Kentucky Fried Urbex: Exploring Abandoned KFC Locations | Retail Archaeology

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  • Опубликовано: 7 янв 2025

Комментарии • 268

  • @Xosidhe
    @Xosidhe 4 года назад +64

    It made me kinda happy that they’re still keeping up the landscape at the first location. I’m glad you don’t censor out homeless camps or drug paraphernalia you come across. This is the reality as much as the closed down retail locations.
    Did you look into KFC in other countries? In Japan it’s a weird thing where they dress up the Colonel as Santa and there are waiting lists to order fancy Christmas meals from KFC. In wealthy Gulf countries like Kuwait, American fast food is so successful that they’re having a major health crisis with diabetes and other related illnesses.

    • @pilotgrrl1
      @pilotgrrl1 4 года назад +5

      Some marketing guy at KFC in Japan promulgated the idea that Americans eat KFC at Christmas. So you'll see the Colonel dressed up as Santa there.

    • @vinesauceobscurities
      @vinesauceobscurities 4 года назад +1

      KFC may be floundering in North America but it's still big elsewhere in the world. It's these foreign markets that have been keeping the name afloat in 2nd place, most likely by virtue of its prominent branding. Pizza Hut is also in that state by the looks of it. Ironically the other top fast food chains in the US outside McDonald's and maybe Burger King never gained much of a foothold in these foreign markets one way or another.

  • @LeAnimal65
    @LeAnimal65 4 года назад +30

    Watching you drive the wrong way down the drive-thru was oddly satisfying.

  • @planescaped
    @planescaped 4 года назад +85

    I remember liking KFC as a kid, but every time I have ever had it in my adult life it has been terrible and I just end up tossing it.
    Either the KFC's around me really suck(possible as their staff is generally some of the most miserable fast food employees I ever see), kid me had terrible taste(likely) or KFC has gone downhill(also probable).
    Maybe it's a problem with Yum Brands... as I find Pizza Hut and Taco Bell equally awful.

    • @masaharumorimoto4761
      @masaharumorimoto4761 4 года назад +11

      Mine suck around here in Toronto too, also pretty much every KFC in Canada I've been to in the last... 25ish years has been sub-par. I don't go, only rarely when someone buys it for a family shindig then I quietly eat a piece and sigh a sad sigh for my childhood memories of awesome chicken lol.

    • @randomtinypotatocried
      @randomtinypotatocried 4 года назад +11

      Mine is very dirty inside and the food is majorly greasy. I rather go to the supermarket from fried chicken or to the BBQ place down the road if I want to spend a bit of money.

    • @MrVuckFiacom
      @MrVuckFiacom 4 года назад +7

      Pretty sure they changed the oils and such with all the new laws in the mid 2000s so it doesn't taste as good anymore.

    • @cmdraftbrn
      @cmdraftbrn 4 года назад +11

      shift in ingredients and frying oils to cut out trans fat.

    • @DavidLLambertmobile
      @DavidLLambertmobile 4 года назад +3

      True. The Orlando.gov area KFCs are ghetto AF 🐓. I contacted the KFC website about 1 Orlando FL location. The "mgr" & I had a huge spat. The staff, 830pm was lazy, inept poorly trained.

  • @Regi62
    @Regi62 4 года назад +60

    I'd rather visit an abandoned KFC than an open one

    • @ronr.511
      @ronr.511 4 года назад +2

      lol

    • @jameshill3463
      @jameshill3463 4 года назад +2

      True chicfila and canes killed all kfc and churches

    • @biohazardshrimp
      @biohazardshrimp 4 года назад +6

      Pretty much. The abandoned locations are usually cleaner.

    • @winterhall8678
      @winterhall8678 4 года назад +1

      🤣

    • @juanitau2012
      @juanitau2012 4 года назад +1

      @@jameshill3463 yeah ,and chick fil a sucks and we've never had canes. Much rather have kfc over chick fil a any day

  • @stranglez
    @stranglez 4 года назад +15

    Man this totally reminds me of when i explored this old abandoned Burger King when i was a kid. I remember sneaking out at like 2am and crawling through the drive thru window to get in. When i was inside i went to the play area where i actually had a birthday party one year and the only thing that was left were a bunch of those plastic balls from the pit lying around and old promotion papers scattered everywhere. It was cool . If i had filmed it back then it would have made for a great video .

