KFC officially returning to Israel in fourth (but not-kosher) attempt
The first branch of the new KFC chain will open in Nazareth this month; Negotiations are ongoing for more locations around the country
By TZVI JOFFREKentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) tenders, a bucket and box of chicken are seen in this picture illustration(photo credit: CARLO ALLEGRI/REUTERS)
The beloved Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) restaurant chain will be returning to Israel for a fourth attempt at breaking into the fast-food market, but the dozens of branches that are planned to open in the coming years will not be kosher, according to Mako news.The first branch of the new KFC chain will open in Nazareth in December. Negotiations are ongoing for more locations around the country. Omer Zeidner, head of KFC Israel, is heading up the market reentry and will manage operations. KFC currently runs 23,000 restaurants in over 141 countries worldwide.“After a thorough examination of the market, securing partners and vendors, and scouting locations, we are excited to bring our delicious finger-lickin’-good chicken recipe to locations across Israel,” Zeidner told The Jerusalem Post. “Nazareth is a bustling city with local and international tourists – a prime location for the brand. We are opening around the holiday season and will continue to open in Tel Aviv and throughout the country.”Previous attempts by KFC to enter the Israeli market failed, as the company could not find a successful recipe to make kosher their world-famous fried chicken, since KFC’s recipe everywhere else mixes meat and milk, which is forbidden by Jewish religious law.In previous visits to Israel, KFC attempted replacing the milk powder in its standard chicken recipe with a soy substitute to solve the kosher issue, claiming that the taste would be identical to that of the original. Customers did not react well to the change.“The moment we switched to kosher, sales began to plunge and it was no longer economically viable,” Udi Shamai, owner of the last KFC franchise attempt in Israel, told Globes. “The product was less good whereas things had gone fine with unkosher chickens.” Shamai said that KFC could only survive if it was not kosher.Seven KFC branches are already located in Area A in the West Bank, along with dozens of other fried chicken eateries that are owned and operated by Palestinian families.Ben Fisher and Sarah Levi contributed to this report.
