7 ms·

Austin McConnell made a video about 4 years ago on the decline of KFC[0] and just made a follow up last night[1] about how they've gotten a lot worse in a bunch

Austin McConnell made a video about 4 years ago on the decline of KFC[0] and just made a follow up last night[1] about how they've gotten a lot worse in a bunch of metrics but are still for some reason blowing budget on stupid marketing. On a more personal note, my mom grew up down the street from Sanders and it's always left a really bad taste in my mouth what they've done with his image. It's not like he was some made up character made to encapsulate the feel of a old-timey southern gentleman or whatever, he was a real guy they turned into a caricature to try to catch the "ironic" wave with the youths [0]:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1eaQrxA6ZE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1eaQrxA6ZE [1]:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=np5tFlmRUIc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=np5tFlmRUIc

ablation 6y ago
There is an extremely interesting Damn Interesting article on Colonel Sanders: https://www.damninteresting.com/colonels-of-truth/ https://www.damninteresting.com/colonels-of-truth/
- rutthenut 6y ago
  That was interesting, thanks. And claims that the 'special spice mix' is now nothing special at all, that would make sense, there's not a great deal of flavour in the coating on KFC - I'm sure it used to have more to it when I was younger
gh02t 6y ago
I swear I remember KFC being delicious, though that may be rose tinted glasses. I went a few weeks ago for the first time in a long time and the chicken just tastes like MSG without much else. It was really disappointing for something that was once a guilty pleasure.
- aantix 6y ago
  MSG is safe. https://health.usnews.com/health-news/blogs/eat-run/articles/2018-10-10/scientists-have-known-msg-is-safe-for-decades-why-dont-most-americans https://health.usnews.com/health-news/blogs/eat-run/articles...
  - drjasonharrison 6y ago
    But does MSG taste good?
    - neom 6y ago
      MSG is neither terribly dangerous nor perfectly fine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-POAKKH5IM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-POAKKH5IM An interesting commentary on both of the above questions.
      - numpad0 6y ago
        The issue in the context is MSG tastes like what “mono-sodium glutamate” would taste like.
        neom 6y ago
        The video about both about what MSG tastes like, and it's safety... hence I posted the link.
    - bobthepanda 6y ago
      MSG is naturally occurring in things like seaweed, tomatoes, mushrooms, and Parmesan cheese. It tastes fine given the popularity of those food items.
    - gh02t 6y ago
      I quite like the taste, it has a mild but distinctive flavor but it's much better in the background and it can be overpowering if it's the main flavor, which was my complaint with KFC. Kinda similar to salt, a bit of salt makes everything else taste better but too much overwhelms.
  - rutthenut 6y ago
    Who said anything about safe or unsafe? It's a 'flavour enhancer' that can taint food with its own taste.
- djsumdog 6y ago
  I'm a long way from home and grabbed a KFC meal over Thanksgiving. I haven't had it since ... 2015, I think? and that was overseas. My dad would sometimes buy it when we were kids, and it did hit the nostalgia buttons while also providing me with a few days worth of food. It tasted like I remember it. Sure it's fast food chicken, but it's not bad. Although I guess when comparing it to Popeyes and some of the other fast food chicken offerings, it hasn't provided anything new in a while. Maybe they should try to get into the chicken sandwich space and try to market against Chick-fil-a? I suspect this console will turn into a relic we'll see in videos 10 years from now, similar to the Hot Wheels and Barbie PC. At least it will probably be more useful than an Ouya.
  - incomplete 6y ago
