KFC have been forced to scrap its experiment with halal menus in selected fast food outlets after complaints from thousands of regular customers, as well as opposition from some halal groups. Opposition arose when it became apparent that the halal KFC restaurants would no longer sell the Big Daddy chicken burger as it required bacon, which is not allowed near halal meat and goes against the halal guidelines.
KFC have since admitted that five of its outlets will revert back to the standard menu following poor sales, including a restaurant in Burnley, Lancashire after thousands of people joined a facebook group No Halal at Colne KFC. A spokesperson for the company blamed low demand, stating that "We introduced our trial in areas where we expected a large demand for halal restaurants, and as with any trial, we continually evaluate results, and adapt as necessary."
The halal trials will continue in other areas though, with 96 restaurants still a part of the trial, which was launched in April. This has caused the ire of both non-Muslims and Muslims alike to be raised, with non-Muslims claiming that the menu is discriminatory to people who don't live by halal laws, while many Muslim groups have criticised the process through which KFC slaughters its halal chicken, claiming that the reading of a prayer over a loudspeaker does not constitute correct halal slaughter methods.
Despite promises that the stores were using exactly the same ingredients as always, only without pork products and using a different slaughter method, customers were still up in arms about the changes. Customers to the restaurants where the menu is to be repealed were informed via a leaflet offered in the store.