KFC gambling on chicken that is grilled, not fried

[me]

KFC gambling on chicken that is grilled, not fried
AP     
By BRUCE SCHREINER, Associated Press Writer Bruce Schreiner, Associated Press Writer – Tue Apr 14, 6:09 pm ET

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Would KGC ever have the same ring?

In a culinary gambit backed by buckets of big money, KFC is hoping to replicate its founder's recipe for success with the national introduction of Kentucky Grilled Chicken.

This week's rollout is KFC's most ambitious attempt to win over health-conscious customers as the chain known worldwide for fried chicken tries to reinvigorate lackluster U.S. sales.

"It's going to get people who haven't eaten KFC for a long time to come back into our restaurants," said KFC President Roger Eaton. "It's going to get people who have never eaten KFC to come into our restaurants."

Eaton says he spent years as part of the team tinkering with a grilled alternative, and the rollout follows KFC's longest market test ever. It will be backed by a marketing blitz.

Grilled chicken items are staples at some KFC competitors. McDonald's Corp. offers grilled chicken in sandwiches and wraps, and says chicken sales "continue to be extremely good." McDonald's has also recently been emphasizing its new Southern Style Crispy Chicken sandwich, which is fried. Chick-fil-A says its Chargrilled Chicken Sandwich "continues to grow rapidly" as part of a menu offering "balanced choices" for customers.

KFC's slow-grilled chicken drew strong reviews from the lunchtime crowd Monday at a KFC restaurant in Louisville, the chain's hometown. Eddie Collard proclaimed grilled better than fried.

"I think the colonel would be happy," Collard said of KFC founder Colonel Harland Sanders.

Like its predecessor, Kentucky Grilled Chicken has its own secret recipe. The original copy of the recipe — a blend of six herbs and spices — will be kept in an electronic safe at company headquarters. It will sit alongside Sanders' handwritten recipe of 11 herbs and spices coating the chain's Original Recipe fried chicken.

The difference is in the nutritional numbers.

KFC says each piece of its grilled chicken has 70 to 180 calories and four to nine grams of fat. By contrast, the Original Recipe items have between 110 and 370 calories and 7 to 21 grams of fat, depending on the piece. The grilled chicken contains from 160 to 440 milligrams of sodium per piece, as opposed to 290 to 1,050 milligrams of sodium per piece of Original Recipe chicken.

Michael Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a Washington-based advocate for nutrition and health, called the grilled introduction a "major step in the right direction."

While applauding the reduction in sodium, Jacobson said the 440 milligrams listed by KFC in a grilled chicken breast still amounts to more than one-fourth the amount that someone middle aged or older should consume daily.

KFC has launched non-fried chicken before, but each prior initiative flopped. In the early 1990s, it introduced a rotisserie-style chicken that fell by the wayside due to equipment problems and long cooking times. A tender roast product followed but lasted only a couple of years.

Eaton said the difference this time is partly in the cooking process. Chicken is cooked on grill racks in custom-designed ovens in a patented process that takes about 20 minutes per batch.

The grilled chicken rollout is offered only at KFC stores in the United States, though Eaton said the product may eventually expand to international markets.

KFC had 5,166 U.S. stores at the end of 2008. All but about 100 franchise stores are selling grilled chicken, the company said. Some stores couldn't fit the oven into their kitchens, and in other cases franchisees opted not to sell the product, the company said.

KFC won't say how much the ovens cost, but Eaton said the company helped franchisees with the expense and would have made such an investment only if it was "incredibly confident about the outcome."

Larry Miller, a restaurant analyst with RBC Capital Markets, said expanding beyond its fried staple offers a huge opportunity for KFC. But perceptions won't be easy to change.

"They still have the credibility barrier to overcome," Miller said. While achievable, "it's tough when your name has 'fried' in the middle."

In late 2008, Yum Brands Inc. Chairman and CEO David C. Novak said KFC had been a drag on the company's U.S. performance while sister brands Pizza Hut and Taco Bell had a good year.

Miller said this week that Yum would hit "the trifecta" if it turns around KFC's U.S. sales.

Mike Ash, who ate a grilled chicken lunch at the Louisville KFC, remembered the rotisserie chicken as "mushy and bland." He liked the new grilled offering, having picked it to the bone.

He said he might be more apt to pick up a bucket of chicken on his way home, though he predicted he might still "fall off the wagon every now and then" and choose the fried option.

