Testing Ground: KFC Funnel Cake Fries
Dec. 3—Funnel cake — it's a wonderful marriage of deep-fried dough and sweet powdered sugar that tastes like summer.
So why is KFC rolling out its Funnel Cake Fries as winter approaches? Well, it's testing them out in the Midwest to decide if the menu item goes nationwide and the Kansas City area is one of the lucky spots.
I found one of the participating locations at the KFC off of Barry Road, and as you might have guessed, I gave it a shot.
To start, Funnel Cake Fries are kind of an extension of the restaurant's Secret Recipe Fries, except instead of salty spice providing the flavor, it's powdered sugar.
As the PR copy reads: "They taste and smell like the delicious funnel cakes reminiscent of state fairs and local carnivals but are conveniently packaged for snacking."
That's a fair assessment of the product. After a funny conversation with the drive-thru worker, who told me all about how KFC workers were offered to try them all day to prepare for their launch (the person said he declined because the sugary sweetness would make him sick), he gave me the bag and wished me luck.
The Funnel Cake Fries are as advertised. They're crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, greasy as heck and slightly sweet.
The light sweetness is what got me. These are not like a funnel cake, where it's so covered in sugar that you'll accidentally inhale it and go into a sneezing fit. The sugar was lightly dusted on like it didn't want to offend anyone who would find it too sweet.
This could be a result of the fries being a test product or it being the first order of the day for these, but either way, it was slightly underwhelming.
With some fine-tuning, I could see this being a fun novelty in the summer. But still, like so many foodstuff things I review, it likely will be a one-and-done situation.
Andrew Gaug can be reached at andrew.gaug@newspressnow.com.
Follow him on Twitter: @NPNOWGaug
