KFC reveals secret ingredient

The blend of 11 herbs and spices in the Kentucky Fried Chicken recipe is a closely guarded secret. However, there is a 12th, little-known ingredient that keeps customers licking their fingers at KFC, and SEARCHLIGHT was let in on the secret, as we spoke with supervisor at KFC Jasmin Gaymes. “Every morning, before we start working, we do our pep talk and then we do our CHAMPS cheer, because we have to remember to practise CHAMPS. That’s our goal every day.”

CHAMPS is an acronym that stands for Cleanliness, Hospitality, Accuracy, Maintenance, Product, and Speed. Gaymes feels that it is part of KFC’s secret to success, and the reason why the fast food franchise was chosen by the public as having the Best Fast Food and Best Meal Delivery service in Interactive Media’s Best of SVG 2017 awards.

Elaborating on the various aspects of CHAMPS, she emphasized that cleanliness is a core value of KFC’s culture. “Cleanliness is the biggest thing, and the atmosphere, because sometimes you might go somewhere, the food might be good, but the surroundings not clean, so you can’t enjoy your food in a dirty place,” said James. A recent initiative introduced by KFC to maintain cleanliness is the locked restrooms, which can only be accessed using a code on the customer’s receipt. This is in an effort to prevent abuse of the facilities by non-paying users, an occurrence which has been prevalent at the Kingstown branch, particularly on weekends.

Speaking about KFC hospitality, Gaymes admitted that there are times when customers would find fault, but noted that KFC considers customer service to be of high priority and staff do their best to deliver on this. Regarding accuracy, maintenance and product, she explained that procedures are followed in food preparation daily, keeping the quality high. As for speed, “You don’t want to be in a restaurant all day waiting for your food,” Gaymes said. Speed is also important to KFC’s award winning meal delivery service, which is available in and around Kingstown, Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays. Gaymes stated that fast delivery is crucial to ensuring that customers receive a high quality meal that they can enjoy without the hassle of coming to the store.

Gaymes, who supervises between 10 and 16 persons per shift, had high praises for KFC staff, whom she described as very hard-working, helping KFC achieve its CHAMPS goals. “It’s not that simple as just get some chicken, put it in a fryer, fry it and then serve our customers; it’s beyond that. I see my staff as a very hard-working team and when they need to pull their weight, they pull their weight.” Gaymes expressed pride that KFC’s commitment to these values is resonating with customers. “The Vincentian public see KFC as their number one, we are so proud to be their number one and we will continue to be number one.”

In an effort to better cater to the needs of its patrons, KFC has, within recent months, updated the menu by adding breakfast, which is available until 11 a.m., and a value menu, which includes smaller, more affordable meal options. Gaymes said both menu additions have been well received by the public. “I’ll just advise people to come to KFC more. We are one family here at KFC. That’s one of our mottos too. We are here to serve the people in the best way we can.”

KFC operates from two locations, in Kingstown and Arnos Vale, and can be contacted by telephone numbers 485-6555 and 456-4122.