KFC ‘Simplifies’ Its Menu By Removing This Item–But Customers Aren’t Happy

KFC meal with two drinks, sandwich, fries, and more
KFC meal with two drinks, sandwich, fries, and more

If you love KFC and hate change, we’re here to share some bad news. The fried chicken restaurant is making some major changes to their menu–it’s like the Subway menu debacle all over again! Much to the dismay of customers across the U.S., KFC will be taking several beloved items off the menu: Kentucky Fried Chicken wings, popcorn chicken, Nashville Hot sauce, strawberry lemonade, and chocolate chip cookies. Say it ain’t so!

READ MORE:

KFC Is Adding Nuggets To The Menu—But Will Customers Eat Them?

Nutritionists Say This Should Be Your Go-To Fast Food Order (It’s Only 330 Calories!)

Burger King Is Testing Two New Kinds Of Fries— Churro & Mozzarella

Chick-fil-A Announced A New Plant-Based Sandwich–And It’s Not Beyond Meat!

KFC says goodbye to popular menu items

So, why, exactly, do we have to give up these tasty menu items? According to KFC U.S. Director Brittany Wilson’s statement to Yahoo Finance, this decision was made so that they can “deliver [KFC’s] most popular products perfectly each time and to actually make room for new products.”

Options like chicken wings and popcorn chicken were chosen for several reasons. For starters, Wilson notes that some of them “weren’t available on a national scale,” while others “haven’t necessarily been going on a national sales mix.” Additionally, KFC franchise owner Justin Stewart says that this decision will allow employees to save time packing orders and can even help the drive-thru move more quickly thanks to few items on the pack line. The drive-thru time has already improved by 11 seconds and order accuracy has also seen an uptick, he told Yahoo Finance.

While representatives say customers seem to be taking the change well, not everyone is happy. “Why the hell is KFC dropping hot wings; that was the best thing they had,” one user wrote on Twitter.

However, the change won’t happen all at once; Wilson says the “spring of innovation that KFC has coming” will be rolled out over the next month.

New KFC menu items to come

When one door closes, another one opens–and this is generally the case when items are removed from menus. So, what new offerings can we expect to see on the KFC menu as we say goodbye to wings, popcorn chicken, and more? According to KFC head chef Chris Scott, boneless options are on the way, and are even being tested at select locations in Charlotte, North Carolina right now.

What’s more, KFC Wraps are making a long-awaited comeback. They’re currently being offered for a limited time, following an “outcry of requests on social media” to bring them back, says Wilson.

So, while some may be sad to see their favorites retire, we can all benefit from embracing change–and, if you ask us, boneless options make a fine trade-off.