By Dipo Olowookere
Several outlets of popular Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) in the United Kingdom were closed on Monday as a result of shortage of chicken.
The firm has over 900 outlets in the UK and over half of these stores were shut down as a result of delivery problems.
Until last Tuesday, KFC’s chicken was delivered by South African-owned distribution group, Bidvest, which describes itself as “the leading supplier of logistical and supply chain solutions to the UK hospitality and restaurant sector.”
The new delivery company handling the job for KFC is now DHL.
“Due to operational issues, a number of deliveries in recent days have been incomplete or delayed.
“We are working with our partners, KFC and QSL, to rectify the situation as a priority and apologise for any inconvenience,” DHL said in a statement.
But a spokesperson of KFC disclosed that it was unclear when the delivery problems would be rectified.
“Our teams are working flat out all hours to get the rest back up and running as soon as possible – but it’s too early to say how long it will take to clear the backlog,” the spokesperson said.
Almost 80 percent of KFC outlets are run on a franchise basis and the “franchisees will be seeking their own independent advice, but we’re encouraging them to adopt this policy too,” the chain disclosed.
This policy is about a web page set up by KFC, where customers can find the nearest outlet still open for business.
According to the chain, in the restaurants it owns, staff on short-term contracts would be paid the average hours worked per day over the past 12 weeks, while those on salaries would be paid as normal.
Meanwhile, the management of KFC has apologised for the inconvenience caused by the shortage of chicken to its outlets.
“We’ve brought a new delivery partner onboard, but they’ve had a couple of teething problems – getting fresh chicken out to 900 restaurants across the country is pretty complex.
“We won’t compromise on quality, so no deliveries has meant some of our restaurants are closed, and others are operating a limited menu or shortened hours,” the firm posted on its Twitter page.
However, some customers have expressed their frustration over this, urging the company to quickly resolve the issue.
