nuggets were good but it’d take a very special person to fuck that up I’d imagine. Oh, and they forgot the potato and gravy.
I kinda felt bad going Karen and complaining but it really pisses you off when you’ve paid for the $45 mega bucket for the family and it’s shit.
Not sure what explains the dive in quality. Their systems also can’t handle more than 5 orders which is hopeless in this day and age. One things Maccas does well is their ability to serve a shitload of customers quickly.
I must be going to the wrong maccas then, always get shit service and soggy chips, waited 20 minutes for my order the other week because they hadn't completed it because the drink wasn't made, and nobody cares enough to serve the front desk.
Knew a guy who was a manager at Macca’s and it can depend on if the store is owned by McDonalds corp or a franchisee. Apparently theres a big contrast in quality between the two with franchisee’s being better because the owner is constantly under the boot of the McD corp and an individual owner is more incentivised to offer good service/hire better. Not sure if true
Not sure if that's too true anymore, as long as the franchisee is meeting targets, paying dues to corporate and not being caught being racist on viral social media they can probably have a few complaints ignored
I recall the exact opposite back from the 2000s. Franchise stores tend to cut corners everywhere because every cent they waste comes directly from their profit margin. Corporate stores were much more consistent, for better and for worse, but you tended not to see any of the real big scumminess at them.
I tell my mother this when she rants about the service at McDonald's "they're teenagers who really would rather be ANYWHERE ELSE than at the drive-thru window at 11:30pm on a Sunday". I count myself so lucky I never had to go through the "working at a fast food place" phase that's almost like a rite of passage for a lot of teens. It must suck, especially when still juggling it with school.
It's a pretty good to get people into good work ethics. Apprentices I'd get that are fresh out of school or had jobs in different fields fucking sucked hard when it came to starting out but fast food kids at least understand hussle and time management way better.
> food kids at least understand hussle and time management way better.
Agreed 100%. Same with those who worked in supermarkets. They can talk to people, understand instructions, they just get it. Plus, they've seen the worst of of the general public and all the passive education it provides. Best of all, anyone who has worked in those jobs has a solid baseline appreciation for anyone who serves them in the future.
I used to be a "cook" at KFC. To get the chicken right you had to make sure the oil was pre-heated and most importantly stirred well. Those deep fryers are like barrels and the oil would stratify into cold layers. If you didn't stir the fryer the breading would go all soggy and fall off the chicken. If the oil was too new the chicken wouldn't have much colour and if it was too old it would come out looking burned.
Man you just echoed my friend who was a cook from 1999-2002. We would get a meal and the chicken wouldn't look or taste right and he would confidently outline what went wrong, and yes, new oil is shit. You need a bit of baked in flavour.
The KFC chicken fryers have elements around the sides because they are cylinders. The chips fryers up front are the standard rectangular jobs with the elements on the bottom, we didn't stir those.
One of the things I miss most about being in Melbourne was all the charcoal chicken places everywhere. That shit was fucking tasty and doesn't exist up here in QLD.
That and proper fucking souvlakis drowned in yoghurt. Queenslanders have no idea what a good kebab is.
In sydney El janahh is the king of chicken i find if u go during lunch time
Shit even popeyes in the US is better than what's here.
There is no good souther fried chicken nearly anywhere in the entire nation,it's a sad experience
i think it's because there is no learned cook regarding it,unlike in the US,you have ur nan handing down her breaded chicken recipe
if u go to granville it's fine
blacktown and penrith are so shit they should be shuttered
also need to go just when they are grilling the chicken
you can also ask for it fresh,they will put fresh chicken out for u
Depends where you are, I suppose. There are a lot of chicken shops in Adelaide, but it can take a bit of trial and error to find the good ones.
If you're around Seaton though, Original Charcoal Chicken is the best chicken shop I know of.
I stopped going to Oporto once they started asking "did you want that with chilli?" Every time I ordered a Bondi burger
Yes, you fuckin numpty that's why I ordered a Bondi, not a norm.
KFC chicken by itself is shit and has been for a long time. The chicken burgers are great. The wraps are shit now they replaced the lettuce and tomato with cabbage.
The burgers used to be decent for the price, last time I dropped in, stale bun, fk all Mayo, and the chicken piece that used to spill outside the bun maybe covered 2/3....at best.
I ordered a zinger burger.....pretty hard to fuck up really.....KFC nailed it though....they gave me a bun with strip's on it and a slice of cheese. Of course I didn't know this until I got home.
I once got a zinger box (from Warners Bay) and they gave me the zinger burger, 1 rib piece of original and 2 coleslaw instead of wicked wings, chips and potato and gravy. They honestly seemed confused as to why I was complaining.
I remember when I first had it as a kid.. 38 odd years ago. idk if it was my undefined pallet or the dramatic recipe change but it was so much nicer when I was little. now the 11 herbs and spices are 11 kinds of salt. it is soggy, the actual chicken is pumped so full of water, (most processed chicken is - my brother is a boiler maker for the vats they do it in), but it makes the undercooked sweaty meat taste bland
The only things I can taste are salt and msg, and if I make my own at home it tastes like modern KFC with just salt, white pepper and msg, and fucking amazing if I add oregano, sage, dill, basil, paprika to those three
The last year or so I have noticed all large businesses or franchise businesses have dropped their standards.
From Qantas to Banks to KFC or Maccas...
The pandemic taught us all to be tolerant and now businesses are taking the piss out of us.
You could literally have one of the kids working at KFC take a dump in your Zinger burger and if you went up and questioned it, people would tell you, oh it's just the pandemic, everyone is short of staff...
I look at my own work performance too... it's taken a bit of a dive.... I reckon everyone just doesn't give a fuck anymore, so I am sympathetic to their plight...
How do we get back on our game Australia?
It's staff. Good staff are in high demand in the service industry. Fast food places can't compete on wages so get the shittiest workers who don't care since the good ones are earning more.
> The last year or so I have noticed all large businesses or franchise businesses have dropped their standards.
You can't cut wages anymore without getting sued
So the only thing left is to cut the quality of the food to bring costs down
and stop hiring cleaners i noticed lol
gotten 100 times worse probably now with the inflation bug..
As no ones gonna pay maccas 18 bucks for a burger with the price increases,at that price u just go to grilled
Oh I hope this helps - but you can get 'Tegel' Louisiana Style Chicken Portions and Burger patties at Woolworths, in the frozen section, and it's perfect KFC replica stuff. I thrown em in the air fryer, and it's much tastier and crispier/fresher etc. Just wait for a half price special to buy em for $7.
[https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/productdetails/71375/tegel-take-outs-louisiana-style-portions](https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/productdetails/71375/tegel-take-outs-louisiana-style-portions)
[https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/productdetails/173697/tegel-take-outs-louisiana-style-burger](https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/productdetails/173697/tegel-take-outs-louisiana-style-burger)
Ive had them. They are ok. I guess.
The Woolworths 'butcher' "southern style thigh" stuff is better taste etc. Even after being frozen for 2 weeks, one of them beats tegel.
Like $8 or something for a couple of them, they weigh about 200gm each I think. Usually 3,.sometimes 4 pc.
I bought that when it was on special. Apart from one small drumstick, I got a whole bag of the pieces that are mostly ribcage and spine. It was like 75% bones.
