May 31, 2006
To Whom it may concern,
While in the course of my daily errands, I happened upon my local KFC. Among the other advertisements found in the store windows, I saw one for a product referred to as "KFC Famous Bowls". The characterization of what appears to be a newly introduced product as "Famous" seems just a bit odd to me, especially since the term "Famous" would to indicate that the product has attained at least some degree of renown and/or notoriety. While it is possible that this particular product has earned plaudits and and recognition in some capacity which I am not familiar with, it occurs to me that as a typical American consumer, if a product has been labelled as being "Famous" there would be at least some likelihood that I would have heard of it at some point in time. In this case, the only time I have ever before heard of the product is in recent advertising which seems to coincide with the product's introduction and apparent "Available for a limited time" status.
My research into this subject has revealed that there are, in fact, a number of bowls in existence that may be considered famous; Most of these would seem to take place in large stadiums and pertain to football. The KFC Famous Bowl, by all apperances, takes place in a container of molded plastic and pertains primarily to mashed potatoes and corn. This would appear to be a product in a similar vein to a number of bowl products offered at various times by your sister company Taco Bell, as well as a number of their upmarket competitors (Qdoba, Baja Fresh, etc.) As far as I am aware, the vast majority of these products toil in the relative obscurity of their respective menus. It is not immediately apparent to me just how KFC's bowl product has been elevated to immediate fame, especially when it appears to be a product of the "Throw half the menu into a bowl and sell it" school of culinary design.
Would it be too much trouble to ask for a clarification about how a product could be considered famous upon its introduction, especially when few people outside the KFC test kitchen would even be aware of its existence at the time?
Signed,
A moderately cynical consumer
P.S. In spite of its many ingredients, the resulting product turns out to be surprisingly bland and flavorless.
An Open Letter to KFC's Marketing Department
Famous refers to the ever delicious KFC menu which has made a name for itself with its tasty array of seasoning and spices. It's not the meal that's new -- it's the same famous food KFC is known for -- but rather the act of serving said meals in a bowl. This is a nice change of pace for the fantastic KFC mashed potatoes being served in a pathetic Styrofoam container, as a bowl is more spoon friendly.
http://www.kfc.com/kitchen/bowls.htm
Really, if anything in franchise food deserves a rant, it's why pizza chains feel the need to "re-invent" the pizza every few weeks. "New from Pizza-Hut! The only pizza shaped like a hyper cube!"
I'd kill for a Twister. They don't serve them here anymore.
http://www.kfc.com/kitchen/bowls.htm
Really, if anything in franchise food deserves a rant, it's why pizza chains feel the need to "re-invent" the pizza every few weeks. "New from Pizza-Hut! The only pizza shaped like a hyper cube!"
I'd kill for a Twister. They don't serve them here anymore.
Pretty much.mice wrote:To much time on your hands?
KFC seems to be one of those "seemed like a good idea at the time" type of places. I do eat there on occasion, but it'sever as good as it sounded before you walked into the door. All things considered if I'm going to get fried chicken I'd much rather go to Popeye's, but the closest one is nearly 20 miles away, and not worth making the trip unless I'm in the neighborhood for some other reason. They do have good mashed potatoes, but the problem with the bowl is that you're getting twice the mashed potatoes with half the gravy, The fact that the one I went to this afternoon had no pepper in the whole restaurant for some unknown reason didn't help.
And I'll agree on the pizza too. These days, about the only place I can even stand to get pizza anymore is Papa Murphy's (you get it uncooked and bake it yourself at home.) Most of the places around here are either the excessively bland corporate chains (Domino's, Pizza Hut) or yuppie pizza. I used to like Godfather's, but they seem to have disappeared almost completely from the area.
In Almere in the the Netherlands there is KFC an McD.
Alot of times they don't have choc shakes.
In the winter they tell me: we don't serve shakes in the winter
In the summer: the machine is broke or we don't have chocolate, just strawberry and vanilla.
The worst part is that they always look at me like I'm ordering something terrible, that nobody orders anymore.
I usually feel like leaving, but then I'm like, I've come this far......
Sometimes I do leave though, that'll show 'em
Alot of times they don't have choc shakes.
In the winter they tell me: we don't serve shakes in the winter
In the summer: the machine is broke or we don't have chocolate, just strawberry and vanilla.
