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What The World's Most Famous Logos Might Look Like In 50 Years

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future famous logos kfc

From top universities to major retailers, most big-name organizations go through major shifts in their identities and, more noticeably, their logos.

Recent trends include shortening words to letters (like JCP, nee JCPenney), making the font lowercase (like arby's), or dropping the name altogether (like Starbucks). But what does the future hold?

Stock Logos, an online identity design community, drew up what the world's most famous logo's will look like in the next 10, 50, and 100 years.

The awesome part is, the timelines include a breakdown of how the logos have morphed since the company's inception.

Stock Logo predicts that some logos will stay the same (we're talking about you, Coca-Cola), others will evolve with the times (Shell's shell will become a sun for solar energy), and others will simply disappear (sorry Nokia).

Apple



Nokia



KFC



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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Now You Can Even Get KFC On Planes In Japan

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kfc fried chickenJapan Airlines recently announced that the company will serve KFC on select flights to the U.S. and Europe over the holiday season.

A press release confirms that flights "from Narita to New York, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Diego, London, Paris and Frankfurt" will receive a small meal comprised of a chicken breast filet, a drumstick, bread, lettuce, and coleslaw.

The company is calling the promotion, which will run from December 1 to February 28, "Air Kentucky Fried Chicken."

The promotion is just another sign of Japan's love of KFC and other American fast food companies. 

The L.A. Times reports that "Japan is a voracious consumer of American fast food..." particularly around the holidays.  The Japanese are known for their obsession with KFC "party barrels" which are always released on Christmas Day.

SEE ALSO: Fast Food Items With Fanatical Cult Followings

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KFC Is Having The Worst Identity Crisis Of All The Big Fast Food Brands

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kfc double downSometimes it seems like KFC is trying to do everything.

Yum Brandsmassive chicken company, which went through a kind of menu revolution over the past few years, has gone through so many phases and so many faces that the menu is unrecognizable as the same place my Little League team used to swarm after our games.

This is obviously at least partially due to the chain’s need to adapt to a consumer base that is (or at least claims to be) increasingly unwilling to stuff fats, starches, and carbohydrates into a bucket and submerge its collective face therein.

Dry-rubbed grilled chicken is a star player on KFC’s window posters. Green beans, no longer a shameful secret on the menu like an ugly cousin of the much more popular mashed potatoes or macaroni and cheese, cascade instead through KFC’s advertisements like a brilliant green waterfall or clippings of the Jolly Green Giant’s hair.

On the other hand, items like the Famous Bowl (at right, oncedescribed by comedian Patton Oswalt as “a failure pile in a sadness bowl”) and the obscene Double Down sandwich continue to be massively popular, so much so that KFC has recently added everyone’s favorite food-improver to the Famous Bowl to create the Cheesy Bacon Bowl, advertisements for which seem almost provocative, as if KFC is daring its critics to object to its decadence.
 
This duality has created something of an identity crisis for KFC, and indeed for Yum in general, since many of the corporation’s restaurants straddle the line of nutritional respectability. Can a fast food restaurant really be both unhealthy and healthy?

Restaurants like Chipotle have carved out a considerable place in the market for natural ingredients and fresh preparation. Can these restaurants  capitalize on KFC’s inability or unwillingness to eliminate fat bombs like the Double Down from its menu?

One answer may simply be that KFC makes enough money in China that it can afford to maintain the unhealthy image it has cultivated in the US. KFC absolutely dominates the Chinese fast food market and has plans to expand further.

However, its product lines in China are vastly different from its US offerings (the Chinese products include traditional Chinese soups, panko-crusted chicken, etc.), which means that while the chain is hugely popular in China, it can’t parlay that success back to the US.

Another problem for the chicken chain to deal with is its target market. At the moment, it seems as if KFC can’t decide whether to market primarily to families or to individuals.

McDonald’s and Yum’s own Taco Bell have made big strides by abandoning the family image almost entirely; Taco Bell ads feature trendy young people Instagramming their fluorescent tacos, while McDonald’s likes showing hipsters falling in love while biting into Angus Third Pounders.
 
KFC, on the other hand, vacillates between showing individuals happily scarfing chicken sandwiches or the aforementioned bowls and showing families using KFC’s buckets-of-food system to feed a dozen people easily.

