YUM Brands' (YUM) KFC has been busy lately changing up its menu by removing some much-loved staples, but also adding new items.
Recent changes have included removing chicken wings, as the restaurant found that more customers were opting for boneless chicken wings over bone-in wings, eliminating popcorn chicken and introducing a meatier chicken nugget.
"So many of younger consumers are not interested in eating chicken on the bone," according to KFC Head Chef, Christ Scott, when discussing the addition of chicken nuggets over chicken wings.
Some menu changes in the past may have been more about gaining some publicity than actual new meals to try. One of these chicken gimmicks that wasn't too popular was the KFC Double Down sandwich, which featured two fried chicken patties instead of bread for the buns. It also significantly raised the calorie count of a chicken sandwich.
When it's time for KFC to introduce more items to its menu, it has to make room to keep efficiency up in the fast food paced environment. That leads to elimination of other items that might be popular with some diners.
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Bringing on Some Southern Cuisine
Looks like KFC is running up the calorie count again with a new fried menu item that's considered to be classic Southern cuisine.
KFC is running a new Tuesday special at participating locations across the country with a Chicken Fried Steak Meal, and it's only $4.99. The Country Fried Steak Meal has of course country-fried steak, gravy, mashed potatoes, a biscuit, and coleslaw. This is a limited-time offer, and the special is not available for online ordering or for delivery, so if you want to get a piece of that you need to head into KFC in person.
For anyone unfamiliar with Chicken Fried Steak, there is no chicken in the meal. It is a beefsteak that is breaded and fried like fried chicken. KFC ran the same special last year but on Wednesdays and it was $5.99. In previous years, it was priced at $4.99 and even $3.99! While this special is only around for a short time, there’s a good chance that the same special will make its return at some point in the future, but the returning price may vary.
KFC Makes Room in its Menu for New Items
KFC has had to simplify its menu in order to make room for other items. KFC is no longer going to sell its famed popcorn chicken. The popcorn chicken will be replaced by the bigger chicken nugget. This change was test marketed out in Charlotte, N.C. and now it will be rolled out nationwide as other menu supplies last, while the popcorn chicken will slide off the menu.
KFC is also saying goodbye to its chocolate chip cookies, alongside its chicken wings, strawberry lemonade and Nashville Hot Sauce. These menu items being dropped will increase efficiency, as according to one KFC franchisor, it has cut over 10 seconds off delivery times, which may not sound like a lot, but in fast-food delivery it really is.
KFC, however has brought back a fan favorite, the Chicken Wraps. The wraps were requested by customers to make a comeback, and KFC listened. The wraps are only around for a limited time as well, signaling to customers that they had better move on those Chicken Fried Steak Meals and chicken wraps while the specials last.
