Creatively reusing ingredients in pot pies. Less-than-fresh cookies. Biscuits
that are easier to prepare than you might think. These are just a few of the ways
KFC keeps their prices low so customers can get fried chicken without breaking the bank.
There are few dishes more filling and satisfying than chicken pot pie. KFC's version has juicy
chunks of potatoes and tender pieces of chicken, bathed in a creamy sauce with peas and carrots.
It is wrapped in pastry dough and baked until golden brown, making it hearty and delicious.
"Try the new chunky chicken pot pie - it's everything a meal should be."
It makes perfect sense for KFC to cook up their own version
of chicken pot pie — it's a classic dish that many Americans enjoy. So,
how does KFC pull off selling it for so cheap? As it turns out, the chicken in KFC's pot pie isn't
exactly cooked to order. According to an alleged former manager on Reddit,
KFC's chicken pot pies are made from the chicken leftover after the restaurant closes. Apparently,
it seems that pieces of unsold chicken are deboned and shredded, then bagged for future pot pie prep.
Ah, the biscuit — another widely beloved baked good.
It can be a vessel for breakfast sandwiches, featured as a side for just about any entrée,
and works wonders in strawberry shortcake. The downside? Making biscuits from scratch can be
tedious and labor-intensive — qualities that aren't exactly beneficial for profit margins.
As a result, it appears that KFC cuts some corners by using frozen biscuits.
An alleged KFC employee on Reddit fessed up and claimed that KFC's biscuits come frozen in a box.
Apparently, all employees have to do is slide them into the oven for a few minutes and add some
butter. By removing a lot of the prep work that would go into making fresh biscuits from scratch,
KFC simplifies the process by having them pre-made and oven-ready. Doing this allows
the restaurant to easily keep up with demand and ensures an affordable price point.
With around 25,000 locations worldwide, KFC is a mammoth in the fast-food industry.
Running an operation that big requires an enormous labor force — and our cravings for
KFC's secret recipe blend of 11 herbs and spices entirely depends on them. After all,
without the hard work of KFC's labor force, nothing would get cooked or served. In turn,
we'd never get to sink our teeth into the company's world-famous fried chicken.
"Finger lickin' good. That's how every piece of chicken should be."
At the end of 2021, Yum Brands, the parent company that owns KFC, reported nearly $2
billion in revenue. You'd think with an impressive number like that, the average hourly pay at KFC
would be more than about $10 an hour. There's no doubt that an average wage of around ten bucks an
hour in today's economy is quite low, especially considering the average hourly wage for all US
workers is over $26 an hour. By paying its labor force low hourly wages, KFC is maximizing its
profit margin and keeping its menu prices cheap. Macaroni and cheese might be the ultimate comfort
food. It doesn't get much better than a warm bowl of creamy, cheesy noodles. Gooey and delicious,
the beauty of macaroni and cheese is its simplicity: Just a handful of ingredients
can be quickly transformed into a delicious dish that coats your mouth and warms the soul.
Even though making macaroni and cheese from scratch is pretty straightforward,
a lot of restaurants still take the easy way out and get it pre-made from a distributor
because it's more cost-effective — and that also seems to be the case for KFC.
Taking a look at the nutritional label for the macaroni and cheese on KFC's online menu
shows around 50 ingredients, which is a pretty good indication that it's
not being made fresh from scratch. Even though mac and cheese is easy to make,
ingredients like cream and fresh cheese tend to be pretty pricey. By cutting down on prep
time for its macaroni and cheese, KFC is taking a cost-effective approach that keeps prices cheap.
KFC is in the business of fried chicken and making that chicken nice and crispy
takes a whole lot of oil. Different types of oil have different profiles:
Some are more heart-healthy and expensive, while others are cheap but less healthy. According to
KFC's website, the company uses a mix of canola and soybean oil, which are some of the cheapest
cooking oils on the market. Not only are these oils cheap, but they also have high smoke points.
The smoke point for soybean sits at 450 degrees Fahrenheit and canola is just
below 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Even though these oils aren't exactly the healthiest,
their high smoke points and affordability make them essential for a company that's cooking up big
batches of fried chicken. So by choosing cheaper oils on the market like canola and soybean oil,
KFC is making an economical choice that helps the company keep its fried chicken affordable.
A cookie is the perfect little treat at the end of a good meal. There's no doubt
that the chocolate chip cookie, which is the cookie that KFC offers its diners,
is one of the most popular cookies in America. For this reason,
it makes sense for KFC to feature them on its menu. Here's the problem: apparently,
KFC used to bake its chocolate chip cookies fresh in stores, but according to some disgruntled folks
on Reddit, the company has started selling pre-packaged cookies wrapped in plastic.
It's easy to understand their complaints. There really is a vast difference between a freshly
baked cookie and pre-made cookies that tend to be stale and crumble to pieces. However,
the reality is that it's probably much cheaper for KFC to ship out pre-made cookies than it is
to send out dough that needs to be baked in the oven. So to keep the price of its cookies cheap,
it seems that KFC is rolling out pre-made cookies at some of its restaurants.
Check out one of our newest videos right here! Plus,
even more Mashed videos about your favorite stuff are coming soon.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one.