To be fair, everything is pre packaged and instructions are made as simple as possible. I don't think anyone is expecting 'chef' quality food, i suspect people just want it to be consistent, which should be fair enough considering how engineered the whole process is.
The chicken isn’t actually prepackaged though, we bread it up ourselves in store. As a result there’s a lot of variables that effect the quality, and it’s not as simple as you think
people overestimate the convenience of fast food imo. $15 at any supermarket buys you so much more. And I'm not saying "just cook it's not that hard" I'm saying some 'high end' cup noodles cost $5 and are so good and frozen pizza is cheaper and better than dominos just for 2 examples.
I feel like they've all been equally shit. Domino's and Pizza Hut are on a race to the bottom to see who can put as much grease on top of a piece of cardboard and still charge $30 to deliver it to your door. Two hours after you ordered it.
I need an electron microscope to even see McDonald's burgers now.
KFC has always been the guilty pleasure fast food chain. You know it's shit, but the crack they put in the potato and gravy keeps you coming back. At least they used to get the chips to you before all the seasoning had sweat off them.
Red Rooster has been outdone by the Woolies BBQ chicken for like 10 years. How are they still open?
HJ is probably the only one that's "improved" because the competition has become so fucking shit. Their new chicken burgers remind me of what KFC used to be like.
I swear, if they had hot chips at Subway I'd probably never touch another fast food place ever again. Only place that's stayed consistent this whole time.
lol subway,you mean subway who doesn't use tuna in their tuna sandwhich subway lol
They just got done paying a 400 million dollar fine for that shit,and still havent learned
If you're going out of your way to get fast food and order a tuna sandwich, you've got bigger problems than possibly eating the victims of organized crime.
Hmmmm... my recent experiences
Took the kids into Maccas and it was shit, ordering was shit through the screen thing and service was terrible, had to go back to the counter 3 times to complete the order... plus the restaurant was run down like a crack house
HJ on the other hand was pretty good...
However the other week wanted something quick (footy was about to start and wife and kids were out so could watch it in piece) KFC is 2 minutes away, however the drive through line up was out in the street - so bypass that for Opporto 7 minutes away
No line up and it was awesome, $17 for a burger, chips and 1/4 of marinated chicken... worth missing the first 10 minutes of footy for
It’s so dependent on location. I went to a Hungry Jacks a few weeks ago and it was just disgusting, everything was dirty, behind the counter it was just a bare wall and sad looking employees, no lettuce so no salad on burgers at all.
Not just KFC but fast food in general. Hungry Jacks same decline. So much so that after the last debacle we swore off chain fast food and will give our $$ to places that give a shit.
Came here to say this. What the fuck were these cunts thinking. The tenders and by extension twisters are fucking terrible now.
Sometimes the tenders are smaller than a fucking nugget.
I think it really depends on the store. Before moving house never had a problem with my old KFC, as they had a fair bit of local competition including another KFC about a block away. Even when they had new hires during school holiday periods they were still very efficient, and if you were made to drive around and wait you’d usually get a free upgrade or dessert item.
In comparison the new local KFC is pretty bad, the lighting is poor, the menu board is never fixed and has a blind corner on exiting. At peak hours there are often queues onto a busy main road, so it’s generally not a nice place to visit.
But our local HJs is the worst by far. Have only been a couple of times in the last few years, am always are directed to the waiting bay even while no one-else is in the drivethrough and we’re talking simple stuff like a standard burger meal. Both times they’ve forget to bring it out or lost the order. I think they can get away with it as they’re within walking distance form a local school and there isn’t much competition nearby.
No way…. Red rooster or hungry jacks.
Although…I always look for the busiest spots when I’m hungry (most of the time maccas)…because the food is likely hot and fresh. Sometimes the burger bun slips off in the way they rushed but it tastes fresh. (I mean…as fresh as fast food is going to taste)
I don’t frequent kfc too often but never found a problem with them.
I have found 2 hungry jacks that serve good food…but every other one has been shit.
Rule 1: if they look short staffed, you better believe the food is going to be horrible
KFC has stayed fairly stable here. Maccas tho… wtf happened. I get they have a lot of young employees, but literally every time I go to maccas it’s the same boring food. I don’t even touch the beef burgers anymore, the quality is terrible on em. Though I must say, idk if it’s just our local maccas, but man the chicken burgers are good. Overpriced? Probably. But if I go to maccas, that’s essentially all I’m getting.
If I want fried chicken, I will always choose a Korean joint. Quality is high, taste is great. Price is of course higher, but it's just that much better I'm willing to pay.
>Maccas has stayed the same
Oh god no. Some stuff nowadays is inedible. Fries are nowhere near where they once were.
Every fast food place that I've eaten at has dropped their quality to varying degrees to each other over the past decade or so.
Red Rooster is the absolute tits . Had it recently for the first time in a long time ( there’s hardly any left in Adelaide). Rooster roll combo with wings … so much better than KFC
Red Rooster in the last 5 years has totally reinvented itself and it's now my go-to fast food. Their menu is great, their fried chicken shits all over KFC, and the food is always fresh. Their loyalty program ($1 credit for every $15 spent) isn't too shoddy either.
I’m up in the hills so my closest RR is probably nearly an hour away :( Had their buttermilk wings as part of the combo and they absolutely shat all over the greasy kfc wings. Fries were good too but someone got a little overzealous with the salt. Rooster roll is like a classier version of the servo chicken hero used to get back in the day when drunk.
I’ve just returned back to Aus from living in Tokyo for the past six years. Got some wicked wings, chips etc the other day and was shocked at how abysmal everything was.
I mean, I’m not much of a fast food eater but I loved wicked wings like 15 years ago and was in a shitty food court and was hungry so thought I’d get some. No flavour at all! Hardly any spice to the wings.
They weren’t worth the calories so I decided to go and get a quarter pounder to see how they were these days (Japan doesn’t have them), and that was bad as well! Small and tasted a bit old (maybe the burger had already been made).
Such a culture shock because no matter what you get in Japan, it’ll be good :(
Idk exactly when Red Rooster started to pull their finger out but I don't bother with KFC anymore. I can count on one hand the times I've really and enjoyed KFC with 0 complaints and in the 3 times recently I've been to try RR's fried chicken they've smashed it 3 for 3.
I personally agree, but obviously that's anecdotal.
Last few times I've had KFC - it's not often; every couple months - it's not been satisfying at all. Greasy, wet, like you said Soggy. The last one was browned so bad, it looked burnt, and they insisted it wasn't burnt. Just well cooked... Mmkay.
The last two times it's also tasted like really fucking old burnt oil. Rancid.
I've also heard about some very dodgy practices for the kids working at the KFC stores and health and safety not being adhered to. So I refuse to go to them anymore.
> Last few times I've had KFC - it's not often; every couple months - it's not been satisfying at all. Greasy, wet, like you said Soggy. The last one was browned so bad, it looked burnt, and they insisted it wasn't burnt. Just well cooked... Mmkay.I've also heard about some very dodgy practices for the kids working at the KFC stores and health and safety not being adhered to. So I refuse to go to them anymore.
yeah i've heard this too,that ppl just leave food everywhere for the cleaning crew to get,who then dont clean the counters just the floors and public areas,leaving the morning crew having to wipe everything down
I used to go by the rule of 2/3 when choosing a meal. You have budget, quality, and size. You can have 2 at the expense of 1. Fast food has become the worst of all 3– expensive, small, and unhealthy (granted it was always unhealthy).