    > and that was overseas. in 2010, i was lucky enough to have KFC in beijing. it's a totally different experience, and was absolutely delicious. once covid stops being a PITA, and travel becomes a reality, i strongly recommend trying out american fast food chains in other countries. i'm almost always surprised w/the quality!
    - oarsinsync 6y ago
      Except McDonald’s, which for the core menu, tastes identical the world over. I believe this is deliberate and by design. They also accept USD in lieu of local tender the world over too (but you’ll get your change in local tender).
- disown 6y ago
  > I swear I remember KFC being delicious Not as delicious as Roy Rogers. As a kid - Roy Rogers > KFC > Popeye's. Too bad Roy Rogers disappeared at the turn of the century. Now Popeye's > KFC but man do I miss the crispy Roy Rogers chicken.
Larrikin 6y ago
Out of all the marketing that the colonel didn't like it seems like the current campaign would have been one he was OK with seeing as he was still alive and well when the Japanese statues of him came out. What he hated was how they destroyed the taste of his chicken and sides which have continued to become crap over the years. MBAs have made sure KFC will never be as good as Popeyes. https://soranews24.com/2018/07/22/kfc-japan-rolls-out-statues-of-colonel-sanders-sitting-down-challenges-public-to-name-it/ https://soranews24.com/2018/07/22/kfc-japan-rolls-out-statue...
- adventured 6y ago
  > MBAs have made sure KFC will never be as good as Popeyes. While far superior to KFC, Popeyes has second tier chicken. It wasn't Popeyes that killed KFC as a business, it was Chick-fil-A, which has conquered the chicken fast food market in the US and will continue to bury everyone else. They have far better chicken than Popeyes.
  - pzone 6y ago
    Have you tried the new Popeyes chicken sandwich? In my opinion the spicy version is the single best item of fast food on the market today. The quality of the chicken is superior.
    - incomplete 6y ago
      as a self-appointed connoisseur of fried poultry, and after EXTENSIVE (and delicious) testing, i can come to no other conclusion except that i agree w/this statement: spicy popeye's chix sammy >>>> chick-fil-a.
    - deleted 6y ago
      [deleted]
    - Larrikin 6y ago
      The chicken is and when compared directly to the Chick-Fil-A equivalent its definitely better. But I never ordered the Chick-Fil-A equivalent. After the initial time trying it, I don't get whats all that enjoyable about a sandwich that is just bread, chicken, and a couple pickles. Once Popeye's gets lettuce, tomato, and cheese then I may have no reason to ever go to Chick-Fil-A
chooseaname 6y ago
Had KFC a few weeks ago for the first time in forever. The MBAs have optimized the flavor right out of it. Biscuits tasted like flour. Only flavor the chicken had was the seasoning in the batter.
- TheRealSteel 6y ago
  I'm Australian but living in the UK -- it's common for Australians coming here to be shocked at how disgusting KFC is here. It really does seem like they're trying to make things dry and flavourless and use the wrong sauce for everything, the gulf in quality is really surprising for such a big company.
  - reyzell 6y ago
    Can you describe for us what the flavor's like in AU? I'm curious to know what I'm missing.
    - TheRealSteel 6y ago
      I would guess, altho I've since turned vegan and never tried it, that their flagship original recipe chicken is identical or similar. But the wraps, burgers etc are very dry in the UK. The bun is dry and styrofoamy, the sauces are weird and seem out of place, overly sweet and too tangy, very artificial, and just the wrong choice. The vegetables seem less fresh and more flavourless. The chips are unsalted and underseadoned and bland. I tried it enough times to be sure it wasn't just a Covid induced lack of taste. I've since stopped eating at large American chains and stopped eating animal products altogether, so it won't be a worry for me in the future.
  - neom 6y ago
    KFC in Korea is quite good, more like how I remember KFC as a kid. That said, other fried chicken in Korea is so much better that it seems pointless to eat KFC.
    - NikolaeVarius 6y ago