The most recent campaign plays on the trope of irritating relatives being loud during the holiday season, which plays to the “family” side of things, but the Famous Bowls continue to be the chain’s best-selling item. Until KFC can figure out who’s buying chicken, it will continue to play second fiddle to Taco Bell in Yum’s US operations.

Even more troubling is that Yum recently announced that its fourth-quarter sales in China were down. If KFC isn’t pulling its weight, it may be time for the company to figure out a clear target market and tighten up its campaigns accordingly.

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KFC Is Trying Really Hard To Make 'Couchgating' For Football Games A Thing

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KFC really wants to make "couchgating" one of America's newest favorite pastimes before football games.

So much so, in fact, that the fast food chain trademarked the name and became the "official sponsor of couchgating."

The practice is kind of similar to tailgating, except you don't get off your couch. Or stop eating KFC ... otherwise you're just "couching."

This marketing push is a part of KFC's promotion for its Gameday Bucket, which is made up of eight pieces of chicken, eight hot wings, and 10 original recipe bites. The chain is making a big social media push as well (hashtag #couchgating, of course), and DraftFCB released a funny ad explaining the complex concept:

SEE ALSO: AllState Used This Couple's Sandy-Destroyed House In An Ad But Won't Pay Their Claim

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Someone Ordered Chicken From KFC And Found This Disgusting Brain-Like Organ Inside

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kfc

Here's a disgusting story that's not going to make you want to eat KFC any time soon.

Ibrahim Langoo, a student in the UK, was eating at a KFC at a restaurant in Colchester when he came across this brain-like thing in his chicken.

Langoo explained what happened to The Sun:

“I have a habit of picking the chicken off the bone with my fingers and as I pulled the second piece apart, I saw this horrible wrinkled foreign body. I threw it down onto my tray immediately. It looked like a brain. I suddenly felt grim and really sick.

“I couldn’t bring myself to pick the lump up so I went to the serving counter to complain.

“It was about 1pm and pretty hectic in the restaurant and as it was so busy none of the staff helped me.”

What exactly is it? KFC explains in a statement to The Sun that it's probably not a brain:

"Although we haven't received the product, it appears from a photograph that unfortunately on this occasion a kidney, and not a brain as claimed, was not removed in the preparation process. We're very sorry about Mr Langoo's experience and while there was no health risk, we agree it was unsightly."

Oh, a kidney. That's much better.

“I never want to eat KFC again - in Colchester or anywhere else," Langoo told The Sun. "I’ll eat chicken at home, where I can see how it’s been prepared.”

SEE ALSO: Japan's Epic Fast Food War Inspired These Crazy Menu Items >

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China's Chicken Supplier Probe Is Causing Problems For KFC (YUM)

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kfc chicken

Yum! Brands, the owner of KFC and Taco Bell, just warned that sales in its Chinese stores would fall short of expectations due to an

From the company's 8-K filing with the SEC:

Due to adverse publicity associated with a government review of China poultry supply - and the corresponding significant impact on KFC China sales during the last two weeks of December - we now expect China Division same-store sales to be -6% for the fourth quarter of 2012, versus our previous forecast of -4%. The Company expects full-year 2012 earnings per share, excluding Special Items, of approximately $3.24. We do not anticipate providing any further updates or commentary until our scheduled earnings release on February 4, 2013.

The new EPS expectation is below analysts' forecast calling for $3.26 per share.

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The Definitive History Of Deep-Fried Foods

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Food is the most delicious when it's deep fried – that's an indisputable fact. What is disputable, though, are the origins of deep-fried foods.

So, how did we get from fish 'n' chips to deep-fried butter? Watch here to learn everything you need to know about the history of deep-fried foods:

 

Produced by William Wei

SEE ALSO: The Secret To Making One Of The Tastiest Sandwiches In New York City

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Chinese Customers Are Still Flocking To KFC Despite A Huge Food Safety Scare

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chinese man eating KFC

Chinese customers of KFC, the biggest fast food chain in the country, said Wednesday they would still patronise it despite a government food safety investigation which has hit sales.

US-based Yum! Brands Inc., whose portfolio includes KFC and Pizza Hut, said this week that sales in its key China market fell more than expected in the fourth quarter in the wake of the probe into excess antibiotic levels in chickens.