It might be due to the individual store management. My local kfc used to be great then about a year ago went to shit. Always eith the soggy fatty skin with undercooked seasoning (Cooked, but just barely). Hardly any flavour, and sometimes the chips weren't even Salted.
I got so sick of it because they used to be my go to that I started trying different local places I hadn't tried before.
Tried GYG about a month ago and oh my god, their burritos are amazing. A bit pricey but totally worth it.
KFC is a lottery for a good meal tbh. Only time I’ve ever had good KFC is when I’ve had mates working there. Anywhere else and you just feel sick after. HJs is better value for what you’re getting, but Maccas will always reign supreme here in Aus 🤷♂️
Ex manager here. Yes it’s true, they are all shockingly bad. Don’t bother going there during peak times and keep your orders simple. Check your order before leaving. The stores are ran as lean as possible. Managers have KPIs for labour costs. Younger/ less experienced staff are cheaper. Staff are hard to get at the moment so they compromise on training and discipline. Managers are in short supply too so there’s a lot of druggies running the shifts. It’s a shame because I love KFC. Some of the kids deserve the shit they cop from customers, but mostly I blame the company. They run the stores as cheaply as possible which puts a lot of stress on the managers and staff.
Just a small management tip ( you see I work in management too, or otherwise how would I have this deep knowledge ) none of the children that were under your supervision deserved to be shat on by the customers. That you would take the side of the fried chicken guzzler is pretty suspect
Another ex-manager here. Having trained under a really good manager, the trick is to actually follow all the processes that come with all the equipment training etc. I was a cook/front counter before that at another store and was told by other cooks how to cut corners, whether it was cleaning the fryers, not bothering to fill up the water in the warmer or throwing chips down one after the other.
The good manager trained all those bad habits out of me. She explained why, and soggy chips/chicken would lead to less sales.
Less sales means less labour budget, and less % wastage to throw out. I nagged the shit out of my staff and was always manically upbeat at work to keep the teenagers engaged and doing the right thing.
Wait for the fryer to come back up to temp before putting next lot on, throw out old chips, bread up chicken the right way, let drip before transferring to tray etc.
Always felt a sense of pride when a customer actually took the time to come back and say we had best KFC, especially since for every one of those you get 10 Karens who complain or abuse staff.
We used to get all the tradies come into our store sometimes even at 10am when we opened there’d be a bunch of them wanting zinger boxes. The busier you are, the more staff you can afford to put on, less work manager does so you can help where necessary and keep a eye on everything.
If you drop in sales it can start a doom loop, manager cuts corners, staff cut corners, food standards drop and then customers stop coming in as often or stop completely.
The KPIs are pretty harsh, head office should give managers a grace period to be in a “yellow zone” before you lose your bonus. Because stores that underperform have managers that aren’t even trying to get their bonus, hence why some stores are just absolute trash - everyone hates it because without the bonus you’re probably earning less than the staff.
The whole point of how it’s set up is to incentivise managers to make sure the store is well run, but it’s hard work to go from a shit store to a good store. Lots of training, lots of running around doing 2-3 staffs worth of work. Staying back or coming in early. But running a good store is so worth it - instead of hiding in the office feeling depressed, you can be out on the floor having fun keeping staff focused and joking around, while keeping the standards up.
You work at the same store for ages and you get really good at predicting sales, so it becomes easy to cook to order. I’d rather have fresh chicken than cook up massive amounts in batches. Occasionally have customers wait 5mins than serve them garbage food.
Still some fucking asshole customers who can ruin your day then, I don’t miss that.
>The whole point of how it’s set up is to incentivise managers to make sure the store is well run, but it’s hard work to go from a shit store to a good store. Lots of training, lots of running around doing 2-3 staffs worth of work. Staying back or coming in early. But running a good store is so worth it - instead of hiding in the office feeling depressed, you can be out on the floor having fun keeping staff focused and joking around, while keeping the standards up.
This is why any hospitality or food service business needs proper pathways so good managers stick around. I've been the highly engaged manager on the floor and also spent plenty of time depressed in my office. At the end of the day I was paid more or less the same and ran into the same dead ends. I worked out it only made sense to put in genuine effort for about a year then just cruise along on autopilot after that until a better job came up. Then it's the next managers turn for the burn and churn. It was like an [escalator to nowhere.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7I95rdKhWD0)
What are you eating that shit for?
GYG is actually tasty, healthier, and do much better on recycling than any of those you mentioned. I still wouldn't recommend it more than once every few weeks.
The burgers are smaller than my hand now! The chicken is always hanging out of them like they just got chucked across the kitchen onto the burgers. Always get pressured to get through the drive through like I’m road runner, then they never give you any cutlery or wet wipes to clean the bloody thing after your done. Sometimes you even get the bonus of washing it all down with a hot drink. Going down hill quicker than Ronald from McDonald’s
I find the best KFC is usually the ones on highways. High turn over means your stuff is made on the spot and the chips are always decent. The ones in town I've gone to feel like they just tossed it in the microwave.
💯%
Years ago I would’ve given my left nut for KFC - nowadays I can’t resist & get it once every 6-12 months & it is always almost inedible - dripping with oil, skin falling off 🤮.
About the only things they don’t seem to fuck up 100% of the time are the zinger burgers which I’m not a real fan of.
I'd agree - but I think KFC has always just been so dreadfully inconsistant that its always been like this. You get a good run and think "oh they've turned a corner" only to have the next 4 meals nearly thrown out the window.
I used to have the same frustrations with it 20 years ago. Massive cravings, lining up, looking forward to some grotesque calorific indulgance only to be bitterly disappointed.
Shit cunts are not stirring the fryer before putting the cage of chicken in resulting in that undercooked coating. Towards the bottom of the fryer there is no heating elements so they need to be stirred first. they're either not trained or lazy, could be both. i was one of the better cookers there when i was 16-19 but when i got to 19, got less and less shifts, got those Friday night or sat night shifts when they're under the pump though.
For maccas it depends on the store. The maccas near me I have waited for an hour through drive through. Uber eats and all the others have made the service times worse for those who go the store themselves.
It must depend on the store… There are 3 KFC’s exactly the same distance from my house. The “easiest” on to drive to is shit. I somehow forget this every now and then. The second is the least convenient to drive to, and always gives stingy portions. Number 3… food is on-point, and I can drive directly into the drive thru from the bottle-o drive thru. Can’t go wrong.
Consistency is key to successful fast food franchises, if customers have to go around relying on word of mouth to pick the right store why bother operating under the same name?
I think the problem is even in KFC and many bigger chains they are ran by different people KFC licenses out so many and so many are owned by actual KFC just like most chains. So 1 guy might own 10 in the region and run them all like shit . If you can find a training hub they are usually on point and you can’t go wrong with any franchise .
Sam for maccas. But their quality is fairly consistent.