The worst part is that they always look at me like I'm ordering something terrible, that nobody orders anymore.
I usually feel like leaving, but then I'm like, I've come this far......Sometimes I do leave though, that'll show 'em
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PC Engine Fan X!
- Posts: 9266
- Joined: Wed Jan 26, 2005 10:32 pm
Some fast food business trivia...
KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell are all owned by Pepsi Co. -- not surprising that they feature Pepsi soft drink products in their TV commercials.
Baja Fresh is a franchise that is owned by Wendy's (which was founded by Dave Thomas who used to appear in many Wendy's commercials -- he named his resturant after his daughter Wendy).
In Japan, one can find American fast food franchises such as: KFC, Wendy's, McDonald's, Pizza Hut, and others. The real foreign "dine-in" resturants feature food like Italian food or French food but no Mexican food. Hmmm, seems like a good Mexican food resturant would be successful in the "land of the rising sun"? ^_~
At a Japanese McDonald's, one orders a "Complete Set" as opposed to a "Combo Meal" at an Amercian McDonald's. By super-sizing a "Complete Set" meal, the meal isn't that much bigger (than if one were to super-size an American McDonald's Combo Meal). From the time one pays for his or her food at a Japanese McDonald's, the average time will be about 7 seconds to be served.
If you were to work at a Japanese McDonald's, you get paid by how many people you serve. At a USA McDonald's, one gets paid by hourly wage. It seems that at a Japanese McDonald's, the fastest and most efficient way to serve a bunch of people is not to break the chain of supplying food on a consistant and orderly flow (especially during rush hour -- i.e. lunch time crunch period). American McDonald's should look into that method of serving food that way. ^_~
But an American McDonald's resturant, the ones that have a built-in 'Drive-Thru', are built to serve people on the go via their vehicles end up taking a long time (especially if there are a lot of vehicles already present at the 'Drive-Thru'). About three to four minutes is what a USA McDonald's with a 'Drive-Thru' tries to strive for. I've ordered through a McDonald's 'Drive-Thru' one time and my food wasn't ready in time. I was told to park in the parking lot and my food would be brought to me. So I did just that...a few minutes later, my food was personally delieved to me by a gal. (Some people get pissed-off if it takes too long at a 'Drive-Thru'...so fast food resturants devise new ways to shorten times from the time of ordering to the time the food actually gets served.) ^_~
PC Engine Fan X! ^_~
Baja Fresh is a franchise that is owned by Wendy's (which was founded by Dave Thomas who used to appear in many Wendy's commercials -- he named his resturant after his daughter Wendy).
In Japan, one can find American fast food franchises such as: KFC, Wendy's, McDonald's, Pizza Hut, and others. The real foreign "dine-in" resturants feature food like Italian food or French food but no Mexican food. Hmmm, seems like a good Mexican food resturant would be successful in the "land of the rising sun"? ^_~
At a Japanese McDonald's, one orders a "Complete Set" as opposed to a "Combo Meal" at an Amercian McDonald's. By super-sizing a "Complete Set" meal, the meal isn't that much bigger (than if one were to super-size an American McDonald's Combo Meal). From the time one pays for his or her food at a Japanese McDonald's, the average time will be about 7 seconds to be served.
If you were to work at a Japanese McDonald's, you get paid by how many people you serve. At a USA McDonald's, one gets paid by hourly wage. It seems that at a Japanese McDonald's, the fastest and most efficient way to serve a bunch of people is not to break the chain of supplying food on a consistant and orderly flow (especially during rush hour -- i.e. lunch time crunch period). American McDonald's should look into that method of serving food that way. ^_~
But an American McDonald's resturant, the ones that have a built-in 'Drive-Thru', are built to serve people on the go via their vehicles end up taking a long time (especially if there are a lot of vehicles already present at the 'Drive-Thru'). About three to four minutes is what a USA McDonald's with a 'Drive-Thru' tries to strive for. I've ordered through a McDonald's 'Drive-Thru' one time and my food wasn't ready in time. I was told to park in the parking lot and my food would be brought to me. So I did just that...a few minutes later, my food was personally delieved to me by a gal. (Some people get pissed-off if it takes too long at a 'Drive-Thru'...so fast food resturants devise new ways to shorten times from the time of ordering to the time the food actually gets served.) ^_~
PC Engine Fan X! ^_~
Last edited by PC Engine Fan X! on Thu Jun 01, 2006 12:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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professor ganson
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I sometimes wonder if it is good way to diet, working in a fast food restaurant. I can imagina you'd start eating healthier, or perhaps the opposite, when you see what goes in it, you're like, hm looks OK.professor ganson wrote:My first non-lawn-mowing job at 16 was as a KFC chef. Freaking hard work and a bit dangerous at moments with crap pay. Not recommended.
