Britain has been gripped by one of the most horrifying crises since Brexit: KFC is shutting down stores across the country due to chicken shortage which means that people will have to find other alternatives to tame their fried chicken cravings.
Instead of taking the situation seriously, KFC decided to poke fun at it by posting the infamous riddle on its social media platforms “Why did the chicken cross the road?” The chicken crossed the road… but not to get to the KFC restaurants.
The shops that remained open only displayed a limited menu with popcorn chicken and corn running out before noon due to high demand
KFC Closes Down 900 Shops
Call it a slight hiccup, if you may, in KFC’s routine business when the fried chicken supplier suddenly decided to close down 900 of its outlets simply because they just didn’t have enough chicken to feed the entire Britain.
One of the employees at KFC said that for the first time in his life, he saw people lining up at the store-front to grab a bucket of fried chicken before it sold out for the day. He said that the chicken supply in the freezer had completely run out and it seemed highly unlikely that the stocks would replenish any time soon. The remaining shops might have to close soon as well, said the employee who did not want his identity to be revealed.
Growing Fried Chicken Business in the U.K.
Britain is the leading consumer in the European fast-food market according to a report by Euromonitor International
Britain is one of the biggest markets for KFC in the world contributing to 6 percent of the fast food giant’s total sales. But the growing demand for fried chicken has increased the number of local chicken shops around the country which range from high-end rotisseries to cheap imitations of KFC’s crispy fried chicken – and now that one of their biggest competitors has shut down, local chicken shops are experiencing a surge in customers.
People are so passionate about this classic American soul food that one chicken Connoisseur has dedicated an entire YouTube channel to reviewing different restaurants around the world, and has even been given a television show to bring his passion to tv screens across America.
Chicken Lovers Voice Their Frustrations
Chicken lovers in Britain have taken it to twitter to sound their frustration on the current fast food crisis. A London-based comedian named Aurie Styla pointed out the irony in her tweet by asking how a restaurant could run out of the one food that it is popular for selling. Of course, no one is going to go to KFC just for its coleslaw and biscuits.
A construction worker, Steve Biswell, shook his head in disapproval as he finished eating what were probably the last pieces of popcorn chicken sold by the restaurant, and said that it’s surprising that a franchise as huge as KFC could find itself in such a strange predicament.
Lawmakers have also been caught up in the crisis as some people have even gone as far as contacting the police station for an explanation of a sudden fast food shut-down across the country
Layoffs and Job Losses
The managing director of DHL, John Boulter, says that KFC is taking the situation very seriously and getting touch with various supply chains in an effort to curb the crisis and replenish their chicken stocks.
Boulter says that his company is partly to be blamed for the sudden interruption which has cost KFC millions of dollars in revenue, and he apologized to the customers for the inconvenience caused.
GMB, a trade union, said that the shortage occurred due to a logistical failure in KFC after it switched to new suppliers which proved to be unreliable. In the wake of the recent crisis, KFC has terminated its contracts with two of its supplying partners creating a loss of 255 jobs in the country. However, DHL has assured that finding new suppliers and opening new chains in the coming months will create plenty of new jobs. Meanwhile, many of KFC’s employees have been laid off temporarily until the issue resolves, but nobody knows for certain when the stores will reopen.
