Fast food chain KFC South Africa recently invited nine traditional and social media influencers from varying media titles across the country to join them in the first ever KFC Great Taste Tour to celebrate the heritage of Colonel Sanders.
The tour took its attendees behind-the-scenes to explore a KFC kitchen where they were exposed to KFC’s strict processes and quality controls. They were also given the opportunity to try their hand at preparing some of KFC’s famed Original Recipe chicken and comparing the results of their “amateur’ attempts with those of a trained KFC cook on the day. After lunch, more secrets were revealed when participants took part in a live demonstration of how to cook some of the Colonel’s recipes in a sneak preview of his autobiography and cookbook.
Social media fans got to experience comedian extraordinaire, Rabin Harduth and others live twit pic and tweet their Great Taste Tour experience throughout the day, while encouraging fans to guess KFC’s renowned 11 herbs and spices recipe.
Colonel Harland Sanders and his Original Recipe chicken made its debut in South Africa over 40 years ago when the first KFC store opened in Orange Grove in 1971. The legendary taste of his secret recipe of 11 herbs and spices has since become a favourite among food-lovers across the country. Confirmation of this can be seen in the fact that KFC has been voted the most loved fast food brand in South Africa by the Sunday Times Top Brands Survey for 13 years in a row.
As founder of the brand, the Colonel also left a heritage of strong principles and high quality standards that still continues to underpin the brand today. Today, KFC upholds his standards by ensuring that store staff undergo rigorous training for 60 days in store in order to learn how to produce the signature recipes and ensure that the food is prepared right every time. And just as the Colonel insisted, KFC is freshly prepared in store throughout the day so that the food is always served hot and fresh.
KFC’s quality assurance and food safety standards are some of the highest within the food industry. Suppliers are required to undergo a Yum! Supplier Tracking, Assessment and Recognition (STAR) audit that has a reputation for being incredibly tough to pass.
KFC also continues to support job creation, not only through the direct employment of 22,000 staff across South Africa, but also through its policy of sourcing ingredients locally wherever possible. Currently, KFC sources 100% of its chicken and fresh produce from local farms.
Over the past four decades KFC has developed a people-centric culture and is passionate about ensuring its people are presented with opportunities to grow. Each store is a skills development hub and represents opportunities for growth for the 25 to 70 employees who work there. Every store has a three-tiered management system, with between four and seven people occupying managerial roles. This successful vehicle for skills development and upward movement of previously disadvantaged individuals has become an effective tool for individual growth at KFC.
The Original Recipe was perfected in 1940 and the same recipe is still used in KFC’s across the world today. However, new product development is also an integral part of the KFC business. “Customers expect menu innovations and KFC delivers on these expectations to keep our menu contemporary and in line with the latest food trends,’ says chief marketing officer Dave Timm, KFC South Africa. KFC South Africa’s menu has evolved to include a popular hot and spicy flavour, burgers, wraps and a chicken fillet salad, as well as more locally relevant products such as pap. Tapping into the zeitgeist of an on-the-go culture, KFC has also successfully introduced convenient yet unique snacking and beverage options to suit the South African youth market.
“The KFC concept may have been pioneered by Colonel Harland Sanders, but we at KFC make sure that we continue to cook and deliver according to his exacting standards today. We are a forward thinking business that takes pride in our founder’s principles whilst making sure we meet our modern customers’ needs,’ concludes Timm.
