KFC unlimited buffets were once a thing and OMG

Imagine a world where you could go to KFC and eat whatever the hell you wanted…. like, unlimited chicken.

Believe it or not, KFC buffets are actually known to have existed over the years (and yes, we are livid our local branch hasn’t caught on).

Ready for the most insane FOMO ever? Check out one such example below: 

The buffets have been reported in many locations, including Australia, Japan, Canada and the States, however, they are shrouded in secrecy, and very scarce these days.

It’s thought that the last of the remaining KFC buffets shut down during Covid, as a result of heightened social distancing and health and safety measures, but there is a Facebook group named KFC Buffet Aficionados in which members still claim a few are alive and kicking (check it out to see if there’s one near you).

The buffets first cropped up in the 80s, and were designed so that punters could sample several KFC items at once.

An indecisive eater’s dream, they offered the likes of mashed potatoes, gravy, mac & cheese, coleslaw and biscuits, whilst according to Mashed, some select stores even promoted extra bits, like Mexican and seafood.

In Japan, buffets were even known to feature as many as 50 different menu items including pasta, curry, soup and desserts, as well as your standard original recipe chicken and fries. 

Plus, there was even rumoured to be Special Fried Chicken Soup Curry and rotisserie KFC chicken.

Reflecting on a buffet they used to visit in the US, Unilad report that a Reddit user recalled: “They just kept bringing plate after plate of hot chicken out. Good times!”

There wasn’t one price for these buffets as they were so location specific, but one in South Carolina (since shut down) promised you could get as much chicken as you wanted for $8.99 (£6.88), whilst a now closed branch in Japan was thought to charge 1,980 yen (£11). Prices are also thought to have varied depending on the day and time you visited.

You won’t find any info on where these buffets once were (or maybe still are) on KFC’s official website, perhaps because they’re run at the discretion of the franchisee. 

They might be a fond memory for some, but when people were reminiscing about them the other day on an Australian Facebook group,  it’s safe to say the revelation that they ever existed was a shock to some.

“KFC. Bring back the all-you-can-eat buffet,” one person wrote, referencing a branch in South Lake WA, Australia, where they used to visit for a chicken binge. 

To which another replied: “No way, never heard of an all you can eat at KFC, I would have been there everyday!”

“I’d never leave,” echoed someone else.

Whilst a fourth commented: “Far out I’ve never seen KFC all you can eat? What the.. I can eat 10 zingers easy.”

Unfortunately if your’e a Brit, it’s even more unlikely you’ll ever stumble across the KFC buffet, because there hasn’t ever been one reported over here.

A mostly extinct phenomenon, the KFC buffet is kind of like a dream.

If there are any left out there, we’re not surprised that most of the lucky chicken-lovers who’ve stumbled across them decided to keep them close to their chests… we’d do the same.

Featured image: Getty