  • @Wyrdwad
    @Wyrdwad 4 года назад +8

    Pretty sure Japan probably counts for a huge chunk of that figure about KFC being the second-largest restaurant chain in the world. KFCs are EVERYWHERE over here, and are thriving, to boot -- largely because in the 1970s, they positioned themselves as the best place to go to get Christmas dinner, and they have since become THE traditional place to go for Christmas in Japan. Practically the whole country buys KFC around the holidays, with KFC offering premium Christmas dinner packages that cost upwards of $50 or more, which you have to reserve 2 weeks in advance.
    Japanese KFCs also are just... better than American KFCs in general. Like, the quality of the food is considerably better, the menu is much more expansive, and the facilities are unsurprisingly WAY cleaner. And there are usually life-sized (albeit shorter than expected) Colonel Sanders statues outside of each location.
    Japanese KFC is awesome. ;)

  • @rwdplz1
    @rwdplz1 4 года назад +65

    KFC could come back BIG if they went back to their older recipe chicken, it used to be good! But I'm sure some moron found a way to save a few cents using inferior ingredients...

    • @planescaped
      @planescaped 4 года назад +5

      It did seem like it used to be way better... but I chocked that up to nostalgia.

    • @DavidLLambertmobile
      @DavidLLambertmobile 4 года назад +1

      KFC is starting to convert to green 🍗 "nuggets" . Ummm no... 🤦‍♂️

    • @mathewmclean9128
      @mathewmclean9128 4 года назад +6

      Not to mention bringing back potato wedges.
      Those are much better than the new french fries they have

    • @ronniewatkins
      @ronniewatkins 4 года назад +1

      And bigger pieces

    • @skyesyd221
      @skyesyd221 2 года назад

      @@DavidLLambertmobile hm

  • @FamilyWinn
    @FamilyWinn 4 года назад +7

    8:40 Trash, drugs, and a hidden life behind closed buildings. It shows the true city life. Great videos. Keep it up.

  • @AriKona
    @AriKona 4 года назад +13

    Really liked this video. There is a KFC near me at Via Linda and Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd. that went under not far from a Burger King that went under...and so the story goes. You are in no way exploiting the homeless. You are drawing attention to the fact that we have as many as we do in the Phoenix metropolitan area (over 10,000) and, perhaps, someone will do something about it, regardless how big or small. Also, absolutely love your choice of music for this. Keep on making these so I can see what's happening in the Valley without leaving home when it's 107F outside.

    • @danieldaniels7571
      @danieldaniels7571 4 года назад +2

      I absolutely agree. I remember seeing the comment where he was accused of exploiting the homeless. It was clear whoever wrote it doesn’t know what “exploiting” means.

    • @dyveira
      @dyveira 4 года назад

      @@danieldaniels7571 I didn't understand that, either. He's not exploiting anyone.

  • @johnpauljones9244
    @johnpauljones9244 4 года назад +1

    In Little Rock, AR, we have 1 KFC left. Yet, so many Popeyes. In the 90's, the KFC'S began to disappear. It really was odd. Back in the 80's we had about 10 or 12 locations. Then in the 90's they started closing locations, or in some cases, make those weird hybrid locations. Ex. Taco bell/ KFC, or Pizza Hut/ KFC. Then they had the odd gas station locations, sometimes hybrids. Now just 1 location. It had burned to the ground, and they rebuilt it, finishing just last year. It really is bizarre, that so many are gone.

  • @TominoCabana
    @TominoCabana 4 года назад +10

    None of the KFC’s have closed (yet), but one of the locations in my area has gone very downhill. Last time I went there, the register was broken (they took orders on sheets of paper) and they only had 2 employees.

  • @michaelj.morris1979
    @michaelj.morris1979 4 года назад +8

    Ni e work! We need to pay attention and broaden & expand our visual camp. It is sad but also a wake up call. As when I work in films, sometimes we get negative critiques for showing a reality. But all sides of life need to be witnessed. Not all is sweet nor bitter. But all needs to be shared. Thanks for your great work.!