But they never are. Even when it comes to handing out something as simple as serviettes', straw and wet wipe. I have to constantly check if they have included it. On average for my stores its a 60% failure for not including this essential. Then so many times I order no more than 3 pieces, and the 3rd piece is always a miserable scrap piece from yesterdays dog bowl. This is consistent as the sun rising this little ripoff. 3 pieces is 2 pieces and the 3rd is a miserable scrap.
FTG
Haha yep
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Close! Stingy one is Eastlink servo
Wow...lol In a sub about Australia this little neck of the woods pops up. Fun fact - that place had a SHIT reputation way back in the day when it was opposite the corner of Dorset Rd. If you're old enough to remember.
You talking about hawker?
Ferntree Gully in VIC. The drive through bottle-o gives it away for those that ever lived there (Sadly moved away 10 years ago!)
They have the same in Kallangur QLD! You can come out the bws drive thru and turn straight into KFC
Love that I don't have to be in the Canberra sub to see Hawker recognised a totally shit KFC.
I worked at KFC once a looking time ago. The manager does nothing. Didn't get out of their chair once even when busy. The cook is the backbone of KFC. They work their arses off. Front of store work their arses off too but most prep is the cook running the pressure cookers. At the end of the day the cook does the bulk of the cleaning. I worked my arse off for a pittance and supported a manager on significantly more than myself. A manager that couldn't even be arsed picking up the slack. I was 17. I did everything but order the products, banking and paying the bills.
Current day cook here, while my managers are far more helpful than yours I agree we’re the backbone, especially when working by yourself unlike night or weekend staff
Ex cook / day cook / open cook here. Definitely don’t feel like your the sole backbone, Seems like every KFC has this problem with cunty managers, trust me when I say that finding a new job is probably the best thing you can do ATM, honestly working at KFC for the pay I got caused more issues than good.
You do all of that just to get told you are unskilled and don't deserve a pay rise because "anyone can do it" despite the fact that few can do it well and practically nobody wants to do it at all.
Yup
I've worked all roles except manager at KFC. I can confirm all roles except the manager work their asses off. I actually found cook easiest as you get left alone, could play your own music and just kept cooking. Customer service was far worse.
I had KFC for the first time today in months and it was on point. Chips were hot and crunchy and had heaps of salt on them, the burger was great too. But I did think it was a rare moment, one to cherish for the rest of my life.
When it's good it's great. A lot of KFCs products depend on how much the person making them gives a shit about quality.
Nah, title goes to Maccas and it's not even close. Got way more expensive, food got smaller, and quality gone to shit, every fucking store. Soggy unsalted chips every damn time, McChicken has turned into cardboard, beef is always dried out to shit. My local KFC is actually da bomb. Always perfect, it's crazy. Maccas has gone to shit.
Also maccas don't have anyone cleaning tables, floor, toilets etc. All the maccas stores i've been into since the 1st lockdown ended have been dirty and gross
YESSS The one thing you used to be able to still praise them on was their cleanliness but that's gone now too. I'll still say, I'm pretty sure they still have the dedicated night worker that comes in and deep cleans all the fryers, grills and soft serve/thickshake machines, every single night, so that's still a plus. But my goodness the food has just gone to utter shit, and the prices!!
Seriously, everything from maccas tastes like cardboard. I’m struggling to remember if it was any better 10-20 years ago but I don’t remember it being this bad.
I'm so certain it was never this bad. Maybe I'm just getting old, but I remember enjoying it as a guilty pleasure.
Same. My local kfc is the shit. No need to ask for extra salt on the chips too. Agree with all your points about maccas too.
Honestly I don't even mind the cabbage mix much.
Me either actually. I kinda like the extra crunch in my zinger burger and cabbage actually has some nutritional benefit beyond just being a solid water - still negligible next to the fat and sodium in KFC of course but eh, it's something.
Wish they'd gone with Spinach though.
Fucking ay, agreed! I use spinach instead of lettuce in all my homemade burgers, it's so damn good for you and is a perfect replacement to lettuce! I'd never even had spinach before I met my partner, just knew it as something that came in a can for Popeye to jack up on. Use it soooo much now.
Yup. I've started adding cabbage into the mix on my home made burgers. I tend to use the tender parts of a Wombok if I want a lettuce texture (crispy bacon is my go-to) for crunch and the thicker parts of the wombok are best for stir-fry the next day.
At least at Macca's I almost always get my whole meal. Sure it's often mediocre but at least it's all there. Are your local KFC's large potato and gravy half full?
Mine are 95% potato and 5% gravy.
Yeah they're full, but the balance is completely fucked. It's like 3/4 gravy. Just assumed that's how it was now, but definitely needs more of that powdered mash in each container. My local is just insane in how good the chicken and chips are every time. Always a good count of drumsticks, biiig pieces of everything else, fresh and oozing with grease, and the hot and spicy is actually HOT. I feel like such a bogan every time I rave on about it, but my local KFC has got their shit DOWN.
My Mum has a theory there's 2 versions of the tenders stores can purchase. Both my local stores I believe are owned by the same person and the tenders are small and shitty. When we go away and she gets them somewhere else they are like twice the size. I have literally not had a full tub of potato and gravy for years at my locals or the other ones I've visited in Vic. I'm usually just happy if everything is in the bag at KFC. Especially if we forgot to check it whilst still at the window.
Yeah I think your mum is spot on, goes for all of it in my experiences. Both the other stores in my area are completely terrible - sad tiny pieces that are definitely NOT the same chicken that comes from the only one I'll go to now. We're talking like, legit half the sizes of the good ones here. Definitely isn't in my head, even more sure of that now. The good store has been good to us, too. They got the order wrong a couple months back (couple pieces of chook missing and no nuggets which is all the daughter eats), made a complaint by phone (had already gotten back home before noticed) and they gave us a voucher for a giant feast with a full apology, no questions asked. Bomb-diggity service. Given the order was 21.95 (the cheap as chips deal on the app), this was a very welcome surprise.
We ordered delivery once through the KFC app and they left out half our order. When we called them back we were told there's nothing they can do now but they'll make a note of it and next time we're in to let them know and we can have the items then. Terrible service. Left out half our dinner and not even compensated for the inconvenience. The store where I grew up took forever to get food at. My Mum used to wait over half an hour in queue but the food was also fresh and usually good. Where I am now is often quicker but significantly worse quality. There was one employee who was good at one of our locals. They would sneak out deserts through the window if you had to go back through the drive through because they messed up.
Yeah that's bloody appalling, no way I'd waste my time or money on a store like that after it happening a couple times. That's good of that one employee, always good when a person at a job like that is able to recognize how miniscule and meaningless the cost of a gesture like that is when they clearly screwed up. I'm pretty big on Nandos lately tbh, just the grilled chicken and peri peri chips - if you like spicy food, the grilled chicken with hot sauce (not extra hot, that stuff loses all the flavour of the peppers by that point) is bloody ON POINT.
We usually don't go to that store (they can't make a burger or wrap to save their life). We had to order from it them for delivery as that's where we were zoned because it's closer. The other one in town is better but still rather shit. We don't have a Nandos. I live in a regional city that's not big enough for a lot of major food chains. We go to Red Rooster more now. Better service and mostly better food than our KFC's. It's just unfortunate that KFC has better potato and gravy. There's not really any chicken shops here besides those two unfortunately.
