A general view of a KFC restaurant in Cheras, December 27, 2018. Based on social media posts on Twitter, it is understood that the out of stock items in various KFC outlets include French fries and, in some locations, its signature fried chicken as well. — Picture by Hari Anggara
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 28 — KFC Malaysia has confirmed that some of its “main menu items” are currently out of stock, just days after McDonald’s here restricted sales of its French fries due to a shortage.
Based on social media posts on Twitter, it is understood that the out of stock items in various KFC outlets include French fries and, in some locations, its signature fried chicken as well.
“Three times I went to KFC, three times they changed the fries to wedges. Potatoes changed to potatoes,” said Twitter user @syafiqkuni.
Meanwhile, user @jjjadedx said in the same Twitter thread: “KFC here has been hit not by a potato shortage, but chicken”.
Others noted that their local KFC outlets have run out of items such as chicken popcorn, nuggets, burgers and coleslaw.
In a response to Malay Mail, KFC Malaysia said that the shortage was due to global supply chain disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“As a result of our suppliers’ operations being heavily and unexpectedly disrupted, this has consequently impacted our operations resulting in a number of our main menu items currently being out of stock,” said Stephen Chew, brand head of KFC Malaysia.
“We are looking at alternative solutions to minimise the disruptions, and we hope our customers can bear with us during this time. We do not want to disappoint our customers, but the situation is unfortunately unprecedented and impacts many industries,” he added.
He also thanked customers for their “patience and understanding” and said future updates on the situation will be posted on KFC Malaysia’s Facebook page.
On Monday, McDonald’s Malaysia announced that it has stopped sales of French fries in the “large” variation — including in all of its “large value meals” — meaning customers can only get a “medium” sized order of the fried potato strips.
In its announcement via Instagram, McDonald’s called the situation a “fry-tening supply crunch”.
There is currently no news on when these food items will return to the shelves of either McDonald’s or KFC in Malaysia.