One thing Edinburgh has in abundance is restaurants for every occasion, whether it's a date, family dinner or just a quick bite to eat while you're out shopping.
The capital is home to some of the highest rated eateries in the country and some huge global brands. But what if you look at it the other way around and focus on some of the lowest rated dining options in and around Edinburgh?
TripAdvisor's lowest rated 'quick bites' in Edinburgh make for sorry reading, as the venues ranked 296 and 297 out of 297 venues, or in other words, the worst two restaurants according to reviews, are both KFC.
READ MORE: BBC's The Traitors Edinburgh star Meryl quits call centre job to focus on TV dream
KFC's Meadowbank and Fort Kinnaird stores are both the second worst and worst rated eateries in the quick bites category, and some of the reviews online are scathing to say the least. With that being said, we decided to visit the Fort Kinnaird store to see if it was all that bad. What could go wrong?
"No clean tables! Rubbish everywhere and floors filthy, did not feel clean," and "I couldn't even eat it. I was sat there smelling the chicken and yeah... No thanks. No idea what the smell is but never again. Put me off completely," are just a few of the reviews left by customers in recent months.
With that in mind, I visited on a busy Sunday afternoon expecting the worst. When I parked in the car park outside, I noticed a police van outside which initially sent alarm bells ringing. Fortunately, the two officers were attending both the KFC and Burger King in the area and seemed to leave without any noticeable disturbance being caused.
When I opened the main door and entered the restaurant, I had a quick scan of the tables and the floor expecting the rubbish to be falling out of the bin and the floor to a carpet of chips and popcorn chicken.
To my surprise, the entire building was almost immaculate. There must have been around eight staff members operating out front to keep up with the high demand as the drive thru was relatively busy and a group of delivery drivers were awaiting their orders.
I'm not really a regular at KFC in general, and I've never been to this particular branch, so I just opted for a boneless box deal which included popcorn chicken, three mini fillets, chips and a side of my choice as well as a regular drink.
After waiting about five minutes and with a regular flow of customers pouring though the doors, my order was ready to collect. A selected BBQ sauce and was given about ten sachets which was a nice change to the usual one or two.
After picking one of the many clean tables, I tucked in to my boneless meal. The chicken was about as warm as it ever is from fast food restaurants, but they did forget to include my side of mash which I had selected along with the three mains. While enjoying my meal, I noticed many of the customers already situated inside were going back up to the counter and complaining about what seemed to be a mix-up with their order.
One lady who had taken her order to go also came back and didn't seem happy. One or two younger customers were also disappointed to find out that staff could not accept cash due to a till issue, so it was card orders only for the whole day which is not ideal it must be said.
After a few customers had finished their meal, one girl at the front kiosk raced out to mop the floor and wipe the tables. The bin was also emptied the second it became just a little too full. After preparing the worst given over 20 'terrible' reviews, I couldn't help but thinking if I was at the right store.
As one of the reviews mentioned the state of the toilets, I decided to go in and assess the situation before leaving. Like the facilities in most fast food establishments that I have visited, the toilets could have done with a clean, but they weren't "grim" as one customer noted.
All-in-all, the service, food and state of the store was definitely a lot better than I expected. You could also tell that it was a reasonably new building as it was kept nice and clean. I even sat for a little while after I had eaten to finish my drink and see how the staff coped when it became a little busier, but there was little change.
Some of the previous reviews did include photo evidence of discarded food and rubbish lying on the floor and on tables, but there was none of that during my visit. Whether it was the time of day or the staff members on shift, I was certainly pleasantly surprised after my trip and found it hard to fathom how the store is the worst rated out of nearly 300 venues in Edinburgh for quick bites.
There was of course a few negatives during the visit, namely my side being forgotten, the fact they were only accepting card, and the toilet in need of a little clean, but nothing as sinister to suggest it is the worst place I've ever eaten in the city. I'd actually go as far to say I'd happily return.
READ NEXT:
'One of a kind' Edinburgh mum with three daughters dies suddenly as tributes flood in
Edinburgh woman Meryl makes it to The Traitors final with Claudia Winkleman
Mum claims Evri courier stole Christmas gifts and sold them at car boot sale
West Lothian teen killed in horror crash by drugged-up driver speeding at 100mph
West Lothian woman fumes as she is 'banned' from taking mobility scooter on buses