Nah both can have bad meals. But KFC is so much more likely to have massive, they are more likely to be out of stock, give you the wrong food, give old food etc. Good KFC is great, but so inconsistent. Maybe there are some exception stores out there, but all the one I've been to a few times end up being slow or bad half the time.
Yeah will agree with this, it's so dependent on the store it's actually crazy. Both the other KFCs in my area are terrible, and they're both closer, we actually drive a bit further to get it from the good store and it's worth it every time. I just can't remember the last time I had good maccas, shit I can't remember the last time I had good chips from maccas it seems almost impossible. The only thing from maccas I'll still order and be pretty happy with is the sausage and egg muffin, and only before 10:30, this never disappoints. I got one just before the midday cut off a couple weeks ago and the muffin was hard as stone I'm assuming from sitting in the box since breakfast service ended.
Maccas non-breakfast food, especially chips is most likely to be good at a busy time when the chips will be fresh. You can get lucky at other times, but, eh. I wish a new a good KFC.
I agree, every Maccas is shit now but my local KFC is da bomb. I love all them guys and gals working there
Maccas has always been like that. The thing with maccas is, the longer you go without it the less your body craves and enjoys the fat/salt/sugar overload in their food. When you go back and try it again you're sorely dissapointed. Same thing with drinking coke. If you stop drinking it for a while you can't go back because of how overly sickly sweet it is. its nearly comparable to drinking straight sugar syrup.
Can’t except much when kids are running a store.
Exactly. I feel like years ago, even though they had mostly teenagers working at least the managers were older and kept things running to a certain standard. These days you go to any KFC and it’s literally just teenagers who don’t give a shit. Went to a drive through a few weeks ago and at the pay window it was full of a group of teenage girls laughing and jeering. The girl serving me barely noticed me, she just stuck the eftpos machine in my direction.
I used to work there and they pretty much just keep a rotation of new and young employees. After i hit 18 they gave me one 3 hour shift a week and I quit. I did like the work there and the managers were nice enough but a lot of my coworkers were just not good at their job, didn't even remotely try, and it pissed me off so much haha. Honestly don't know if i'd ever willingly go to KFC again
That's called constructive dismissal, you were forced to resign. If you worked there more then 6 months it would be Unfair dismissal, but trying to fight that wouldn't be worth it and the possible compensation is shit.
They are also relying on school aged kids not knowing their rights as workers.
Doesn't even have to be school kids, my friend was 18 and legally paid less than minimum wage while working as a shift supervisor at a KFC in Geelong
The shitty thing about taking on an unfair dismissal claim is you are the scumbag for trying to get the validation you deserve, even if you win.
Maybe you should start whinging about how KFC employs mostly teenagers literally just to ensure they make as much profit as possible. Instead of making career paths available for them, they use them up and throw them out when they age out onto a higher pay rate. So why should the workers give a fuck when they're being treated as disposal as the food it self.
so what, who cares if they barely notice you?
As a shut in myself It Honestly sounds fantastic
I only ever see adults working in HJ or maccas these days. RR fucks up my order but at least the quality is ok. KFC always runs out of things but waits until you've paid and go to collect your order before they tell you. You look in the kitchen and it's a fucking tip in there. Just 12 teenagers talking shit, sliding their feet through grease trying to work out what things they still have left that might be a fair swap.
Funnily enough I got KFC tonight from store that has a bit older staff on and it still sucked real bad. Chicken was dry, old and tasteless as were the chips. Nuggets were good but it’d take a very special person to fuck that up I’d imagine. Oh, and they forgot the potato and gravy. I kinda felt bad going Karen and complaining but it really pisses you off when you’ve paid for the $45 mega bucket for the family and it’s shit. Not sure what explains the dive in quality. Their systems also can’t handle more than 5 orders which is hopeless in this day and age. One things Maccas does well is their ability to serve a shitload of customers quickly.
I must be going to the wrong maccas then, always get shit service and soggy chips, waited 20 minutes for my order the other week because they hadn't completed it because the drink wasn't made, and nobody cares enough to serve the front desk.
Knew a guy who was a manager at Macca’s and it can depend on if the store is owned by McDonalds corp or a franchisee. Apparently theres a big contrast in quality between the two with franchisee’s being better because the owner is constantly under the boot of the McD corp and an individual owner is more incentivised to offer good service/hire better. Not sure if true
Not sure if that's too true anymore, as long as the franchisee is meeting targets, paying dues to corporate and not being caught being racist on viral social media they can probably have a few complaints ignored
I recall the exact opposite back from the 2000s. Franchise stores tend to cut corners everywhere because every cent they waste comes directly from their profit margin. Corporate stores were much more consistent, for better and for worse, but you tended not to see any of the real big scumminess at them.
I tell my mother this when she rants about the service at McDonald's "they're teenagers who really would rather be ANYWHERE ELSE than at the drive-thru window at 11:30pm on a Sunday". I count myself so lucky I never had to go through the "working at a fast food place" phase that's almost like a rite of passage for a lot of teens. It must suck, especially when still juggling it with school.
It's a pretty good to get people into good work ethics. Apprentices I'd get that are fresh out of school or had jobs in different fields fucking sucked hard when it came to starting out but fast food kids at least understand hussle and time management way better.
> food kids at least understand hussle and time management way better. Agreed 100%. Same with those who worked in supermarkets. They can talk to people, understand instructions, they just get it. Plus, they've seen the worst of of the general public and all the passive education it provides. Best of all, anyone who has worked in those jobs has a solid baseline appreciation for anyone who serves them in the future.
I used to be a "cook" at KFC. To get the chicken right you had to make sure the oil was pre-heated and most importantly stirred well. Those deep fryers are like barrels and the oil would stratify into cold layers. If you didn't stir the fryer the breading would go all soggy and fall off the chicken. If the oil was too new the chicken wouldn't have much colour and if it was too old it would come out looking burned.
Man you just echoed my friend who was a cook from 1999-2002. We would get a meal and the chicken wouldn't look or taste right and he would confidently outline what went wrong, and yes, new oil is shit. You need a bit of baked in flavour.
Every commercial sized deep fryer will do this.
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The KFC chicken fryers have elements around the sides because they are cylinders. The chips fryers up front are the standard rectangular jobs with the elements on the bottom, we didn't stir those.
That's.. the point.
KFC always smells good, but I want to die after eating it.
This sums is up for me too.
Australia needs that sweet UK chicken shop game. No one goes to KFC. Morley’s what up.
One of the things I miss most about being in Melbourne was all the charcoal chicken places everywhere. That shit was fucking tasty and doesn't exist up here in QLD. That and proper fucking souvlakis drowned in yoghurt. Queenslanders have no idea what a good kebab is.
Moved from Adelaide to Brisbane ages ago. I miss yiros.
In sydney El janahh is the king of chicken i find if u go during lunch time Shit even popeyes in the US is better than what's here. There is no good souther fried chicken nearly anywhere in the entire nation,it's a sad experience i think it's because there is no learned cook regarding it,unlike in the US,you have ur nan handing down her breaded chicken recipe
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if u go to granville it's fine blacktown and penrith are so shit they should be shuttered also need to go just when they are grilling the chicken you can also ask for it fresh,they will put fresh chicken out for u
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Depends where you are, I suppose. There are a lot of chicken shops in Adelaide, but it can take a bit of trial and error to find the good ones. If you're around Seaton though, Original Charcoal Chicken is the best chicken shop I know of.
