Britain’s KFC stores re-open after chicken shortage

LONDON, Feb. 22 — Two thirds of KFC restaurants in Britain which
were closed down following an acute shortage of chickens will soon be
re-opened.

Almost 600 out of 900 restaurants closed when delivery problems led to them
running out of their main ingredient, chickens. The problem started days
after KFC switched its delivery contract to a different company with
operational challenges. KFC restaurants posted notices in their windows to
explain to customers the reason for the closures. Media reports in Britain
said that by 13:00 local time on Tuesday, 470 restaurants remained closed.
“We anticipate the number of closures will reduce today [Tuesday] and over
the coming days as our teams work flat out all hours to clear the backlog.
Each day more deliveries are being made, however, we expect the disruption
to some restaurants to continue over the remainder of the week, meaning
some will be closed and others operating with a reduced menu or shortened
hours,” a KFC spokesperson said.

Until mid-February, chicken was delivered to KFC’s fast food outlets by
specialist food distribution group Bidvest, and the delivery issue started
after the contract was switched to DHL. Trade union GMB union, which
represents many KFC workers, said it had tried to warn KFC that switching
from Bidvest to DHL was a mistake. GMB national officer Mick Rix said:
“KFC are left with hundreds of restaurants closed while DHL try and run the
whole operation out of one distribution center.” DHL said due to
operational issues a number of deliveries in recent days have been
incomplete or delayed. “We are working with our partners to rectify the
situation as a priority and apologise for any inconvenience,” the company
said in a statement. Media in London reported disappointed customers
voicing their frustrations on social media sites, some saying children were
crying because they were missing out on their treats. It even led to
the Metropolitan Police in London posting a message saying, “Please do not
contact us about the KFC crisis. It is not a police matter if your favorite
eatery is not serving the menu you desire.” – XINHUA