Working at KFC gives you a front-row seat to some shocking truths about the fast food industry. The smell of fried chicken might draw customers in, yet what happens behind those stainless steel kitchen doors tells a different story entirely.
Former employees have been speaking out about the realities of food waste, revealing practices that would surprise most customers. The scale of leftover chicken at closing time can be staggering.
Some nights, entire warming trays filled with perfectly cooked pieces go unsold, creating an uncomfortable reality for workers who must decide what happens next.
Every night at closing, the leftover fried chicken pieces that weren't sold are set out to cool, and the meat is picked off the bones by hand and shredded to use for these pies the next day, reveals one former employee on Reddit. This practice has become standard across many locations, transforming yesterday's unsold chicken into today's comfort food.
Pot pies are made with chicken left over after close. The chicken is deboned and shredded by hand.
The chicken is separated into bags, confirms another former manager. The process involves careful storage protocols, with the shredded meat frozen overnight and used within specific timeframes.
While chicken one day old in and of itself doesn't sound too nefarious, another employee on a separate thread admitted to the fact that the day-old rule for the Pot Pies is sometimes extended to two days in some locations.
Strict Holding Times Create Massive Waste
We have holding times on everything, so if it's not sold within a specified time it's thrown, explains a former KFC manager. These safety protocols mean that chicken pieces can only remain under heat lamps for limited periods before they must be discarded completely.
The food safety standards are rigid for good reason. it's no longer safe to donate or serve, according to industry standards that affect similar chains.
Some employees describe witnessing a rule that all food got thrown away at the end of the night. Sometimes a full black bag of chicken in the bin at certain franchise locations with zero-tolerance waste policies.
KFC has launched a 'Food Donation Scheme' where the stores donate the cooked and unused and perfect to fine to chicken, to charities local to the restaurants, according to corporate initiatives. Chicken pieces have been recovered and donated through various programs, with participation varying by location and region through programs in select markets like Italy.
The Harvest program represents KFC is the first fast food company in our country to undertake an initiative to recover and donate surplus food. This is already active in one third of the restaurants in Italy.
However, implementation varies dramatically between franchise locations and countries. Instead of tossing their leftover chicken in the trash, KFC gives it to Ace of Clubs shelter in South-West London.
The shelter has 80 to 100 people visiting every day for a meal, showing how local partnerships can make real differences.
Brands, our parent company, to trial AI technology to improve the forecasting of how much chicken we need to cook. This technology represents a significant shift from the traditional guesswork that led to massive overproduction.
The systems analyze historical sales data, weather patterns, local events, and seasonal trends to predict demand more accurately. Energy reduction initiatives include LED lighting, solar panels, and smart electronics in some stores, demonstrating how technology improvements extend beyond just waste reduction.
Many KFC locations enforce comparable rules preventing employees from taking home leftover food. The reasoning behind these policies stems from liability concerns and preventing employees from deliberately overproducing food.
However, workers often find these rules frustrating when watching perfectly good food get discarded nightly. Some locations have been more flexible with employee policies, though this varies significantly based on franchise ownership and local management decisions.
Our food waste is also collected for recycling. The circular economy approach extends beyond just chicken disposal.
At KFC, we're ditching the linear 'make, take, dispose' system in favour of a 'circular economy', where our products and packaging can be reduced, reused, or recycled within a closed loop system. Working toward becoming a more circular, lower-waste business.
Converting food scraps into compost reduces landfill waste, creates nutrient-rich soil, increases cost savings for businesses, and can reduce the carbon footprint of food waste by about 50%, making these programs environmentally beneficial beyond just waste reduction.
The packed chicken is then frozen and stored in the negative cells inside the restaurant in participating locations. International markets show significant variations in waste management approaches.
The chicken is then distributed still frozen and packaged to people assisted by charitable organizations or reused by the structures themselves to prepare meals in their canteens in some European programs. KFC has launched global campaigns to reduce food waste, building on programs that have been active since 2020.
KFC has been holding its World Food Day campaigns since 2020, showing ongoing corporate commitment to addressing these issues globally. The reality behind KFC's leftover chicken reveals a complex system balancing food safety, corporate policies, environmental responsibility, and economic pressures.
While waste remains a significant challenge, the combination of donation programs, recycling initiatives, and new forecasting technology suggests the industry is actively working toward better solutions. What do you think about these behind-the-scenes practices?
Former employees have been speaking out about the realities of food waste, revealing practices that would surprise most customers. The scale of leftover chicken at closing time can be staggering.
Some nights, entire warming trays filled with perfectly cooked pieces go unsold, creating an uncomfortable reality for workers who must decide what happens next.