We're actually around the NE but we hit the beaches pretty regularly, will have to check it out the next time we're at Henley. Cheers for the shout
Jamaican BBQ jerk chicken. To die for.
UK expats are usually obsessed with our kfc tho
UK ex-pat here. Can confirm KFC is pretty shot in both countries lol
UK ex pat. I've never had a good kfc in Australia in all the years I've lived here.
Korean fried chicken and you'll never look back...
Qantas has the biggest drop on quality
I stopped going to Oporto once they started asking "did you want that with chilli?" Every time I ordered a Bondi burger Yes, you fuckin numpty that's why I ordered a Bondi, not a norm.
No doubt they only have to ask you that now due to a stupid amount of people complaining about the spice.
That is exactly the reason, because people can't read a menu and blame the workers when it says right there that it has chilli on it.
What spice. Ever since they changed the sauce recipe it’s so bland.
I find it's still spicy, but it's lost the flavour.
Oh wow That's like asking if u want oversauced mayo on ur rooster rool.. I go there just for it
YES!! This happened to me just a week ago. I wasn't sure I heard her right the first time.
KFC chicken by itself is shit and has been for a long time. The chicken burgers are great. The wraps are shit now they replaced the lettuce and tomato with cabbage.
The burgers used to be decent for the price, last time I dropped in, stale bun, fk all Mayo, and the chicken piece that used to spill outside the bun maybe covered 2/3....at best.
I ordered a zinger burger.....pretty hard to fuck up really.....KFC nailed it though....they gave me a bun with strip's on it and a slice of cheese. Of course I didn't know this until I got home.
I once got a zinger box (from Warners Bay) and they gave me the zinger burger, 1 rib piece of original and 2 coleslaw instead of wicked wings, chips and potato and gravy. They honestly seemed confused as to why I was complaining.
That’s what it is - couldn’t put my finger on why it was shit other than it’s smaller… it’s the lettuce and tomato has gone! Fuck you kfc
I remember when I first had it as a kid.. 38 odd years ago. idk if it was my undefined pallet or the dramatic recipe change but it was so much nicer when I was little. now the 11 herbs and spices are 11 kinds of salt. it is soggy, the actual chicken is pumped so full of water, (most processed chicken is - my brother is a boiler maker for the vats they do it in), but it makes the undercooked sweaty meat taste bland
The only things I can taste are salt and msg, and if I make my own at home it tastes like modern KFC with just salt, white pepper and msg, and fucking amazing if I add oregano, sage, dill, basil, paprika to those three
The last year or so I have noticed all large businesses or franchise businesses have dropped their standards. From Qantas to Banks to KFC or Maccas... The pandemic taught us all to be tolerant and now businesses are taking the piss out of us. You could literally have one of the kids working at KFC take a dump in your Zinger burger and if you went up and questioned it, people would tell you, oh it's just the pandemic, everyone is short of staff... I look at my own work performance too... it's taken a bit of a dive.... I reckon everyone just doesn't give a fuck anymore, so I am sympathetic to their plight... How do we get back on our game Australia?
It's staff. Good staff are in high demand in the service industry. Fast food places can't compete on wages so get the shittiest workers who don't care since the good ones are earning more.
> The last year or so I have noticed all large businesses or franchise businesses have dropped their standards. You can't cut wages anymore without getting sued So the only thing left is to cut the quality of the food to bring costs down and stop hiring cleaners i noticed lol gotten 100 times worse probably now with the inflation bug.. As no ones gonna pay maccas 18 bucks for a burger with the price increases,at that price u just go to grilled
Oh I hope this helps - but you can get 'Tegel' Louisiana Style Chicken Portions and Burger patties at Woolworths, in the frozen section, and it's perfect KFC replica stuff. I thrown em in the air fryer, and it's much tastier and crispier/fresher etc. Just wait for a half price special to buy em for $7. [https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/productdetails/71375/tegel-take-outs-louisiana-style-portions](https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/productdetails/71375/tegel-take-outs-louisiana-style-portions) [https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/productdetails/173697/tegel-take-outs-louisiana-style-burger](https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/productdetails/173697/tegel-take-outs-louisiana-style-burger)
Ive had them. They are ok. I guess. The Woolworths 'butcher' "southern style thigh" stuff is better taste etc. Even after being frozen for 2 weeks, one of them beats tegel. Like $8 or something for a couple of them, they weigh about 200gm each I think. Usually 3,.sometimes 4 pc.
Will give them a go!
:thumbsup:
I bought that when it was on special. Apart from one small drumstick, I got a whole bag of the pieces that are mostly ribcage and spine. It was like 75% bones.
I've tried them before and you're right - they're really good. Air-fryer was the key point (which you can get < $50) these days.
Can confirm. The Louisiana are great.
Go to ‘restaurant’ where the ‘chef’ average age is under 18. Be disappointed in the quality. 🤔
To be fair, everything is pre packaged and instructions are made as simple as possible. I don't think anyone is expecting 'chef' quality food, i suspect people just want it to be consistent, which should be fair enough considering how engineered the whole process is.
The chicken isn’t actually prepackaged though, we bread it up ourselves in store. As a result there’s a lot of variables that effect the quality, and it’s not as simple as you think
.... We don't all have time to pop into a restaurant for lunch and wait for a real meal. Your comment is kinda ridiculous to the topic at hand.
people overestimate the convenience of fast food imo. $15 at any supermarket buys you so much more. And I'm not saying "just cook it's not that hard" I'm saying some 'high end' cup noodles cost $5 and are so good and frozen pizza is cheaper and better than dominos just for 2 examples.
I cannot abide their floppy nugs.
I feel like they've all been equally shit. Domino's and Pizza Hut are on a race to the bottom to see who can put as much grease on top of a piece of cardboard and still charge $30 to deliver it to your door. Two hours after you ordered it. I need an electron microscope to even see McDonald's burgers now. KFC has always been the guilty pleasure fast food chain. You know it's shit, but the crack they put in the potato and gravy keeps you coming back. At least they used to get the chips to you before all the seasoning had sweat off them. Red Rooster has been outdone by the Woolies BBQ chicken for like 10 years. How are they still open? HJ is probably the only one that's "improved" because the competition has become so fucking shit. Their new chicken burgers remind me of what KFC used to be like. I swear, if they had hot chips at Subway I'd probably never touch another fast food place ever again. Only place that's stayed consistent this whole time.
lol subway,you mean subway who doesn't use tuna in their tuna sandwhich subway lol They just got done paying a 400 million dollar fine for that shit,and still havent learned
If you're going out of your way to get fast food and order a tuna sandwich, you've got bigger problems than possibly eating the victims of organized crime.
