More chicken shortages reported at KFC

KFC is understood to be experiencing yet another wave of chicken shortages, according to a report in The Sun.

A company memo sent to branches and seen by The Sun is understood to have warned of an “urgent update warning of shortages” of chicken on the bone, beans, and Pepsi Max cans.

The restaurant chain has temporarily paused its WOW Tuesday deal, which offers nine pieces of chicken for £5.99.

A market report by catering butcher Birtwistles said the cost-of-living crisis is pushing up poultry demand as the lowest-priced meat protein. On top of lingering Covid-19 impacts, “one of the highest pressure avian flu seasons in history” and the Ukraine crisis affecting global feed supply, it said supply will be “tight”, with demand outstripping supply at times.

The fried chicken chain made national headlines in 2018 when a transition between suppliers led to a shortage of chicken and gravy. Some stores were forced to operate on a limited menu while others had to close altogether.

The distribution crisis led to a 6.8% fall in sales for the group and was one of the reasons for a dramatic drop in overall revenue to £207.4m.

In August 2021, KFC was unable to provide some menu items due to supply chain disruption.

A KFC spokesperson: "Recent supply chain challenges have meant some of our restaurants are facing a few shortages. We don't want our fans to miss out, so to ensure we can continue to serve around the clock, we've had to temporarily pause our Tuesday deal.

"Despite that, it's service as usual - all thanks to our incredible team members. They’re doing a brilliant job keeping the fryers going, so please be kind to them."

Photo: Yau Ming Low/Shutterstock