  • @stopsign515
    @stopsign515 4 года назад +20

    A lot of KFCs have been closing in my city, but it seems like they are renovating one into something new

    • @jameshill3463
      @jameshill3463 4 года назад

      Canes and chicfila killed all them slowly

  • @martinbaxter2616
    @martinbaxter2616 3 года назад +1

    I APPLAUD you for showing these instances of homelessness. This NEEDS to be seen. There's A Walgreens about a mile from my house, and I had to go there a couple of months ago for a drive-thru COVID test. Once done, I had to round the building to leave, and I saw several tents set up behind the drugstore, and people moving in and out of them. No one had even known they were there until I found them.

  • @TheHrb1234
    @TheHrb1234 4 года назад +9

    When my local KFC stopped accepting KFC coupons was the last time I went. My local one has a nasty reputation anyway.

  • @raymondmartin6737
    @raymondmartin6737 4 года назад +8

    The clear blue sky is nice, though as
    you said it's hot, as I remember living
    in NE Phoenix in 1976. Not a big fan
    of fast food, so other than seeing KFC
    locations here in SE Florida, where it
    showers a lot in summer, I can't help
    you with their locations situation.
    I do sympathize with the homeless and
    housing situation, being a problem for
    housing being built over the years, in
    the 1990's, after my Father died, and
    being a disabled veteran, my Mother
    and I struggled financially. While we
    kept our living place, and somewhat
    of a used car, when she passed away
    just before 2000, I had to move to an
    efficiency apartment in the area, with
    just SSD and VA disability at the time.
    Thanks for your interesting videos and
    reminiscening about living in Phoenix,
    when it was much smaller. I was living
    and working nearby where the reporter
    was car bombed in 1976.

  • @SakiMcGee
    @SakiMcGee 4 года назад +4

    The first location is still so pristine on the outside, it makes me want to film a movie there or something

  • @animatsuri
    @animatsuri 4 года назад +1

    Even here in Hawaii which is still big on KFC has had a few locations close over the years. One place is now a Jolliebees a Filipino fast food restaurant that also sells fried chicken.

  • @mcain2911
    @mcain2911 4 года назад +7

    I don’t see anything wrong with you bringing the homeless issue to light. People just don’t want to accept that one day it could easily be them. Especially in these crazy times.
    I have always liked KFC. Never had a bad experience whatsoever. That stinks that they’re closing because I always thought you got a lot of good food at a fair price.

  • @bigburgerboi2005
    @bigburgerboi2005 4 года назад +9

    My local kfc / long John silvers closed had memories there :(

  • @Yetiforce
    @Yetiforce 4 года назад +4

    Don't forget how all the KFC's in South Park, Colorado closed about a decade ago. Sad times indeed! ;)

  • @breakfastclub75
    @breakfastclub75 4 года назад

    I probably haven’t eaten there since it was Kentucky Fried Chicken, and I used to love it. I’m not much into fast food anymore, personally, but it’s still sad to me to see so many of my favorite childhood places disappearing. What’s great about your videos is how nostalgic you are as well, so I don’t feel quite so alone in that, if that makes sense? Anyway, great video and hope you all are staying safe in AZ.

  • @rodmandealerman3297
    @rodmandealerman3297 4 года назад +4

    I recently took a temp job for a few days, and they brought in some KFC for lunch. It was tasty, but I prefer their chicken pot pie. Oooooh, so good.
    I agree, homelessness is a huge problem, especially here in Austin. On any given street corner, you'll see tent cities at the underpasses, and people with a cardboard sign where traffic is congested because of 5 o'clock rush hour. I don't have a solution, but for some of them, they don't want to be helped. They want cash for drugs or alcohol.

  • @davider3568
    @davider3568 4 года назад +2

    Eric: thanks for this and enjoyed it as always.

