After KFC’s minuscule promo portions, Texas Chicken’s turn to earn netizen’s wrath

 

A NETIZEN recently highlighted the tiny portions being dished out during KFC’s promotion period with many agreeing that the finger-sized chicken pieces were poor value.

Now, a rival franchise is the target of a netizen who claims that the food on offer at the Tesco Extra Cheras Texas Chicken outlet was almost unfit for consumption.

Posting on The Makan Club Facebook page, foodie Kane Chong claimed that the chicken was tasteless and that some side dishes such as the coleslaw tasted off.

While taste is most certainly subjective, serving food that is on the wane as claimed is inexcusable. The netizen blamed the poor quality on staff for possibly not following the SOPs (standard operating procedures) and said he would never step foot into Texas Chicken again.

While his criticism based on taste buds may seem harsh – he even lambasted that the chili sauce was tasteless – his accusation of food that is going bad is quite serious as it involves health and safety, not just personal preferences.

One netizen queried if it was just one outlet that was suffering from QC (quality control) issues.

While another confirmed the original poster’s observations on that particular outlet.

Another netizen suggested reporting it to the franchise operator, thus allowing them to act on consumer feedback.

Another asked if it was a matter of subjective taste to which the original poster agreed was a possibility.

What food operators need to note is that in the age of social media, they risk any mistake or shortcoming being highlighted on the internet by irate netizens. Whether the criticism is justified is one thing, FnB (food & beverage) operators need to ensure the highest QC standards are maintained at all times.

Negative comments – or worse – a damaging post going viral can severely dent a brand’s reputation and public perception if the PR is poorly handled.

Recent poor publicity on social media surrounding Ramadan bazaars, with complaints of exorbitant pricing to unscrupulous practices has had an adverse effect on business with many traders reporting poor sales.

Large franchises such as Texas Chicken and KFC will be held to higher standards as consumers would expect hygiene and service to levels to be on point as well as quality and value-for-money meals.

At a time when ordinary Malaysians are grappling with rising cost of living, FnB operators must do their level best to ensure customer satisfaction. If anything, it is to avoid negative publicity that can severely impact public perception of the brand.

This may seem an unreasonably high standard but in the age of social media, that is inevitably the barometer that has been set.

Over to you, Texas Chicken … – Focus Malaysia