The Blog of Daniel

Just my place to write without any delusions of self-importance.

Why I like KFC.

Popeye's Chicken is a restaurant where I'll never eat again.  I know I shouldn't be eating there in the first place but every now and then I crave food that falls into the "fried & greasy" section of the food pyramid. 

The first time I went there I ordered a spicy 3 piece meal.  It was dried out and unspicy.  Being a "glass is half full" person I just assumed the dry part was somehow related to the spicy part, so I just gnawed at my meal without complaint.  I thought that's just how it was made and decided not to have that particular flavor again. 

The next time I ordered a regular 3 piece chicken-strips, eat-in.   What they actually gave me was 3 tiny wings, to go.  I spoke up this time and they gave me a corrected order.  While I was sitting in there, over a dozen customers came in and not one of them got the correct order on the first try.  Amazing. 

Another time, the customer in front of me had to mention 6 (six) times that he wanted fries with his order only to be asked again "You want fries with that, right?"  The kid wasn't joking.  I myself was really hungry so I ordered a 4 piece chicken.  The poster shows that a 4 piece includes a leg, wing, thigh, and a breast.  When I got home I found that it was 4 thighs.  Ok, I know that chicken is chicken but there is just something emotionally fullfulling about devouring a fried chicken leg.  I was robbed of my emotional release!  Wink  I said to myself that I would just not go there anymore.               

Today, I decided to give them a chance to win my heart back.  I go inside and wait at the counter.  Then I wait a little longer.  And then I wait a little longer still.  The chickenary procurement and delivery technicians behind the counter know I'm there.  I know I'm there.  I'm the only customer inside.  Waiting.  Finally, just as a few other people walk inside, one of them comes to the counter and says "Can I take your order?".  But she doesn't say it to me, no, she says it to the person behind me.  At that point I said fuck it, walked over to Circle-K and got a snack and soda there. 

I know that it is a minimum wage job so I should't expect miracles but I also know that way back in the days when I too made minumum wage, I did a damn good job and made few mistakes. 

Do I think this is endemic to the whole chain?  That's hard to say but I did write to Popeye's corporate office using their online form and they could not be bothered to reply.  That says a lot right there.  I haven't been to any other, but at the very least the one near me should just pull their own plug because their food quality and service quality is the worst I have ever seen in any restaurant chain anywhere. 

I won't eat there again.       

  Update #1       

So, the supervisor from our customer services department just came into to my office and says "I'm going to Popeyes, would you like something?"  I just smiled, pulled up this page and let her read it and then right before she left, I said "Yes, I would like something.  I would like you to tell them they lost a good customer and that they can all go fuck themselves!"  She laughed and left.  I went to McDonalds.       

  Update #2       

Okay, I just got back from McDonalds and as I am headed to my office, she comes up to me and tells me that her entire order from Popeyes was screwed up.  Yes, the whole order.  Why does this bring me such great pleasure?

  Update #3

It's been almost a month since I contacted Popeye's Chicken and I haven't heard of word from them.  They have my address and phone number so there is no excuse.  I am now of the opinion that shitty food and shitty service IS endemic to the company as a whole.  Yesterday Liz and I wanted chicken.  Rather than walk 500 feet down the road to Popeye's, we drove several miles and went to Fry's. 

Somewhere near me is a KFC.  I have never had bad service at KFC.  In fact, there was one that I didn't go into for almost a year (because I moved away) and when I finally did, the nice little elderly lady behind the counter remembered me, asked how I had been and why I was away for so long.  Without any prompting she remembered what I always ordered (hot wings) and let me know that that particular store didn't have them anymore but the one a mile down the road still did.  In a city of 3 million people for a clerk to remember a customer from a year ago is damned amazing. 

The very first time I went into her KFC she brought me napkins to my table and even refilled my drink for me.  That is customer service!  Yes, both times I wrote to KFC to compliment them - and that nice lady.  Before moving away from there again, the very last time I was at that same KFC, a young lady behind the counter loved my cow teeshirt and when she gave me my change, she took my hand, put the change in, and closed my fingers around them with her other hand and told me to have a wonderful day.  It wasn't fast food romance, she was just a sweet kid being, well, sweet.  Oh, that KFC is the one at 19th Avenue and Bethany Home Road in Phoenix, AZ.  Go there. 

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