  • @M1CAustin
    @M1CAustin 4 года назад +1

    KFC seems to be doing much better in Canada. Locations around me have been recently renovated or moved to a whole new and better location. A couple new stores have opened as well. I have also noticed that most of their food has gotten better over the last 5 years except their chicken pieces which just keep getting worse somehow. Their other menu items are great though!

  • @dominickyastrzab9525
    @dominickyastrzab9525 4 года назад +1

    The first location is becoming a Starbucks now. I'm glad it didn't take so long to get someone into that one other than the second one that has been like that for years.

  • @KOSMOS1701A
    @KOSMOS1701A 4 года назад

    your comments on placing affordable housing on the land of closed restaurants (or even re-purposing the existing building) is like one of the best i've heard.

  • @RT804
    @RT804 4 года назад +6

    I used to volunteer my spare time in Chicago trying to get people off the street. In the 3 years I did that we got a total of 4 people to commit to entering a halfway house and none ended up staying. People don't realize that the overwhelming majority of homeless want to be on the street. They don't realize that they can make $100 a day in a city like Chicago to feed whatever habits they have. Society isn't failing these people. They failed themselves and we enable it.

  • @MrDan708
    @MrDan708 4 года назад +9

    Nothing but bones left of this chicken! Did you find any finger-lickin' good spiders?

  • @Shiravan
    @Shiravan 4 года назад +1

    Kfc is really popular in other countries, like here in Australia. We have a completely different menu down here though

  • @keymaster7798
    @keymaster7798 4 года назад +1

    Always love the Mr. Roger's music in the background 😊

  • @SynchroSk8
    @SynchroSk8 4 года назад +4

    As a kid I loved the biscuits and coleslaw - but I haven’t had it in maybe 25 years? Sometimes I catch their ads and it looks good, but its just not something I eat. Loving the content, thank you for continuing to post.

    • @nikkimcdonald4562
      @nikkimcdonald4562 4 года назад

      I agree KFC was delicious when I was a kid but sadly it's not what it used to be. I have no interest in ever eating there again.

  • @jw6948
    @jw6948 4 года назад +2

    Surprised they still maintain the bushes and was surprised at how little Pizza Hut contributes to the YUM btm line.

  • @PinkAgaricus
    @PinkAgaricus 4 года назад +1

    We had one location that got vacated by KFC turned into a Jollibee...and one across from a shopping center become a Walgreens. (the latter one used to be a Tower Records store.)

  • @masaharumorimoto4761
    @masaharumorimoto4761 4 года назад

    Perfect timing again! Just sat down for a break on this scorching hot work day! Thanks for making break time excellent :)

  • @lilkmrt2389
    @lilkmrt2389 4 года назад +2

    I’ve noticed Arizonan fast food buildings stand out tremendously compared to others within the United States.

  • @sgthugostigiitz5935
    @sgthugostigiitz5935 4 года назад +2

    As soon as I clicked on the video, I knew what location was going to be first. I used to shop at the Safeway across the street from that KFC in Gilbert all the time. That KFC always got my orders wrong so I stopped going there. One time, they told me they ran out of chicken...

  • @mikehyziak2708
    @mikehyziak2708 4 года назад

    Another great video. Love the wrong way drive-thru!

  • @asclepi
    @asclepi 4 года назад

    The first KFC franchise pictured in this excellent episode operated as a combined KFC and A&W restaurant for some time and was in operation from 2001 until Q1 2019. The building was then leased to a Scottsdale-based restaurant investment group and was slated to anchor a new Starbucks franchise named "Val Vista and Elliot". However, this may have fallen through (COVID-19?) as the building was put up for lease again on May 27, 2020, and is still available for lease as of today.

  • @cipherrevenant3239
    @cipherrevenant3239 4 года назад

    This was fun to watch because my local KFC just got done with a whole store renovation. I dunno if it'll help them, but at least the outside looks nice and fresh.
    Not sure if I'll bother going inside now that they've finished the remodel, but the last time I ventured in there everything looked so grimy, it was not a pleasant sight.

  • @Michael_Livingstone
    @Michael_Livingstone 4 года назад +7

    KFC has gone downhill at a time when other fried chicken restaurants opened up that offer much better taste, overall quality and value.

