
We find out if there’s more to KFC than just fried chicken.
Over the past few months, our team has been visiting popular chains in Japan, asking staff what they’d order at their place of work when paying out of their own pocket.
The “Clerk’s Own-Pocket Recommendation“, as we’ve dubbed the series, has opened our eyes to a load of things we may have never thought to try otherwise, so we were keen to try our luck at KFC for our latest instalment.
▼ Is there more to KFC than just fried chicken?
The clerk behind the counter when we visited was a female staff member in her 40s, and she had an air of authority around her, suggesting she was an experienced member of the team who knew her stuff.
So what was her first recommendation?
▼ Original Chicken (290 yen [US$2.02])
We’d half expected a recommendation like this, seeing as the chain is synonymous with fried chicken. In fact, if the clerk hadn’t recommended the fried chicken, we may not have trusted her other recommendations, so we were glad she mentioned it.
She went on to tell us that the Original Chicken is the only thing she eats every day, which is high praise from someone who spends all their working hours surrounded by fried chicken. We’ve got to admit, though, with all those delicious herbs and spices, we’d probably never tire of eating KFC fried chicken if we worked there either!
The clerk’s second recommendation was a little more surprsing:
▼ Japanese-style Chicken Cutlet Burger (400 yen)
“I often eat the Chicken Fillet Burger,” said the clerk, “But I like this one better.” And after trying it ourselves, we had to agree. The moist chicken, sweet sauce, and soft buns were like a holy trinity of deliciousness, and as a Japan-exclusive menu item, we highly recommend it to anyone visiting Japan.
The final two recommendations from the clerk come from the sweet side menu.
▼ Chocolate Pie and Biscuit (270 yen each)
“I often eat these during breaks,” said our KFC-loving clerk, making us feel a pang of jealousy that we ourselves didn’t work there. While they might not look that appetising out of their packaging, they tasted absolutely delicious — rich, flaky, and with a good balance between sweet and bitter chocolate notes, these were the perfect way to finish off our decadent meal.
We loved everything the clerk recommended, but if we had to recommend just one item from the medley above, we’d have to go for the chocolate biscuit. It’s a sweet side that’ll surprise you with its deliciousness, unlike the other menu items which look just as good as they taste.
So thank you, KFC clerk, for sharing your favourite items with us! And don’t forget to check out these other insider tips as well, from staff at Starbucks, Denny’s and Baskin-Robbins!
Images © SoraNews24
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[ Read in Japanese ]






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