The grilled chicken will cost the same as Original Recipe chicken. KFC will offer customers a free piece of grilled chicken on April 27.

But the push for grilled chicken doesn't mean KFC is abandoning its roots, Eaton said. The chain is testing new fried chicken products, and remains committed to its core product.

"It would be incredibly arrogant to think we could create a product that could supersede Original Recipe chicken," Eaton said. "But this product is easily good enough to sit alongside it."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090414/ap_on_bi_ge/kentucky_grilled_chicken

Are they tryin' this at your store Dexter?  The friend I know who works at the northern Indiana store say's they have it at hers and she likes it.

[Sandy Eggo]

Honestly, I can't eat the fried chicken from KFC anymore. I thought it was a fluke and that maybe the KFC I chose just didn't do a good job w/the food, but I've had it from other KFC's and it just doesn't settle well on my stomach. The grilled or roasted chicken is awesome.

Still, I have to wonder if the recipe had changed since the Colonel was living and what he'd think of the grilled chicken.

[Dexter Morgan]

I don't know what the Colonel would think but the people LOVE the grilled chicken. They're just about bustin' the doors down to get it.  It is delicious but, I'm sick of it already because we can barely meet the demand. It better sell REAL good because, every store purchased a $15,000 oven to bake it in. It cooks the chicken at 500*. It's very tender and juicy, and as always..... finger licken' good. 

[me]

I just might have to give it a try. 

[Dexter Morgan]

Well, we're selling $ 4,000.00 a day of it. Last Monday we gave out a thousand free pieces of it. On a normal basis they order in 12 cases of chicken twice a week. Now, that we have the grilled they order 39 cases twice a week. They might even have to hire extra workers because of it. I guess some people don't know how to put a piece of chicken on the grill or something.  I can only imagine what Mother's Day will bring. 

[me]

Wow, that's a lot of chicken.  It must really be good.  The other lady I know who works in the Lafayette, IN store got laid off last week because of slumping sales but she lives in a college town and I imagine that has something to do with it.  I think she was also low on the totem pole seniority wise too which didn't help.

[Mr442]

The only reason KFC sales are/were down, is the high cost of an inexpensive meat.  I like my Kentucky Fired Chicken, but I hate paying the price.  To be fair, it's not too bad if you just order chicken and take it home.  Leaving out all the extras like potatoes, gravy, slaw, etc.  But anyway, I won't be knocking down the door for this new stuff.  In my mind, KFC needs to sell fried chicken, Long Johns sells fish, Mc Donalds sells hamburgers, etc.  Stick to what worked to make you successful, and stop trying to have one of everything.

Yes I know, Dexter has no control, but sometimes I have to let it out.

[me]

For some reason the KFC's in our area are not very good but I have eaten in good ones.  I did not care for the new chicken we tried yesterday but the restaurant was extremely busy and you could tell they were short on employees which didn't help considering all the extra business generated from the coupons.  They had one cashier and people were lined up out the door constantly and the drive thru had cars lined up and from what the cashier told someone at times they would be lined up as far as a block out in the street to get in.  There were only 4 employees in the back.  I will have to say they were handling it quite well though and the cashier was pleasant even though you could tell he wanted to throw in the towel and leave.

[Sandy Eggo]

Me,we have the same problem, they're not very good and it's rare to find a KFC that isn't also an A &  W. I'm not impressed with the grilled chicken so much and I think Dex hit it on the head...I can grill chicken at home. It makes me think about growing up and having beans at every meal, then going out to a restaurant and seeing a bowl of beans on the menu and think "why would anyone go out to eat beans?" I understand now though, if you don't have enough people to polish off a pot and you like beans.....anyway, I digress. I liked the grilled stuff better than the fried, but I'm not excited about it.

[Locutus]

Oprah likes it.

[Henry Hawk]

Oprah likes it.

well hells bells....you better look out then.....the last thing she liked real well became our President!!...

[Locutus]

[Locutus]

I haven't tried it BTW, however I did print my coupon ala' Oprah for use anytime between now and May 19th. 

[me]

I haven't tried it BTW, however I did print my coupon ala' Oprah for use anytime between now and May 19th. 

You might be too late because the turn out was larger than expected and as of yesterday afternoon they had changed the cut off date to the 10th and I heard earlier today it was changed to end today.

[Sandy Eggo]

Well, if you don't make it, then  you can use the coupon to light the charcoal and invite us all over ;d