  • @abelgarcia4457
    @abelgarcia4457 Год назад

    What's the name of the songs in this video big dog? Love em!! Love your content. Keep the unique soundtracks!👍🏽👏🏽 thanks for filming Papago Plaza. Wish u would of filmed "Los Arcos Mall". I remember going their as a kid in 1998 1999.

  • @alexthetiger7806
    @alexthetiger7806 4 года назад +3

    KFC used to be good before they switched their recipe circa 2008. And their gravy used to be the best. Now it's pretty disappointing.

  • @adamwilson1691
    @adamwilson1691 4 года назад +4

    Honestly if kfc went away completely I wouldn’t mind. I haven’t been to one in years and and I think it would probably be better that way actually.

  • @mrtempleton5302
    @mrtempleton5302 4 года назад

    Excellent video as usual!

  • @chrislongbeard
    @chrislongbeard 4 года назад +1

    KFC still open here but a few Pizza Huts have closed. But then again it is NY there are many mom and pop pizzerias that are awesome. The one Pizza Hut I want to get into is haunted and want to see what's up now that its closed.

    • @gordontaylor2815
      @gordontaylor2815 4 года назад

      Pizza Hut is going to suffer badly from one of its biggest franchisers declaring bankruptcy. Particularly in the northeastern United States, the competition in the pizza business is FIERCE, so if Pizza Hut exits a local market it'll be very difficult for them to get back in later.

  • @bentstrider
    @bentstrider 4 года назад

    I watched this video right after riding my bike down to a Happy Garden Chinese in Lamar CO for some curbside. Looking at this place, it too looked like a former KFC at one time. I don't think there's another KFC any where in that town either.
    Other infamous former structures are long abandoned, Long John Silver's. There's one in Hereford TX that seems to have been sitting unused off the US-60 for an until number of years. I like the food, but out here in beef country, seafood of any type is in for a fight.

  • @Xenovicious
    @Xenovicious 4 года назад +2

    There was a KFC / Taco Bell combo really close to my work. I only went in there a few times and it seemed like it was always dirty / sticky. Like the workers never cleaned or the cleaner residue just wasn't ever washed away. I stopped going one day when there was a fly in my cup from the soda dispenser. A few weeks later, the health department shut the place down and its been sitting empty for a year plus since. =/
    Theres another KFC near me that is much cleaner and I've gone just for the Cheetos and donut sandwiches when they had those and to try the MTN Dew Sweet Lightning. But otherwise I don't really care for the KFC flavoring style of their chicken.

  • @Cristini8
    @Cristini8 4 года назад

    Love this video!!! I’d love to see a updated fiesta mall, I’m interested to see how it looks now 🙈

  • @MyDreamIsAStory
    @MyDreamIsAStory 4 года назад +2

    One closed down in my town. They tore it down and replaced it with a Freddy’s. We still have two though. One close to the college and another on the other side of town. I can’t remember the last time I ate at one. I think it was one time last year.

  • @Branson720
    @Branson720 4 года назад

    Keep up the great work! Love these types of videos.

  • @ChrisWehadababyitsaboy
    @ChrisWehadababyitsaboy 4 года назад +1

    I was sad when the A&W moved out of that location with the KFC. I used to work across the street from the 1st location!

    • @danieldaniels7571
      @danieldaniels7571 4 года назад

      Where is it? I live in Phoenix and usually recognize every place he shows but I couldn’t place that.

    • @asclepi
      @asclepi 4 года назад

      @@danieldaniels7571 SEC of Val Vista and Elliot

  • @PashPaw
    @PashPaw 4 года назад

    I haven’t had KFC in ages. The only one in my hometown was shut down by the county health department about five or six years ago because of the awful sanitation in the kitchen.
    I did love eating their food as a kid though but my preference for takeout fried chicken has largely shifter towards Albertson’s before then.

  • @GreenAppelPie
    @GreenAppelPie 4 года назад +3

    6:25 Family Dollar indicates a lower income neighborhood, I wouldn't have had open a restaurant there. You just keep on showing every thing you see. I believe Chic-fil-a is satisfying our chicken urges.