Yum's New York-listed stock fell 4.2 percent on Tuesday after the news.

China's commercial hub of Shanghai and the northern province of Shanxi said last month that they were investigating KFC suppliers over claims of high levels of antibiotics in chicken.

But at a KFC in downtown Shanghai, one of more than 4,000 of the chain's restaurants in China, lines still formed at lunchtime — although some customers said they had cut back amid the food safety worries.

"I will still eat KFC food, but less often. It's cheap and convenient," office worker Zheng Daqian said.

Others said KFC was more trustworthy than small restaurants, given China's repeated food safety scandals.

"If you dig further, how many restaurants in China are better than KFC? I believe KFC will solve the issue," said white collar worker Zhu Lei.

Chinese consumers are regularly hit with food scares ranging from cancer-causing toxins found in cooking oil to food items that are expired or contain dangerous chemicals and additives.

"Due to adverse publicity associated with a government review of China poultry supply... we now expect China division same-store sales to be minus six percent for the fourth quarter of 2012," Yum said in a statement earlier this week.

The company had previously predicted a four percent fall but cited a "significant impact" on KFC China sales in the last two weeks of December.

Yum previously said it was cooperating with the government review and the two suppliers under investigation represented an "extremely small" percentage of its chicken.

China's agriculture ministry has said it was investigating reports that poultry producers were giving supplements to chickens, but it did not name Yum.

China was rocked by one of its biggest-ever food safety scandals in 2008 when the industrial chemical melamine was found to have been illegally added to dairy products, killing at least six babies and making 300,000 ill.

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KFC's Parent: 'We Regret Shortcomings In Our Self-Checking Process

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kfc chicken

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Fast-food chain KFC's parent Yum Brands Inc apologized to customers in China over its handling of a recent food scare that has hit the company's sales in its biggest market.

"We regret shortcomings in our self-checking process, a lack of internal communication," Su Jingshi, chairman and chief executive of Yum China, wrote on the company's Weibo microblog.

Yum, which gets more than half of its revenue and operating profit from China, warned on Monday that bad publicity from the safety review of its chicken suppliers had hit sales in China harder than expected in the fourth quarter.

Subsequent findings by the Shanghai Food and Drug Administration found the levels of antibiotics and steroids in Yum's current batch of KFC chicken supply were safe, though the watchdog found a suspicious level of an antiviral drug in one of the eight samples tested.

The scandal erupted when the official China Central Television reported in late December that some of the chicken supplied to KFC and McDonald's Corp contained excess amounts of antiviral drugs and hormones used to accelerate growth.

A spokesman for Yum told Reuters on Tuesday that the firm had stopped using the two suppliers before the official probe was announced, after its own random tests showed they were not meeting Yum's own standards.

LACK OF TRANSPARENCY

Yum's Su also apologized for the company's failure to actively report test results to the government and a lack of transparency and speed in its external communication.

Nonetheless, the bad publicity has hurt KFC's image in China, where Western brands are often regarded as safer and higher quality than Chinese peers, an important factor as food safety is often near the top of the list of consumer concerns.

"They do finally apologize now, but it's too late. I don't know if other people will forgive them or not, but I certainly won't!" wrote Jackson_Dong on popular microblog site Sina Weibo.

Yum, which has more than 5,100 restaurants in China and is the largest Western restaurant operator in China, pulled some products in 2005 because they contained "Sudan Red" dye, which was banned from use in food due to concerns it could lead to an increased risk of cancer.

(Reporting by Adam Jourdan and Shanghai Newsroom; Editing by Ryan Woo)

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KFC Cuts More Than 1,000 Suppliers After China Chicken Scare

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kfc shanghai woman

Fast food giant KFC has cut more than 1,000 farms from its supplier network in China to ensure food safety after a scandal over tainted chicken hurt sales in the key market last year.

The issue came to light when China's commercial hub of Shanghai and the northern province of Shanxi said in December that they were investigating KFC suppliers over claims of high levels of antibiotics in chicken.

The food scare caused a six percent fall in the China sales of KFC's parent Yum! Brands in the fourth quarter last year, deeper than its previous estimate of a four percent decline.

KFC will stop using chicken farms that have potential risk, improve the screening process of suppliers and step up self-inspections to address food safety concerns, the company said in a statement late Monday.

