American fast food giant KFC has to close hundreds of its outlets in the UK due to a logistics issue causing a shortage of chicken meat, which makes up a major part of the world-famous franchise’s menu.
The company, once known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, temporarily shut down 575 of its roughly-900 locations across Britain and the Republic of Ireland as of Monday night, BBC reports.
The problem wasn't due to a shortage of chicken itself, but KFC’s new delivery partner DHL, the company said in a statement. KFC couldn't say how long it would take to restore normal services.
“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!” KFC said. “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.”
DHL admitted that a number of its deliveries had been “incomplete or delayed” due to some “operational issues,” according to CNN Money. The logistics corporation said it was working with KFC to solve the problems.
KFC reportedly replaced its former supplier, Bidvest Logistics, with DHL last week. Bidvest told the media that the transition had been “seamless.”
About 95 percent of all KFC restaurants in Britain are reportedly franchisees. The company pledged to pay its personnel as usual, and to encourage franchisees to do the same.
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