It’s an upset that far outstrips the Nando’s shortage of 2014, and at a scale that makes last year’s dip in hummus supply seem small fry: KFC is out of chicken. The $23bn (£16.5bn) company that has one job – to sell us fried chicken – is unable to fulfil its culinary duties, citing issues in its outsourced distribution … wings. This has resulted in the temporary closure of more than two-thirds of its branches (that’s 646 of its 900 stores), while outlets that have remained open have struggled to keep up with demand. It’s left many customers feeling peckish.
A business fail (fine, I’ll say it, a cock-up) of this size is more than a little unusual, especially for such an established and beloved brand. KFC has chicken in its name; this should be its area of expertise (suggested name changes include: Kentucky Fried Confusion and Kentucky Fried Could eat a horse – oh no wait, that was a different food industry scandal).
Fans took to Twitter to playfully riff off the events using the #KFCCrisis hashtag, asking with tongues firmly in cheeks if there really was nothing left we could rely on. Meanwhile, some turned to MPs for intervention and even the police to report these crimes against deliciousness. KFC responded in a similar tone, saying that the Colonel was looking into the matter and that the “chicken may have crossed the road … just not into [their] stores”.
On the surface, it’s a lighthearted story to pass the time and showcase our nation’s sense of humour. But here’s the zinger: KFC says the issues are caused by its new distributor, DHL (“teething problems”, the Colonel called it). The contract for this job was previously held by Bidvest, an established food distributor that had worked with the fried chicken brand for some years. GMB, the union representing Bidvest workers, said DHL won the contract because it had “undercut” the firm and was trying to fulfil the contract on the cheap. It says it even warned KFC that it risked distribution problems because of the new contract. The result: 255 job losses at Bidvest, the closure of a distribution warehouse and no chicken for anyone.
This looks like just another example of the “race to the bottom” outsourcing culture that lines the pockets of corporations and does nothing for workers or consumers. And while the outsourcing ineptitude of a private company is perhaps a paltry (poultry?) comparison in light of our public services – railways, Carillion – it does make you wonder when this broken model might be revised.
Why did the chicken cross the road? It didn’t. Road crossing has been outsourced to these pigeons who, we are very sorry to say, have shat on your car.
