Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) in Fort William has closed.
The national food chain restaurant known for its catchphrase “finger lickin’ good”, has been serving up Colonel Sanders’ food at 2 North Road since late 2020.
Plans for the drive-thru with the restaurant area were in the pipeline for five years before it opened.
It was opened under a KFC franchise operated by Herbert Group.
Jobs on the premises were advertised with salaries up to £26,000.
Staff problems at Fort William KFC
In 2022, due to a lack of staff, KFC had cut its hours, only opening five days a week.
After months of irregular opening hours, and complaints about lack of staff, a spokeswoman for KFC confirmed that it had indeed closed.
In a statement, she said: “We’re constantly reviewing our portfolio of over 1,000 restaurants and at times, this sadly means we have to close some.
“We’ve shut the doors at our Fort William coop, however, our fans can always find their nearest restaurant on our website.”
The nearest KFC is in Inverness, some 66 miles away.
KFC was five years in the planning
KFC was opened in specially built premises near the Fort William to Mallaig train line and on the main route between Fort William and the north on the A82.
The nearby Costa remains open from early morning until the evening seven days a week.
While diners enjoyed watching the Jacobite Express Harry Potter train from the car park, there were complaints about the service customers received.
KFC in Fort William pulls poor reviews
On TripAdvisor, Fort William KFC was rated two stars. It was number 14 out of 15 establishments in Fort William for a “quick bite”.
Travellingscotsma124 described KFC in Fort William as a “shambles”.
Writing: “An utter shambles of a place, every single order has missing items and the chicken is frequently burnt.”
AR asked: “World’s worst KFC?
“Rank tasteless burnt coffee indescribable.
“Had to chuck it all.”
Pritesh M from Leamington Spa wrote: ” If you like KFC, then you won’t be disappointed, although they did need to empty the outside dustbins which were full!”
Paul K, from Oban disagreed about poor staffing, penning a glowing review: “Best KFC I’ve been to.
“Staff were fantastic, especially Tyler. He’s a credit to the company. Chicken was cooked to perfection and chips were surprisingly good.”
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