ablation 6y ago

There is an extremely interesting Damn Interesting article on Colonel Sanders: https://www.damninteresting.com/colonels-of-truth/ https://www.damninteresting.com/colonels-of-truth/

rutthenut 6y ago
That was interesting, thanks. And claims that the 'special spice mix' is now nothing special at all, that would make sense, there's not a great deal of flavour in the coating on KFC - I'm sure it used to have more to it when I was younger

gh02t 6y ago

I swear I remember KFC being delicious, though that may be rose tinted glasses. I went a few weeks ago for the first time in a long time and the chicken just tastes like MSG without much else. It was really disappointing for something that was once a guilty pleasure.

aantix 6y ago
MSG is safe. https://health.usnews.com/health-news/blogs/eat-run/articles/2018-10-10/scientists-have-known-msg-is-safe-for-decades-why-dont-most-americans https://health.usnews.com/health-news/blogs/eat-run/articles...
- drjasonharrison 6y ago
  But does MSG taste good?
  - neom 6y ago
    MSG is neither terribly dangerous nor perfectly fine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-POAKKH5IM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-POAKKH5IM An interesting commentary on both of the above questions.
    - numpad0 6y ago
      The issue in the context is MSG tastes like what “mono-sodium glutamate” would taste like.
      - neom 6y ago
        The video about both about what MSG tastes like, and it's safety... hence I posted the link.
  - bobthepanda 6y ago
    MSG is naturally occurring in things like seaweed, tomatoes, mushrooms, and Parmesan cheese. It tastes fine given the popularity of those food items.
  - gh02t 6y ago
    I quite like the taste, it has a mild but distinctive flavor but it's much better in the background and it can be overpowering if it's the main flavor, which was my complaint with KFC. Kinda similar to salt, a bit of salt makes everything else taste better but too much overwhelms.
- rutthenut 6y ago
  Who said anything about safe or unsafe? It's a 'flavour enhancer' that can taint food with its own taste.
djsumdog 6y ago
I'm a long way from home and grabbed a KFC meal over Thanksgiving. I haven't had it since ... 2015, I think? and that was overseas. My dad would sometimes buy it when we were kids, and it did hit the nostalgia buttons while also providing me with a few days worth of food. It tasted like I remember it. Sure it's fast food chicken, but it's not bad. Although I guess when comparing it to Popeyes and some of the other fast food chicken offerings, it hasn't provided anything new in a while. Maybe they should try to get into the chicken sandwich space and try to market against Chick-fil-a? I suspect this console will turn into a relic we'll see in videos 10 years from now, similar to the Hot Wheels and Barbie PC. At least it will probably be more useful than an Ouya.
- incomplete 6y ago
  > and that was overseas. in 2010, i was lucky enough to have KFC in beijing. it's a totally different experience, and was absolutely delicious. once covid stops being a PITA, and travel becomes a reality, i strongly recommend trying out american fast food chains in other countries. i'm almost always surprised w/the quality!
  - oarsinsync 6y ago
    Except McDonald’s, which for the core menu, tastes identical the world over. I believe this is deliberate and by design. They also accept USD in lieu of local tender the world over too (but you’ll get your change in local tender).
disown 6y ago
> I swear I remember KFC being delicious Not as delicious as Roy Rogers. As a kid - Roy Rogers > KFC > Popeye's. Too bad Roy Rogers disappeared at the turn of the century. Now Popeye's > KFC but man do I miss the crispy Roy Rogers chicken.

Larrikin 6y ago

Out of all the marketing that the colonel didn't like it seems like the current campaign would have been one he was OK with seeing as he was still alive and well when the Japanese statues of him came out. What he hated was how they destroyed the taste of his chicken and sides which have continued to become crap over the years. MBAs have made sure KFC will never be as good as Popeyes. https://soranews24.com/2018/07/22/kfc-japan-rolls-out-statues-of-colonel-sanders-sitting-down-challenges-public-to-name-it/ https://soranews24.com/2018/07/22/kfc-japan-rolls-out-statue...

adventured 6y ago
> MBAs have made sure KFC will never be as good as Popeyes. While far superior to KFC, Popeyes has second tier chicken. It wasn't Popeyes that killed KFC as a business, it was Chick-fil-A, which has conquered the chicken fast food market in the US and will continue to bury everyone else. They have far better chicken than Popeyes.
- pzone 6y ago
  Have you tried the new Popeyes chicken sandwich? In my opinion the spicy version is the single best item of fast food on the market today. The quality of the chicken is superior.
  - incomplete 6y ago
    as a self-appointed connoisseur of fried poultry, and after EXTENSIVE (and delicious) testing, i can come to no other conclusion except that i agree w/this statement: spicy popeye's chix sammy >>>> chick-fil-a.
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
  - Larrikin 6y ago
    The chicken is and when compared directly to the Chick-Fil-A equivalent its definitely better. But I never ordered the Chick-Fil-A equivalent. After the initial time trying it, I don't get whats all that enjoyable about a sandwich that is just bread, chicken, and a couple pickles. Once Popeye's gets lettuce, tomato, and cheese then I may have no reason to ever go to Chick-Fil-A

chooseaname 6y ago

Had KFC a few weeks ago for the first time in forever. The MBAs have optimized the flavor right out of it. Biscuits tasted like flour. Only flavor the chicken had was the seasoning in the batter.

TheRealSteel 6y ago
I'm Australian but living in the UK -- it's common for Australians coming here to be shocked at how disgusting KFC is here. It really does seem like they're trying to make things dry and flavourless and use the wrong sauce for everything, the gulf in quality is really surprising for such a big company.
- reyzell 6y ago
  Can you describe for us what the flavor's like in AU? I'm curious to know what I'm missing.
  - TheRealSteel 6y ago
    I would guess, altho I've since turned vegan and never tried it, that their flagship original recipe chicken is identical or similar. But the wraps, burgers etc are very dry in the UK. The bun is dry and styrofoamy, the sauces are weird and seem out of place, overly sweet and too tangy, very artificial, and just the wrong choice. The vegetables seem less fresh and more flavourless. The chips are unsalted and underseadoned and bland. I tried it enough times to be sure it wasn't just a Covid induced lack of taste. I've since stopped eating at large American chains and stopped eating animal products altogether, so it won't be a worry for me in the future.
- neom 6y ago
  KFC in Korea is quite good, more like how I remember KFC as a kid. That said, other fried chicken in Korea is so much better that it seems pointless to eat KFC.
  - NikolaeVarius 6y ago