I've unfortunately worked at quite fast food places in school, and the only place that really disgusted me just by seeing the ingredients, enough to kill any desire to eat there again, was Rally's. That aside, I found Wendy's to be great (which was a relief since I love Wendy's) and Popeye's to be fine except for the particular store's cleanliness or lack thereof. Of course, problems with cleaning extend well beyond fast food places.D wrote:I sometimes wonder if it is good way to diet, working in a fast food restaurant. I can imagina you'd start eating healthier, or perhaps the opposite, when you see what goes in it, you're like, hm looks OK.professor ganson wrote:My first non-lawn-mowing job at 16 was as a KFC chef. Freaking hard work and a bit dangerous at moments with crap pay. Not recommended.
I worked at the very first Popeye's ever built.
It didn't sell enough food as time went on and was deemed too small a location to keep open, so it was sold in 1994-1995. The only thing bad about Popeyes are just how much cholesterol are in those biscuits; I don't recall the exact number, but it's pretty ridiculous for something that small that's not a meal. Then again, Popeye's does use different preparation techniques and ingredients by region, so perhaps other stores serve "healthier" food.
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BulletMagnet
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My sister used to work as a server in a Red Lobster: I never bothered to get the details from her as to why, but in any event she says that her experience there has pretty much ensured that she'll never eat at one again. And that's supposedly a "higher-class" place than a fast food joint...D wrote:I sometimes wonder if it is good way to diet, working in a fast food restaurant.
Vexorg: Your letter here reminds me of a book I read some time ago called "Idiot Letters": some comedian or other (I forget his name), in order to test just how brain-dead and patronizing corporate response could get, sent a bunch of fabricated and outrageous "concerned" letters to various corporations in order to see if they'd respond, and printed them (and the responses) all up in the book.
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howmuchkeefe
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Dear Red Lobster,
A few weeks ago, I took my girlfriend out for dinner at your restaurant. Now, I had no problems with the atmosphere, and found the cheesy biscuits to be absolutely delicious. However, things quickly went awry when I ordered the live Maine lobster: It came to my table dead. Really dead. Not only had it apparently been subject to extreme temperatures, the poor thing had been eviscerated.
Imagine my embarassment- I was there with my girlfriend!
...which brings me to your customer service. It was as if the manager wasn't really interested in satisfying me. I don't think he took the situation seriously.
I'm seriously considering never eating at your establishments again. I've half a mind to tell everyone I know the same.
Thank you for your time,
(my name here)
A few weeks ago, I took my girlfriend out for dinner at your restaurant. Now, I had no problems with the atmosphere, and found the cheesy biscuits to be absolutely delicious. However, things quickly went awry when I ordered the live Maine lobster: It came to my table dead. Really dead. Not only had it apparently been subject to extreme temperatures, the poor thing had been eviscerated.
Imagine my embarassment- I was there with my girlfriend!
...which brings me to your customer service. It was as if the manager wasn't really interested in satisfying me. I don't think he took the situation seriously.
I'm seriously considering never eating at your establishments again. I've half a mind to tell everyone I know the same.
Thank you for your time,
(my name here)
Last edited by howmuchkeefe on Thu Jun 01, 2006 4:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Pixel_Outlaw
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This topic brings to light a very stumping question...
Will Wendy Thomas ever take over Dave's business?
Will we ever get to see what she really looks like?
Will Wendy Thomas ever take over Dave's business?
Will we ever get to see what she really looks like?
The world would be a better place if there were less shooters and more dot-eaters.
