FAST food KFC has been forced nearly four out of five of its UK outlets because of a chicken shortage.
More than 700 KFC outlets are shut temporarily including around 40 in Scotland after a weekend of closures because of issues with a new delivery contract.
KFC has issued list of just 168 of its 900 stores that were actually open today with around 21 were in Scotland. Many were offering a limited menu and restricted opening hours.
The problem is said to be so severe that the company cannot say when operations will be back to normal.
"Our teams are working flat out all hours to get the rest back up and running as soon as possible - but it's too early to say how long it will take to clear the backlog," said a KFC spokesman.
Signs on many of the closed stores said: “Sorry, we’re closed. We deliver our chickens fresh into our restaurants, but we’ve had a few hiccups with the delivery today. We wouldn’t want to be open without offering our full menu, but we’ll be back at the fryers as soon as we can.”
In a statement it blamed the chicken shortage on a contract with delivery company DHL.
The Colonel has an update…🐓🛣🚦
— KFC UK & Ireland (@KFC_UKI) February 19, 2018
More info - https://t.co/mLELSs6TaY pic.twitter.com/WEOz6jExHC
KFC said that in the restaurants owned by the chain, staff on short-term contracts would be paid the average hours worked per day over the past 12 weeks, while those on salaries would be paid as normal.
But four in five KFC outlets are run on a franchise basis.
"Franchisees will be seeking their own independent advice, but we're encouraging them to adopt this policy too," said KFC.
The chain told customers: "We’ve brought a new delivery partner onboard, but they’ve had a couple of teething problems – getting fresh chicken out to 900 restaurants across the country is pretty complex!
"We won’t compromise on quality, so no deliveries has meant some of our restaurants are closed, and others are operating a limited menu, or shortened hours.
"We know that this might have inconvenienced some of you over the last few days, and disappointed you when you wanted your fried chicken fix - we’re really sorry about that.
"Shout out to our restaurant teams who are working flat out to get us back up and running again.
"Hope to see you in our restaurants soon."
Until last Tuesday, KFC's chicken was delivered by South African-owned distribution group Bidvest, which describes itself as "the leading supplier of logistical and supply chain solutions to the UK hospitality and restaurant sector".
Courier company DHL, which took over the contract, apologised for the KFC chicken shortage, just months after it promised to "rewrite the rule book and set a new benchmark" for delivery.
DHL which took over deliveries recently 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 this may have caused.”
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