KFC Chickens Out on Free Meal Deal
Blame it on the economy. Blame it on the finger-lickin good taste. Or you could just blame it on Oprah
AP
For now, you'll just have to pay for that finger-lickin good taste.
Remember that classic Wendy's commercial with the old ladies wondering, "Where's the beef?"
Well people rushing to KFC looking for a free meal are now wondering, "Where's the free chicken?"
"We don't have any finger-lickin chicken, " might be the response most Miami customers will get now that KFC has decided to pull the plug on the promotion, which reached epic proportions when Oprah announced it on her talk show Tuesday.
"The lines of customers wanting to redeem their coupon have been out the door and around the block, so we're unable to redeem customer coupons at this time," KFC President Roger Eaton said.
KFC will issue customers a rain check to be used at a later date for a free grilled chicken meal. That meal will include the bonus of a free Pepsi drink.
KFC should have known they were biting off more than they could chew by linking up with Oprah and her legions of followers. The coupons were supposed to be one-per-person ads with strict rules against photocopying and sharing the wealth. Even a 24 hour time limit to access www.Oprah.com to get the coupon was a futile and naive attempt at controlling the masses.
When it comes to chicken, people don't read the fine print. Copies of the coupons were passed out like collection plates at a church and it was a losing situation if a cashier tried to question the authenticity of a coupon.
And so the chicken coop quickly went empty, to the dismay of KFC store managers and customers looking for a free meal.
We'll see how eager the taste for chicken is now that you have to pay for it.
Copyright Associated Press / NBC 6 Miami