  • @lueker31
    @lueker31 4 года назад

    The Cave Creek and Greenway location closed a few years ago.. I remember going there on my lunch break and they were out of chicken lol

  • @jeffha4057
    @jeffha4057 4 года назад +5

    Never been a fan of KFC but I'd imagine their decline coincides with the rise of Chick-fil-A.

    • @plmintexas509
      @plmintexas509 4 года назад

      Agree with you. I don't know any Chick-fil-a in my area that doesn't have long lines at the drive thru nearly all day, while the local KFC never has more than one car in the drive-thru. RIP Colonel Harlan Sanders.

    • @juanitau2012
      @juanitau2012 4 года назад

      And chick fil a is not even good or worth it. I dont get why people love chickfila. I let my 14 yr old son try chickfila a couple weeks ago because of all the hype he heard. He was very disappointed. I said, I told you so, I told you its not good, but I dont think he was expecting to be so dissapointed.

  • @dantx4545
    @dantx4545 4 года назад +1

    It is important to show the evidence of homelessness because those folks slip through the cracks and are neglected and nobody should be without shelter

  • @williamharris8367
    @williamharris8367 4 года назад

    The former KFC in my neighborhood is now a payday loans place. There was another nearby on a major commercial street that is just vacant. The only local location remaining (unless there is something out in the far suburbs) is in a Downtown food court.

  • @AmbientWalking
    @AmbientWalking 4 года назад

    Amazing! Love this concept of stalking out abandon KFCs.

  • @RetroCheater81
    @RetroCheater81 4 года назад

    We still have one of those all in one KFC/Taco Bells in our town. They closed for a week to upgrade the kitchen but they are still slow as hell. Id still hate for it to go out because besides that and McDonalds all we have are like 9 pizza places for a town of about 6000 people.

  • @MuneageDaydream
    @MuneageDaydream 4 года назад

    Interesting. I've never seen an abandoned KFC in Colorado. In fact, in the last year I've seen two locations torn down and replaced with new buildings, pandemic and all. We also have those hybrid stores that are both KFC and A&W; do they have those in Arizona? I don't eat there anymore because every time I go, I get an upset stomach. It doesn't help that I worked there in the 90's in what was a brand new building but the hygiene was seriously lax. No one cared and our store was always slam busy.

  • @qcriderbrandon9047
    @qcriderbrandon9047 4 года назад

    That first location is a fairly recent closure as it closed within the past year. I ate there quite a few times over the years. It used to be paired with an A&W sometime in the early 2000s.

    • @gordontaylor2815
      @gordontaylor2815 4 года назад +1

      Someone else posted a comment saying that location was planned to be converted into a Starbucks franchise in the near future, but apparently the pandemic caused those plans to be aborted and the building to go back on the market as a result.

  • @jeffreymcfadden9403
    @jeffreymcfadden9403 4 года назад

    30+ years ago I also went through a drive through backwards. My car was a 1967 MGB-GT ,,,,,,right hand drive!
    Also, back in the 1960s, my grandfathers sister was driving out west and went to a KFC for lunch.
    Ole Col. sanders was working that day in that location.
    He did this for many years after selling the company.
    Also my uncle the police Sgt. from Columbus personally knew Dave Thomas of Wendy's fame.
    And my uncle was asked by Dave if he wanted in on the company,,,he declined.

  • @southwestAZ
    @southwestAZ 4 года назад

    35th ave camelback in phoenix arizona there use to a kfc it's forsure boarded up .

  • @CanadianTalent1
    @CanadianTalent1 4 года назад

    We had a number of KFC locations close in our area. However the ones that were left got completely renovated, and a few more have even opened back up.

  • @abelgarcia4457
    @abelgarcia4457 2 года назад

    What's the name of the intro song? Trumpet 🎺 song

  • @amandahuginkiss8561
    @amandahuginkiss8561 4 года назад

    I loved KFC growing up but about 20 years ago they stopped being good. BTW, You have a very soothing voice!

