Why is KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) so expensive?

I wonder if it is the same in the US? Boston Chicken, another chicken chain, is $21 for a whole chicken cut up and includes cornbread and three sides. That’s where I live, it might vary a little. It isn’t breaded though, it’s cooked on a rotisserie.

According to their web site, a 16 piece meal chicken only (that’s 60% bigger than what you cite) is 20.99 to 24.99.

Maybe it’s the conversion from greenbacks to loons. 16 pieces is big enough to feed a family of five and have leftovers.

In a nutshell – because people will pay it. If enough people refused to then those prices would become untenable for KFC and they’d lower their prices.

And wait, KFC delivers?

It looks like in my region, you’d get 10 pieces of chicken for $20.49 and that includes fries. That would be $21.50 including tax in Alberta (my province charges more tax than yours). Delivery is free here, but that kind of thing varies per region, I think. Or maybe you’re using a separate food delivery service.

They have specials just like other fast food places do.

@Darth_Algar My KFC delivers for Red Deer.

It’s all the labor, the salt, and R&D.

First they have to pay skilled experts to cut a frying chicken into 30 marketable sized pieces. Each piece is then dredged in equal parts seasoned flour, and flour salt. Then R&D constantly has to come up with recipes for the coating that basically make chicken nuggets look like ½ a chicken breast.

Oh, and crap, another percent to the marketing geniuses that make you salivate to pay $7 for a “Chicken Pot Pie”, the size of a saucer, containing .03g of actual chicken.

@JLeslie Boston Chicken…I’m from the area yet never heard of it haha.
KFC seems to be more expensive than other chicken joints, I have to say. Church’s, Chester’s, Chick-Fil-a, maybe Popeyes, they’re all less. KFC is the only one I grew up with, though, so it tastes the best to me.

Boston Chicken is now called Boston Market. They also sell in the frozen section of supermarkets, but I don’t know if it is actually the same food or they just lease out their name. Anyway, Boston Market is a franchise and has rotisserie chicken, sliced turkey, meat loaf, and sides include mashed potatoes, sweet potato pie, green beans, mac and cheese, summer squash casserole, whole red potatoes, stuffing, corn, and probably something else I am missing. I think they have sandwiches too, I never look at that part of the menu. They sell a few desserts like pecan pie and some cakes. You can but if all by the slice. Kind of home cooking that is easy to grab and go or you can eat in the restaurant.

I don’t know if they are in Canada or not. It did start in Boston. It’s been in FL a long time and many closed when they went into bankruptcy years back. I’ve never seen the stores in other states I lived in like TN or NC of even MI. For that matter I haven’t seen it in states I travel through quite a bit like IL, IN, MO, AR, GA, so I going know how present they are across the US even.

Interesting that KFC is more expensive than Church’s and Popeyes. I’ve never compared. I like Popeyes beans and rice. The only time I eat Popeyes usually is on the turnpike and I’m sure the prices must be inflated. One KFC I went to had an all you can eat buffet.

@JLeslie That I know of. I just didn’t make the connection. I love that place but it’s pricey. The frozen meals taste a lot different than the actual food served, except the mac and cheese.

See, first there is the expense of genetics research. These chickens have special DNA.. Then, the conditions required by the company are opposed by poultry farmers, so they have to pay enough to the farmers they can get, to keep from losing them. That’s a lot of overhead.
KFC has experimented invarious areas with delivery service, but apparently it has gone better for them in Canada than in the states. I am aware that tehy did it for a short while in a couple of places I heard about, but I don’t know anywhere that still does it.
Since it doesn’t seem to have taken off so well, that might explain your costs. It could be delivery exists only in areas where it is profitable, and to be profitable, they have to charge quite a bit for it.

@dxs The mac and cheese is subpar at Boston Market in my opinion. I’m surprised they don’t make a better one.

I guess the frozen is like the PF Changs frozen. That was very disappointing to me.

OUr KFC is high too. I paid about $35 for the family meal. Boston Market went oob, it was high too.

@JLeslie It’s similar to the KFC mac and cheese and I love it. They’re both really salty and you can tell the cheese is cheap, almost like Velveeta.

I think all our Boston Markets went belly-up, but I have fond memories of introducing my favored aunt to the frozen meals, and her just thinking they were all that and a bag of chips. Of course, she was home-bound by then, and on a restricted diet.

The local KFC was always sub-par. The food was never as good as other KFC outlets. When my sister and I worked together, we’d often go to lunch together. One day I said, “Ack! We ate at KFC today, and about 2 p.m. I could not consume enough fluid. It’s always that way! It’s the salt.” She agreed and that was the last meal either of us ever ate at KFC.

Most things breaded or battered that taste good rely on salt.

I used to find that with Boston Market, when I was with one or two other people, instead of getting individual meals, we’d get the Family Meal or whatever it was called. It was about $22 and it included a whole chicken, 3 large sides, cornbread, a 2 liter bottle of soda and usually dessert, too. Whereas for about 9 you’d get two pieces of chicken and two small sides, no soda nothing extra. For 3 people that would cost you over $30 plus drinks if you did it that way.

@dxs Velveeta is better than Boston Market. Boston Market’s is more watery and the flavor I don’t like as much. It really should be better cheese and maybe even some bread crumbs on top or at least brown on top. At least their green beans aren’t boiled to death, I guess because it is from the New England area rather than the south, but I still don’t love the green beans either. The stuffing I was suprising happy with. Sides are always a problem at chicken fast food for me. Probably because I am usually not their target market, although I am probably within Boston Market’s target market. I do like Popeye’s beans and rice though. Also, sides at chicken fast food targeted for Latin Americans I usually find something I like.

But, @JLeslie, Velveeta is a brand of orange salt! lol (and if you’re topping mac-n-cheese, you’re baking it, usually meaning mushy noodles)

Green beans were meant to be cooked to death. BC: “Beans of the greenish hue shall be cooked until they be mush, thus eliminating the fuzz.”

Popeye’s rice and beans would be AWESOME, if they came in a bowl bigger than this: O. Where is the freaking expense? Rice? Beans? They used to have crawdads, but I think the shrimp are nearly as good.

LOL. The bowl is very small.

Tiny. And for WHY?

Profit.

But, what’s the percentage in giving a tiny amount of food that cost you almost nothing? Load them up and send them away happy!