Jesus' BE ATTITUDE FOR GAINS:
1. Pure, Mournful, Humble Heart
2. Merciful Peacemaker
3. Suffer for Righteous Desire
Jesus' BE ATTITUDE FOR GAINS:
1. Pure, Mournful, Humble Heart
2. Merciful Peacemaker
3. Suffer for Righteous Desire
I tried to submit this, but for some reason KFC's website doesn't have any sort of feedback form, and Yum Brands' website rejects anything over 2,000 characters.
As for fast food around here, I do generally prefer Wendy's. They've got some good items on the menu, and they can get you through the drive-thru faster than anyone else in town. About the only reason I ever go to McDonald's anymore (very rarely) is that sometimes a McDonald's cheeseburger sounds really good. If I want a real burger, there's a local place called Burgermaster (old-school drive-in, the place has been around for 50+ years.)
Here's a good site to read up on various fast food places, with mini reviews and a brief history of each:
http://www.99w.com/evilsam/ff/index.htm
As for fast food around here, I do generally prefer Wendy's. They've got some good items on the menu, and they can get you through the drive-thru faster than anyone else in town. About the only reason I ever go to McDonald's anymore (very rarely) is that sometimes a McDonald's cheeseburger sounds really good. If I want a real burger, there's a local place called Burgermaster (old-school drive-in, the place has been around for 50+ years.)
Here's a good site to read up on various fast food places, with mini reviews and a brief history of each:
http://www.99w.com/evilsam/ff/index.htm
When I get take away I usually just go to the local fish and chip shop. I don't really like KFC or Maccas.
Now a fish and chip shop is where you get a real aussie burger. Lettuce, cheese, tomato, onion, bacon, beetroot, fired egg, slice of pineapple........now I've made myself hungry. Bit early for a hamburger though (7:30 AM as I write this), I'll definitely grab one for lunch.
It's not really fast food though, you have to wait while they cook it, so I ring ahead. Wainting makes me cranky.
Now a fish and chip shop is where you get a real aussie burger. Lettuce, cheese, tomato, onion, bacon, beetroot, fired egg, slice of pineapple........now I've made myself hungry. Bit early for a hamburger though (7:30 AM as I write this), I'll definitely grab one for lunch.
It's not really fast food though, you have to wait while they cook it, so I ring ahead. Wainting makes me cranky.
Personal Fast Food reviews:
Taco Bell: Always inventing interesting variants of the same thing...a burrito. Still tastes good though.
Taco Johns: Very nice mostly, but the Potato Bites are overly salty.
A & W: Love the burgers, feel guilty about the fat...floats are great.
Rally's: THEY SUCK. PERIOD. Can't even cook a burger properly.
Hardee's: TEH GODS OF BURGERDOM: Monster Double Thickburger is just what it sounds like....and tastes like. *drool*
Big Boy: Very old place...not much to say...okay I guess.
Culver's: Their Icecream treats are rivaled only by Dairy Queen.
McDonald's: Go here ONLY IF YOU ARE ONE BROKE MUTHA---
White Castle: See above.
Arby's: Too much barbeque sauce for anything.
Quizno's: Too toasty.
Blimpie: Too Gas-station-y.
Boston Market: Needs more sandwiches.
Fazoli's: Best. Bread. EVER.
Subway: Eh, it's okay.
KFC: WHY HAVE THEY NOT PUT POPCORN CHICKEN ON THE MENU PERMANENTLY? WHY?
Little Ceasar's: Rubbery Cheese....ugh.
Pizza Hut: Oh god I hate waiting an hour....
Papa John's: Love the Garlic Butter!
Mama Mia's: Crunchiest flatcrust you will ever have in Pizza!
IHOP: Pan Cakes are too flimsy.
Baskin Robbin's: Too many flavors.
Dairy Queen: Not enough flavors.
7-Eleven: Yes, sir, I LOVE being robbed at places like this!
Dippin Dots: Too expensive.
Krispy Kreme: A frosting-hater's NIGHTMARE.
Taco Bell: Always inventing interesting variants of the same thing...a burrito. Still tastes good though.
Taco Johns: Very nice mostly, but the Potato Bites are overly salty.
A & W: Love the burgers, feel guilty about the fat...floats are great.
Rally's: THEY SUCK. PERIOD. Can't even cook a burger properly.
Hardee's: TEH GODS OF BURGERDOM: Monster Double Thickburger is just what it sounds like....and tastes like. *drool*
Big Boy: Very old place...not much to say...okay I guess.
