How KFC Global reacted and adapted to COVID-19 challenges

Recovery for many foodservice locations, including quick service chain KFC Global, has been slow but steady since the onset of the COVID-19 global pandemic.

Doughman Headshot3 Headshot
Courtesy KFC Corporation. All rights reserved.
Courtesy KFC Corporation. All rights reserved.

Recovery for many foodservice locations, including quick service chain KFC Global, has been slow but steady since the onset of the COVID-19 global pandemic.

“KFC and Yum! Brands had a record year in 2019, but then 2020 hit. COVID-19 has had a major impact on our business. In nearly every country, foodservice was particularly hard hit early in the year with many closures as the pandemic spread around the world,” Marc Hayes, Supply Chain Director, KFC Global during Challenges of COVID-19 in the QSR Industry on November 12.

Supply chain interruptions

Throughout the world, many foodservice locations, including KFC Global, temporarily closed their dining rooms at the start of the pandemic to help reduce exposure to the virus. Instead, these locations focused on off-premises, online ordering, delivery and drive-thru.

With slower sales, many restaurant locations were left with high numbers of food left in stock.

“It’s always our preference to keep the supply chain running as much as possible. In our experience, it is much easier to recover and reopen if our supply chain is continuing to move,” Hayes explained.
“However, with sales declines we were left with high levels of stock, which in some cases slowed or even stopped the supply chain. As we’ve started to reopen, it is very difficult to plan because we didn’t know when openings would happen, how they would happen and through which sales channels.”

Reopening challenges

Seven months later, these brands are starting to see some recovery, but they are now shifting to meet the safety and consumer demands of the new normal.

At all times, the brand prioritized staff and guest safety, Hayes noted. Workflow was redesigned in the restaurants to introduce social distancing between staff members. The chain also added training to ensure that staff members were wearing gloves and masks, trained on stringent cleaning and sanitation protocols and were prepared to accept contactless payments.

KFC Global also streamlined and simplified the menu to better meet consumer demand and  streamline production with the modified workflow while ensuring that the food produced still met their high standards.

“We noticed a shift in what people were buying,” Hayes said. “As people were eating at home and sharing meals, we saw an increase in bucket sales which was a clear sign that people were using it as a family meal occasion rather than a quick lunch, commuting or office workers.”

View our continuing coverage of the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic.

Like what you just read? Sign up now for free to receive the Poultry Future Newsletter.

Page 1 of 178
Next Page