  • @MissMTurner
    @MissMTurner 4 года назад

    We need covered drive thru locations here in Florida. Not only is it painfully hot and absurdly sunny, we also have very heavy daily afternoon summer thunderstorms.

  • @Gold_Stadt
    @Gold_Stadt 4 года назад

    I don't visit fast food restaurants that often but I like KFC. The fact that they are number 2 directly behind Mc Donald's was new to me. Best reagrds from the South of Germany.

  • @siamiam
    @siamiam 4 года назад +1

    a 16 piece meal at the KFCs in my state is $65.99 O_O i do not know how they are still in business up here . they do have a pretty big market over seas especially in China

  • @LdE1986
    @LdE1986 4 года назад +1

    I think alot has to do with their menu not having many options also their mac and cheese tastes more like mac and butter and prices keep going up while the portions seem to get smaller

    • @PinkAgaricus
      @PinkAgaricus 4 года назад +1

      Exactly...even worse in a place where in the continental US it's cheaper they add a few dollars to the price. Like for example it's $5 in the mainland and $8 in Hawaii. Don't get me started on promos that don't even happen here because that's even more infuriating.

  • @MsSelfloather
    @MsSelfloather 4 года назад

    The KFC near me is still open but I will usually go to Bojangles instead. Too bad y'all don't have them out in Arizona.

  • @eleganteggnog240
    @eleganteggnog240 4 года назад +1

    Years ago when I lived in California we had a KFC that turned into a tuxedo rental shop.

  • @rogambite
    @rogambite 4 года назад

    i really miss their little Bucket parfaits . Chocolate creme was the best.

  • @andysorensen1737
    @andysorensen1737 4 года назад +1

    At least in my case, the KFC near me closed after road construction in front of their location blocked traffic.

  • @jesset3395
    @jesset3395 4 года назад +1

    KFC is very popular in Japan and other Asian countries. That's why its number 2 company.

  • @sarjim4381
    @sarjim4381 4 года назад +1

    Our KFC has been closed for two years and the Church's closed in April. That leaves one local chicken place.

  • @cw50must
    @cw50must 4 года назад

    The 2nd one on Main has been closed for a very long time. I do believe it was a taco place for a while. In high school I worked at the restaurant across the street that had the big neon sign, too bad its just a dirt field now.

  • @jja7038
    @jja7038 4 года назад

    Was the first kfc at Val Vista and Elliot?

  • @RetroDakota
    @RetroDakota 4 года назад

    Pizza Hut could be next with store closures. One of their biggest franchise groups, NPC International, recently filed for bankruptcy. Even before that, NPC has been closing small town locations or closing several stores in bigger cities, and keeping only a few open with just carryout or delivery.

  • @jeffreymoen4159
    @jeffreymoen4159 4 года назад

    I believe KFC has had some cases where franchisees who owned multiple locations went under. I believe that's what happened with some of them in Scottsdale.

  • @jonhenke3241
    @jonhenke3241 4 года назад +3

    KFC has had a lot of issues over the last two decades.
    Their revenue looks good through 2014 but much of that growth was overseas. In the US they lost market share to everyone from ChicFila to Churches & Zaxbys.
    Its kind marked by consumers as family-bucket restaurant when an increasing amount of dining isn't a family sitting around a table.
    They keep trying to overcome this by targeting younger consumers but have landed on a Creepy Colonel ad campaign which doesn't work for anyone.
    Yum also keeps trying to co-house them with other Yum restaurants which I don't think is helping.

    • @PinkAgaricus
      @PinkAgaricus 4 года назад +1

      Also in the case of KFC those family meals seem to be overpriced and too expensive for the quality that some people brought up in this comment section.

    • @gordontaylor2815
      @gordontaylor2815 4 года назад

      In the U.S. it seems only Taco Bell is doing reasonably well nowadays, the other two big brands under the Yum Brands banner have been on a downward slope for years (and the pandemic will only make this worse!)

  • @SLone3251
    @SLone3251 4 года назад

    I'm in SoCal and I feel KFCs are hard to find in general if you look on a wide scale. I'm fortunate to have 2 near me (the hot wings have been a fav of mine since I was a kid). And I agree with you showing reality. I think it's one of the points of urbex and mall content -- there's a realness to these places just left abandoned and dying, and people shouldn't ignore it. They carry their history and memories but they also have their current state and being. These derelict buildings def could be of better use like for housing as you said.

