US fast-food chain KFC said today it has shut hundreds of UK stores as German delivery supplier DHL left them short of fowl, and customers without their “fried chicken fix”.

KFC said more than 700 of its 900 UK-wide outlets had been forced to close since the weekend, while others were offering a downsized menu or shorter opening hours.

“We’ve brought a new delivery partner on board, but they’ve had a couple of teething problems – getting fresh chicken out to 900 restaurants across the country is pretty complex,” said KFC in a statement.

“We won’t compromise on quality, so no deliveries has meant that some of our restaurants are closed, and others are operating a limited menu, or shortened hours.

“We know that this might have inconvenienced some of you over the last few days, and disappointed you when you wanted your fried chicken fix – we’re really sorry about that.”

DHL, in a separate statement, said it was working to resolve the problem. – AFP, February 19, 2018.