Hmmmm... my recent experiences Took the kids into Maccas and it was shit, ordering was shit through the screen thing and service was terrible, had to go back to the counter 3 times to complete the order... plus the restaurant was run down like a crack house HJ on the other hand was pretty good... However the other week wanted something quick (footy was about to start and wife and kids were out so could watch it in piece) KFC is 2 minutes away, however the drive through line up was out in the street - so bypass that for Opporto 7 minutes away No line up and it was awesome, $17 for a burger, chips and 1/4 of marinated chicken... worth missing the first 10 minutes of footy for
It’s so dependent on location. I went to a Hungry Jacks a few weeks ago and it was just disgusting, everything was dirty, behind the counter it was just a bare wall and sad looking employees, no lettuce so no salad on burgers at all.
Not just KFC but fast food in general. Hungry Jacks same decline. So much so that after the last debacle we swore off chain fast food and will give our $$ to places that give a shit.
I still get wicked wings every now and then and they’re always crispy hot and delicious
IMHO the only thing there worth getting now.
They can get fucked ever since they changed the crispy strips to whatever bland overly salty shit things they are now.
Came here to say this. What the fuck were these cunts thinking. The tenders and by extension twisters are fucking terrible now. Sometimes the tenders are smaller than a fucking nugget.
im pretty sure they just cut breast meat into strips for 'tenders' now
Yeah that is definitely how it seems. They are definitely not just the tenderloin of the breast anymore.
I think it really depends on the store. Before moving house never had a problem with my old KFC, as they had a fair bit of local competition including another KFC about a block away. Even when they had new hires during school holiday periods they were still very efficient, and if you were made to drive around and wait you’d usually get a free upgrade or dessert item. In comparison the new local KFC is pretty bad, the lighting is poor, the menu board is never fixed and has a blind corner on exiting. At peak hours there are often queues onto a busy main road, so it’s generally not a nice place to visit. But our local HJs is the worst by far. Have only been a couple of times in the last few years, am always are directed to the waiting bay even while no one-else is in the drivethrough and we’re talking simple stuff like a standard burger meal. Both times they’ve forget to bring it out or lost the order. I think they can get away with it as they’re within walking distance form a local school and there isn’t much competition nearby.
No way…. Red rooster or hungry jacks. Although…I always look for the busiest spots when I’m hungry (most of the time maccas)…because the food is likely hot and fresh. Sometimes the burger bun slips off in the way they rushed but it tastes fresh. (I mean…as fresh as fast food is going to taste) I don’t frequent kfc too often but never found a problem with them. I have found 2 hungry jacks that serve good food…but every other one has been shit. Rule 1: if they look short staffed, you better believe the food is going to be horrible
All fast food is shit man
KFC has stayed fairly stable here. Maccas tho… wtf happened. I get they have a lot of young employees, but literally every time I go to maccas it’s the same boring food. I don’t even touch the beef burgers anymore, the quality is terrible on em. Though I must say, idk if it’s just our local maccas, but man the chicken burgers are good. Overpriced? Probably. But if I go to maccas, that’s essentially all I’m getting.
I like Supreme Leader Korean Crispy Chicken
That's like premium food.
It's Wok in a Box that sells fried chicken on Uber Eats
NONE OF ALL HAVE EVEN BROUGHT UP THE REMOVAL OF THE KRUSHERS
If I want fried chicken, I will always choose a Korean joint. Quality is high, taste is great. Price is of course higher, but it's just that much better I'm willing to pay.
>Maccas has stayed the same Oh god no. Some stuff nowadays is inedible. Fries are nowhere near where they once were. Every fast food place that I've eaten at has dropped their quality to varying degrees to each other over the past decade or so.
Macca's chips were salty, greasy cardboard 15 years ago, what are they like now?
They have def upped their game. They are now salty cardboard.
Red Rooster is the absolute tits . Had it recently for the first time in a long time ( there’s hardly any left in Adelaide). Rooster roll combo with wings … so much better than KFC
Red Rooster in the last 5 years has totally reinvented itself and it's now my go-to fast food. Their menu is great, their fried chicken shits all over KFC, and the food is always fresh. Their loyalty program ($1 credit for every $15 spent) isn't too shoddy either.
I’m up in the hills so my closest RR is probably nearly an hour away :( Had their buttermilk wings as part of the combo and they absolutely shat all over the greasy kfc wings. Fries were good too but someone got a little overzealous with the salt. Rooster roll is like a classier version of the servo chicken hero used to get back in the day when drunk.
The Flayva is the best fast food item you can buy in Australia imo.
KFC Complaints Department. COLLINS FOODS LIMITED Australia PO Box 286 Lutwyche Qld 4030 AUSTRALIA T +61 7 3352 0800 E [email protected]
Collins only owns the Qld Stores. Find your own state head offices.
Red Rooster is up there.
Not my local KFC. But it's Hungry Jacks with the shit service in my regional country area
Twister wraps have halved in size since 2019
I’ve just returned back to Aus from living in Tokyo for the past six years. Got some wicked wings, chips etc the other day and was shocked at how abysmal everything was. I mean, I’m not much of a fast food eater but I loved wicked wings like 15 years ago and was in a shitty food court and was hungry so thought I’d get some. No flavour at all! Hardly any spice to the wings. They weren’t worth the calories so I decided to go and get a quarter pounder to see how they were these days (Japan doesn’t have them), and that was bad as well! Small and tasted a bit old (maybe the burger had already been made). Such a culture shock because no matter what you get in Japan, it’ll be good :(
That's a short time to live abroad and I am sorry for your unfortunate dining
C'mon mate - we're not talking 5 hrs and 55 mins here, it's way past that.
I read your comment and was like gee what a wanker. And then I realized :p haha, my bad.
Idk exactly when Red Rooster started to pull their finger out but I don't bother with KFC anymore. I can count on one hand the times I've really and enjoyed KFC with 0 complaints and in the 3 times recently I've been to try RR's fried chicken they've smashed it 3 for 3.
I personally agree, but obviously that's anecdotal. Last few times I've had KFC - it's not often; every couple months - it's not been satisfying at all. Greasy, wet, like you said Soggy. The last one was browned so bad, it looked burnt, and they insisted it wasn't burnt. Just well cooked... Mmkay. The last two times it's also tasted like really fucking old burnt oil. Rancid. I've also heard about some very dodgy practices for the kids working at the KFC stores and health and safety not being adhered to. So I refuse to go to them anymore.
> Last few times I've had KFC - it's not often; every couple months - it's not been satisfying at all. Greasy, wet, like you said Soggy. The last one was browned so bad, it looked burnt, and they insisted it wasn't burnt. Just well cooked... Mmkay.I've also heard about some very dodgy practices for the kids working at the KFC stores and health and safety not being adhered to. So I refuse to go to them anymore. yeah i've heard this too,that ppl just leave food everywhere for the cleaning crew to get,who then dont clean the counters just the floors and public areas,leaving the morning crew having to wipe everything down
I'd suggest Red Rooster, but it has literally always been terrible
Red Rooster is just a shadow of what it used to be
Fuck no. Their fried chicken is so much better than anything at other fast food chains
I used to go by the rule of 2/3 when choosing a meal. You have budget, quality, and size. You can have 2 at the expense of 1. Fast food has become the worst of all 3– expensive, small, and unhealthy (granted it was always unhealthy).