"It will always be our top priority to provide customers with the safest chicken with the best quality," Yum China's chairman and chief executive, Sam Su, said in the statement.

"We have seen some safety problems from the incident... and we aim to address the issue within the shortest time."

KFC also pledged to enhance communication with the government and the public, after the Chinese arm of Yum admitted last month that it failed to inform authorities about tests showing high levels of antibiotics in chicken.

Yum was aware of the issue through testing by a third-party in 2010 and 2011 but did not report to the authorities, the Shanghai government said in December.

China has seen several food safety incidents in recent years, including one of the biggest in 2008, when the industrial chemical melamine was found in dairy products which killed at least six babies and made 300,000 ill.

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KFC Hopes This Strange New Slogan Is The Next 'Where's The Beef'

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After three years of development and testing, KFC is unrolling a new menu item it hopes will help the company turn around: boneless original recipe chicken. It's twice the size of one of the restaurant's chicken strips, with none of the bones.

And with the new game-changing item comes what KFC and ad agency DraftFCB Chicago hope will take the nation by storm: the new slogan, "I ate the bones."

According to USA Today, wishful-thinking execs"hope the phrase will instantly go viral and become a popular obsession, reminiscent of Wendy's old charmer of a slogan, 'Where's the beef?'"

However, "I ate the bones" doesn't have a double entendre working in its favor. (Not to mention it lacks the juxtaposition of a sweet old lady screaming out a potentially lewd phrase.) 

Two ads, directed by "Silver Linings Playbook" Oscar nominee David O. Russell, show a dad and a businessman on his lunch break scarfing down their snacks and then screaming "I ate the bones."

Even though KFC execs hope that the boneless meat will attract Millennials — spokesman Rick Maynard told HuffPost, "younger people don't tend to be fans of bones — they've grown up with nuggets,"— the new ads don't really have a young vibe.

The full commercials aren't posted on YouTube yet, but when you search "I ate the bones!" you'll find this video of a little boy pretending that he, well, ate all the bones.

Although the KFC campaign has been in the works for years and this YouTube was posted in January, could this child be the inspiration behind the campaign?

Watch the classic "Where's the Beef?" campaign KFC has challenged and let us know what you think.

SEE ALSO: Facebook's Weird New 'Home' Ad Triggers Wave Of Negative Reaction

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Bird Flu Has Been Bad News For KFC China's Chicken Sales (YUM)

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kfc china

KFC is huge in China.

But lately, KFC's China sales have struggled due to concerns over the avian flu.

In a new regulatory filing, parent company YUM! Brands reports that KFC March same-store sales fell 16 percent in China.

"Within the past week, publicity associated with Avian flu in China has had a significant, negative impact on KFC sales," said management. "Historically in these situations, we have educated consumers that properly cooked chicken is perfectly safe to eat, and we will continue to do so. We do not anticipate providing any further updates regarding China Division same-store sales until our scheduled first-quarter earnings release on April 23, 2013."

The company expects to release April same-store sales on May 10.

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KFC's New Turnaround Slogan Is Eerily Similar To 7-Year-Old Canadian Ad

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Earlier this week, KFC rolled out a new ad campaign— directed by Oscar nominated David O'Russell — that execs hope will turn around the struggling fast food chain.

In fact, USA Today described KFC execs' hopes that the new slogan for boneless original recipe chicken, "I ate the bones," would "instantly go viral and become a popular obsession, reminiscent of Wendy's old charmer of a slogan 'Where's the beef?'"

While that probably wasn't going to happen to begin with, a source emailed Business Insider to point out that the new catch phrase in the DraftFCB Chicago ad looks strangely familiar to Young & Rubicam Toronto's KFC campaign from more than seven years ago. Although it only ran in Canada.

Here's one of two new ads, in which a child tells her dad "I think you ate the bones" (a phrase that the father then repeats contemplatively) after he eats a tub of chicken.

The new commercial isn't too different from Y&R Toronto's old spot in which a young guy is sitting on his couch eating KFC wings only to be interrupted by his roommates ranting, "You ate the bones?""Dude you can't eat the bones!" When he tries to explain that they're boneless, the roommates scream, "Don't talk, they'll lodge in your throat!" 

The Y&R ad is more high octane — the roommate eventually gets rushed into an ambulance — but it's a similar theme and a similar slogan.

