KFC Changes the Game for Menu Hacks With New 'Scoop' Policy

Funny how sometimes you don't notice something until it's specifically pointed out. For instance, KFC never scooped their sides. Instead, all of the sides — be it mashed potatoes or coleslaw or mac and cheese — were prepackaged in tiny bowls behind the counter, the lid already fitted on tight. Honestly, you may have never thought about it because it doesn't seem like a big deal — but KFC's Chief Operating Officer Monica Rothgery thinks otherwise. And her new policy to scoop each side when it's ordered may blow the lid off how KFC sides can be used — both literally and figuratively.

KFC has just announced its new Mac & Cheese Bowls — a base of the brand's mac and cheese topped with popcorn chicken and, of course, more cheese. It may seem like a simple innovation combining existing ingredients into a dish fans want. And it is. But Rothgery says her new "scoop to order" policy makes offering something like this even easier to execute because employees have the freedom to scoop sides like mac and cheese wherever they want — whether it's into a small bowl to serve as a side or a larger bowl to top with chicken. "This allows us to innovate," Rothgery told Nation's Restaurant News.

However, KFC's Head Chef Bob Das took things one step further, saying not only does it allow KFC to innovate, but it allows the customers to innovate too. "I think it will allow us to eventually plus up our sandwiches. So you might be able to get a mac and cheese chicken sandwich. Something decadent like that," Das told the restaurant industry site. He then later added, "If the consumers can figure that out and ask the employee, then we can definitely accommodate [customization] for sure." Similarly, Rothgery tossed out the idea of adding mashed potatoes to a sandwich.

To be fair, I'm not sure if KFC is fully aware of the Pandora's box they are opening here, but I'm imagining a heavenly world where anything is possible — like asking an employee to take two chicken sandwich fillets and scoop mac and cheese between them to create an impromptu KFC Mac & Cheese Double Down. Is this what KFC is saying? Because if they are, then yes, "scoop to order" is the most brilliant innovation in the history of KFC. Or at least it's a step up from that weird computer-generated social media influencer.