The Pot Pie Truth That Changes Everything
Every night at closing, the leftover fried chicken pieces that weren't sold are set out to cool, and the meat is picked off the bones by hand and shredded to use for these pies the next day, reveals one former employee on Reddit. This practice has become standard across many locations, transforming yesterday's unsold chicken into today's comfort food.
Pot pies are made with chicken left over after close. The chicken is deboned and shredded by hand.
The chicken is separated into bags, confirms another former manager. The process involves careful storage protocols, with the shredded meat frozen overnight and used within specific timeframes.
While chicken one day old in and of itself doesn't sound too nefarious, another employee on a separate thread admitted to the fact that the day-old rule for the Pot Pies is sometimes extended to two days in some locations.
Strict Holding Times Create Massive Waste
We have holding times on everything, so if it's not sold within a specified time it's thrown, explains a former KFC manager. These safety protocols mean that chicken pieces can only remain under heat lamps for limited periods before they must be discarded completely.
The food safety standards are rigid for good reason. it's no longer safe to donate or serve, according to industry standards that affect similar chains.
Some employees describe witnessing a rule that all food got thrown away at the end of the night. Sometimes a full black bag of chicken in the bin at certain franchise locations with zero-tolerance waste policies.
The Donation Programs Most People Never Hear About
KFC has launched a 'Food Donation Scheme' where the stores donate the cooked and unused and perfect to fine to chicken, to charities local to the restaurants, according to corporate initiatives. Chicken pieces have been recovered and donated through various programs, with participation varying by location and region through programs in select markets like Italy.
The Harvest program represents KFC is the first fast food company in our country to undertake an initiative to recover and donate surplus food. This is already active in one third of the restaurants in Italy.
However, implementation varies dramatically between franchise locations and countries. Instead of tossing their leftover chicken in the trash, KFC gives it to Ace of Clubs shelter in South-West London.
The shelter has 80 to 100 people visiting every day for a meal, showing how local partnerships can make real differences.
Advanced Technology Fighting Food Waste
In our restaurants, we're using automated demand forecasting software to tell kitchen staff how many units of each item to prepare at any given time, according to KFC's official sustainability initiatives. Some of our UK restaurants are currently working with Yum!Brands, our parent company, to trial AI technology to improve the forecasting of how much chicken we need to cook. This technology represents a significant shift from the traditional guesswork that led to massive overproduction.
The systems analyze historical sales data, weather patterns, local events, and seasonal trends to predict demand more accurately. Energy reduction initiatives include LED lighting, solar panels, and smart electronics in some stores, demonstrating how technology improvements extend beyond just waste reduction.
Employee Rules That Shocked Former Workers
I used to work at [Chick-fil-A] and we would get written up if we took food home and didn't throw it out. They were stingy [as f***] which is why I quit, reveals one former employee about similar fast-food policies.Many KFC locations enforce comparable rules preventing employees from taking home leftover food. The reasoning behind these policies stems from liability concerns and preventing employees from deliberately overproducing food.
However, workers often find these rules frustrating when watching perfectly good food get discarded nightly. Some locations have been more flexible with employee policies, though this varies significantly based on franchise ownership and local management decisions.
The Recycling Revolution Behind the Scenes
Our food waste is also collected for recycling and nearly all our used cooking oil is converted into biodiesel, according to KFC's environmental initiatives. We've also teamed up with FareShare to redistribute surplus food from our restaurants to people most in need and to prevent it from going to waste.Our food waste is also collected for recycling. The circular economy approach extends beyond just chicken disposal.
At KFC, we're ditching the linear 'make, take, dispose' system in favour of a 'circular economy', where our products and packaging can be reduced, reused, or recycled within a closed loop system. Working toward becoming a more circular, lower-waste business.
Converting food scraps into compost reduces landfill waste, creates nutrient-rich soil, increases cost savings for businesses, and can reduce the carbon footprint of food waste by about 50%, making these programs environmentally beneficial beyond just waste reduction.
The Global Picture Varies Dramatically
Harvest is a simple and very rigorous system. KFC's chicken that is not sold during the day is collected in special bags for food use and labeled with information relating to quantity, type of product and expiration date.The packed chicken is then frozen and stored in the negative cells inside the restaurant in participating locations. International markets show significant variations in waste management approaches.
The chicken is then distributed still frozen and packaged to people assisted by charitable organizations or reused by the structures themselves to prepare meals in their canteens in some European programs. KFC has launched global campaigns to reduce food waste, building on programs that have been active since 2020.
KFC has been holding its World Food Day campaigns since 2020, showing ongoing corporate commitment to addressing these issues globally. The reality behind KFC's leftover chicken reveals a complex system balancing food safety, corporate policies, environmental responsibility, and economic pressures.
While waste remains a significant challenge, the combination of donation programs, recycling initiatives, and new forecasting technology suggests the industry is actively working toward better solutions. What do you think about these behind-the-scenes practices?
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