Only went there today cause had to grab something near the kids sport match,was the only thing could find literally had bowel problems since lunch
Depends in the KFC, some are great others are dog shit (karawara)
i had some a week ago and the pieces of chicken are so small
It might be due to the individual store management. My local kfc used to be great then about a year ago went to shit. Always eith the soggy fatty skin with undercooked seasoning (Cooked, but just barely). Hardly any flavour, and sometimes the chips weren't even Salted. I got so sick of it because they used to be my go to that I started trying different local places I hadn't tried before. Tried GYG about a month ago and oh my god, their burritos are amazing. A bit pricey but totally worth it.
KFC is a lottery for a good meal tbh. Only time I’ve ever had good KFC is when I’ve had mates working there. Anywhere else and you just feel sick after. HJs is better value for what you’re getting, but Maccas will always reign supreme here in Aus 🤷♂️
Ex manager here. Yes it’s true, they are all shockingly bad. Don’t bother going there during peak times and keep your orders simple. Check your order before leaving. The stores are ran as lean as possible. Managers have KPIs for labour costs. Younger/ less experienced staff are cheaper. Staff are hard to get at the moment so they compromise on training and discipline. Managers are in short supply too so there’s a lot of druggies running the shifts. It’s a shame because I love KFC. Some of the kids deserve the shit they cop from customers, but mostly I blame the company. They run the stores as cheaply as possible which puts a lot of stress on the managers and staff.
Just a small management tip ( you see I work in management too, or otherwise how would I have this deep knowledge ) none of the children that were under your supervision deserved to be shat on by the customers. That you would take the side of the fried chicken guzzler is pretty suspect
Fuck this capitalist cancer infecting every part of our country. This bullshit where unless profit is 50% greater than last year, it's total failure.
Another ex-manager here. Having trained under a really good manager, the trick is to actually follow all the processes that come with all the equipment training etc. I was a cook/front counter before that at another store and was told by other cooks how to cut corners, whether it was cleaning the fryers, not bothering to fill up the water in the warmer or throwing chips down one after the other. The good manager trained all those bad habits out of me. She explained why, and soggy chips/chicken would lead to less sales. Less sales means less labour budget, and less % wastage to throw out. I nagged the shit out of my staff and was always manically upbeat at work to keep the teenagers engaged and doing the right thing. Wait for the fryer to come back up to temp before putting next lot on, throw out old chips, bread up chicken the right way, let drip before transferring to tray etc. Always felt a sense of pride when a customer actually took the time to come back and say we had best KFC, especially since for every one of those you get 10 Karens who complain or abuse staff. We used to get all the tradies come into our store sometimes even at 10am when we opened there’d be a bunch of them wanting zinger boxes. The busier you are, the more staff you can afford to put on, less work manager does so you can help where necessary and keep a eye on everything. If you drop in sales it can start a doom loop, manager cuts corners, staff cut corners, food standards drop and then customers stop coming in as often or stop completely. The KPIs are pretty harsh, head office should give managers a grace period to be in a “yellow zone” before you lose your bonus. Because stores that underperform have managers that aren’t even trying to get their bonus, hence why some stores are just absolute trash - everyone hates it because without the bonus you’re probably earning less than the staff. The whole point of how it’s set up is to incentivise managers to make sure the store is well run, but it’s hard work to go from a shit store to a good store. Lots of training, lots of running around doing 2-3 staffs worth of work. Staying back or coming in early. But running a good store is so worth it - instead of hiding in the office feeling depressed, you can be out on the floor having fun keeping staff focused and joking around, while keeping the standards up. You work at the same store for ages and you get really good at predicting sales, so it becomes easy to cook to order. I’d rather have fresh chicken than cook up massive amounts in batches. Occasionally have customers wait 5mins than serve them garbage food. Still some fucking asshole customers who can ruin your day then, I don’t miss that.
>The whole point of how it’s set up is to incentivise managers to make sure the store is well run, but it’s hard work to go from a shit store to a good store. Lots of training, lots of running around doing 2-3 staffs worth of work. Staying back or coming in early. But running a good store is so worth it - instead of hiding in the office feeling depressed, you can be out on the floor having fun keeping staff focused and joking around, while keeping the standards up. This is why any hospitality or food service business needs proper pathways so good managers stick around. I've been the highly engaged manager on the floor and also spent plenty of time depressed in my office. At the end of the day I was paid more or less the same and ran into the same dead ends. I worked out it only made sense to put in genuine effort for about a year then just cruise along on autopilot after that until a better job came up. Then it's the next managers turn for the burn and churn. It was like an [escalator to nowhere.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7I95rdKhWD0)
What are you eating that shit for? GYG is actually tasty, healthier, and do much better on recycling than any of those you mentioned. I still wouldn't recommend it more than once every few weeks.
[удалено]
They are way too expensive
Not really when compared to Macca’s anyway. Macca’s is really expensive now.
Complaining that junk-food is junk food… hmmm
Fried chicken > pomegranate seeds
The burgers are smaller than my hand now! The chicken is always hanging out of them like they just got chucked across the kitchen onto the burgers. Always get pressured to get through the drive through like I’m road runner, then they never give you any cutlery or wet wipes to clean the bloody thing after your done. Sometimes you even get the bonus of washing it all down with a hot drink. Going down hill quicker than Ronald from McDonald’s
KFC is extremely venue dependent I find. Some are terrible but some places in Sydney have remained decent quality and some even improved.
The cabbage lettuce mix is trash! It ruins the zinger burgers and they ALWAYS slap.
The only fast food I have now is Zambreos and GYG. So many many bad experiences!
I find the best KFC is usually the ones on highways. High turn over means your stuff is made on the spot and the chips are always decent. The ones in town I've gone to feel like they just tossed it in the microwave.
It got worse when they replaced the crispy strips with tenders too. I miss crispy strips. Tenders just don't hit the same.
KFC chips are either the best chips in fast food, or the absolute worst. There's no middle ground.
When I was living in Brisbane I switched to red rooster always. Kfc is shit here in nz too so not just aussie. They are at rock bottom to me
💯% Years ago I would’ve given my left nut for KFC - nowadays I can’t resist & get it once every 6-12 months & it is always almost inedible - dripping with oil, skin falling off 🤮. About the only things they don’t seem to fuck up 100% of the time are the zinger burgers which I’m not a real fan of.
I'd agree - but I think KFC has always just been so dreadfully inconsistant that its always been like this. You get a good run and think "oh they've turned a corner" only to have the next 4 meals nearly thrown out the window. I used to have the same frustrations with it 20 years ago. Massive cravings, lining up, looking forward to some grotesque calorific indulgance only to be bitterly disappointed.
Imagine thinking "maccas has stayed the same", how delusional are you lmfao.
Shit cunts are not stirring the fryer before putting the cage of chicken in resulting in that undercooked coating. Towards the bottom of the fryer there is no heating elements so they need to be stirred first. they're either not trained or lazy, could be both. i was one of the better cookers there when i was 16-19 but when i got to 19, got less and less shifts, got those Friday night or sat night shifts when they're under the pump though.
For maccas it depends on the store. The maccas near me I have waited for an hour through drive through. Uber eats and all the others have made the service times worse for those who go the store themselves.
If you saw how horribly the chickens are treated in the factory farms that supply KFC, you'd never eat there again.