  • @Cheryl6912
    @Cheryl6912 4 года назад

    I remember (70s and 80s) when Kentucky Fried Chicken was a part of Gino's. Gino's was so good, loved their cheeseburgers and my mom would always get the Giant.

  • @RetroCheater81
    @RetroCheater81 4 года назад +1

    Also like to add that Id keep the remnants of the homeless in there. Let people know that exploring places like this could lead to meeting someone there, and sometimes those people dont want you there. As long as you're not filming actual people Im ok with it.

  • @kittea1804
    @kittea1804 4 года назад

    i need to go take some pics of my local KFC, i don't think they've fixed up the store or the parking lot once since the 90s

  • @bittybittybit
    @bittybittybit 4 года назад

    Im sure someone else in the comments has already pointed this out. KFC does really well in other countries, specifically asia. it's even a holiday tradition in japan to get KFC during christmas. unfortunately it's losing a lot of footing in the US and i wouldnt be surprised if it goes under here but stays alive elsewhere.

  • @Dyaxxis
    @Dyaxxis 4 года назад

    0:26 I actually live close to those posted locations. Cool!

  • @jtlovescodelyoko
    @jtlovescodelyoko 4 года назад +1

    Abandoned Fast Food restaurants videos, I approve

  • @mmichal
    @mmichal 4 года назад

    It's weird to see an empty KFC, in my area (Detroit suburbs) they do a lot of business or at least they're doing more because of the pandemic. I've seen their drive thru with 10 cars deep during the workweek sometimes :I Maybe it's different depending on what part of the country you live in

  • @ERA_Productions
    @ERA_Productions 4 года назад

    Great video, I have not had kfc in a few years, But we still have quite a few in the Cleveland area

  • @ddrhazy
    @ddrhazy 4 года назад +8

    Franchises are inferior to a local restaurant that's built in a walkable neighborhood. USA cities are 99% car dependent, but European building practices have made their economy much more resilient and have prevented dumb growth that suburban America is now going to realize was a mistake.

    • @danieldaniels7571
      @danieldaniels7571 4 года назад

      Phoenix will never truly be “walkable” because of the climate. It’s supposed to be 111f here today, the lowest high temperature we’ve had in a while.

  • @rollmeister
    @rollmeister 4 года назад

    The only KFC that closed near here was because the building was falling apart, literally. Australia sings the "Fast Food Rockers-Fast Food Song" everyday!

  • @seanseanseanseansean
    @seanseanseanseansean 4 года назад

    Those wall sconces are certainly TACO BELL style.

  • @victorious_vic
    @victorious_vic 4 года назад

    It’s crazy that the second KFC on this video is painted like that. Because there was a KFC on 35th Ave & Camelback in Phoenix that after it closed (in 2010) it was painted like that but it still abandoned, but that KFC was shared with A&W.

    • @gordontaylor2815
      @gordontaylor2815 4 года назад +1

      I personally wonder if both of those locations were planned Taco Bell conversions that didn't work out for some reason. The paint job leans toward them intending to become Taco Bell...

  • @cameronheidelauf9623
    @cameronheidelauf9623 4 года назад

    Well in Australia here mate the Kentucky fried chicken restaurant's ain't going to close down in Australia here

  • @chrismyghostwriter
    @chrismyghostwriter 4 года назад +1

    We used to eat KFC when I was a kid (20 some odd years ago) and that's the last time I've eaten KFC.

  • @purpleline25
    @purpleline25 4 года назад

    It looks like the second kfc might have been a Verizon store. We had two kfc locations in flagstaff and one was turned into a Verizon store that used the same paint colors as the second kfc in this video.

  • @Mecal00
    @Mecal00 4 года назад

    I noticed not too long ago the KFC in Ahwatukee closed

  • @AK47KillerGuitarist
    @AK47KillerGuitarist 4 года назад +1

    I think there building a new KFC in Globe AZ.