Culver's: Their Icecream treats are rivaled only by Dairy Queen.
McDonald's: Go here ONLY IF YOU ARE ONE BROKE MUTHA---
White Castle: See above.
Arby's: Too much barbeque sauce for anything.
Quizno's: Too toasty.
Blimpie: Too Gas-station-y.
Boston Market: Needs more sandwiches.
Fazoli's: Best. Bread. EVER.
Subway: Eh, it's okay.
KFC: WHY HAVE THEY NOT PUT POPCORN CHICKEN ON THE MENU PERMANENTLY? WHY?
Little Ceasar's: Rubbery Cheese....ugh.
Pizza Hut: Oh god I hate waiting an hour....
Papa John's: Love the Garlic Butter!
Mama Mia's: Crunchiest flatcrust you will ever have in Pizza!
IHOP: Pan Cakes are too flimsy.
Baskin Robbin's: Too many flavors.
Dairy Queen: Not enough flavors.
7-Eleven: Yes, sir, I LOVE being robbed at places like this!
Dippin Dots: Too expensive.
Krispy Kreme: A frosting-hater's NIGHTMARE.
The world would be a better place if there were less shooters and more dot-eaters.
Jesus' BE ATTITUDE FOR GAINS:
1. Pure, Mournful, Humble Heart
2. Merciful Peacemaker
3. Suffer for Righteous Desire
Jesus' BE ATTITUDE FOR GAINS:
1. Pure, Mournful, Humble Heart
2. Merciful Peacemaker
3. Suffer for Righteous Desire
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ahnslaught
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Oh hell no...I ate there once in Iowa, where I went to college...I almost puked when I ate a pizza that I thought was onion pizza, but turned out to be sauerkraut instead. GOod riddance to that place; I swear I still have bad dreams about it, to this day.Vexorg wrote:I used to like Godfather's, but they seem to have disappeared almost completely from the area.
By far the worst food related experience in my lifetime, and I've eaten some shit like Maid-Rite (Burger buns with unseasoned taco meat) and boiled bananas
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Pixel_Outlaw
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professor ganson
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Yeah, as a general rule I don't eat KFC and it has A LOT to do with having worked there before. Just the thought of those fryers leaves me a bit queasy.D wrote:I sometimes wonder if it is good way to diet, working in a fast food restaurant. I can imagina you'd start eating healthier, or perhaps the opposite, when you see what goes in it, you're like, hm looks OK.professor ganson wrote:My first non-lawn-mowing job at 16 was as a KFC chef. Freaking hard work and a bit dangerous at moments with crap pay. Not recommended.
Hundreds of millions of chickens who have lives none the lesser to ours are born just to die every year so that all those ugly, gluttonous people you usually see stuffing their faces in KFC can continue to live off of my paycheck whilst doing nothing to progress themselves nor their race in general. With the amount of money people spend on KFC every year we could fund a cloning operation that not only would produce artificially engineered and tasty 'chicken' meat but also wipe out through genetic modifications all the idiots who lack enough of a true purpose to protest against something actually horrible like the American revolving door penal system instead of cloning labs devoted to the advancment of our species. Fuck KFC, buy groceries.
*activates stolen Light bots*
*activates stolen Light bots*
Godzilla was an inside job
Yes I have, and I thought it was good, but nothing particularly special. I like the fat fries (steak fries) there though. For the most part, if I ever want a big burger I'll just make the trip out to Burgermaster and get it there.Tomtom wrote:Vexorg, since you live in Redmond, I just have to ask: have you ever been to FatBurger? I go past there every now and then, and though I haven't eaten there, with a name like that it's gotta be...something.
Reading this thread made me realize how LITTLE I eat fast food nowadays 
...not to say I eat more healthily, as such, considering the $1 Banquet meals we get for lunch at work
I must be the only person in the world who prefers KFC, Original Recipe, to any other fast food chicken, even considering the cleanliness issues.
...not to say I eat more healthily, as such, considering the $1 Banquet meals we get for lunch at work
I must be the only person in the world who prefers KFC, Original Recipe, to any other fast food chicken, even considering the cleanliness issues.
"This is not an alien life form! He is an experimental government aircraft!"