"These things happen, but you'd hope clients would be aware of what's been done for their brand in the past," Ian Schwey, a creative who worked on the Y&R campaign and is currently a CD at doug & serge, told BI.

DraftFCB did not immediately respond to a call for comment. We will update once we hear back.

SEE ALSO: Carl's Jr. Outsmarted The Censors Who Banned This Risqué Ad >

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KFC Japan President Spends $21,500 On Colonel Sanders' Original White Suit, Promptly Tries It On

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colonel sanders suit japan

DALLAS (AP) — The president and chief executive of Kentucky Fried Chicken Japan purchased the trademark white suit worn by company founder "Colonel" Harland Sanders at auction Saturday for $21,510 — then promptly tried it on.

Masao "Charlie" Watanabe grinned while putting on the suit jacket and black string tie at the Heritage Auctions event, standing beneath a photograph of Sanders. He had already planned to attend a company marketing meeting in Dallas, but arrived early after he found out about the auction, he said.

Watanabe was one of hundreds of in-person, telephone and online bidders vying for various items, including a gun belt owned by legendary outlaw Jesse James and leg irons that restrained abolitionist John Brown.

Watanabe also bought a mini-collection of Sanders' memorabilia — including his 1973 Kentucky driver's license — for $1,912.

Sanders is a popular figure in Japan, and most KFC restaurants there have statues of him in front, Watanabe said. He plans to display the suit at a restaurant in Tokyo.

"Every child in Japan knows Colonel Sanders' face and his uniform," Watanabe told The Associated Press through a translator.

Sanders was named a "Kentucky colonel" by the state's governor in 1935, five years after he began cooking meals for travelers who stopped at his gas station, according to his biography on the KFC website.

Earlier Saturday, the leg irons used on Brown after his failed 1859 raid on a federal arsenal in Harpers Ferry, in what is now West Virginia, sold for $13,145. The winning bidder declined to be identified.

Many scholars believe Brown's raid hastened the start of the Civil War as he escalated tensions between North and South by trying to incite an armed insurrection. The Connecticut native and some followers seized the arsenal, hoping to provide 100,000 weapons to slaves who never joined them. Brown later was hanged after going on trial in Virginia for treason, murder and inciting a rebellion.

James' gun belt, one of two that he owned at the time of his death, sold for $16,730. The buyer was not immediately known.

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KFC Is Testing An Upmarket Restaurant With Only Boneless Chicken

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KFC_Home_Basejpg.

KFC is testing an upmarket restaurant called "KFC eleven," but don't expect to see the Colonel or any bones.

The new outpost will open near KFC's headquarters in Louisville, Ky. and will offer flatbreads, rice bowls, salads and only boneless, Original recipe chicken, according to Candice Choi at The Associated Press.

"Fast-casual" chains are the fastest growing segment of the restaurant industry, and more traditional fast-food businesses are struggling to retain customers and draw new ones. Women in particular are a group KFC hopes to draw in with the new concept.

The AP reported that the decision to serve only boneless wings was made in an effort to cater to customers in their 20s and 30s who are accustomed to eating chicken nuggets. The restaurant was also concerned about the logistics of constructing a new restaurant capable of cooking chicken on-the-bone and boneless.

The name "KFC eleven" is a reference to the the 11 herbs and spices used in the Original Recipe. Plans for two more of the restaurants are in the works, according to the AP.

KFC joins McDonald's and Wendy's in the quest to attract millennials to restaurants.

Wendy's just released a Shake Shack-esque pretzel burger, while McDonald's is banking on the McWrap to bring in young consumers. 

SEE ALSO: This Map Shows The Most Famous Brand From Every State

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Fast Food Employees Keep Posting Gross Photos Online

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Fast food chains such as Burger King, Wendy's, and Subway have been in the news quite a bit lately for gross photos that supposedly show employees messing around with food.

When the photos go viral online  even if employees claim they were just pulling a prank — they can be damaging to a brand.

Here's a run-down of some recent gross fast food photos that have become popular on the Internet:

Burger King

Burger King

A Burger King restaurant in Mayfield Heights, Ohio fired three employees after this photo of a worker standing in two bins of lettuce was posted on the local newspaper's Facebook page. The photo went viral on 4Chan. 

In another unfortunate incident for Burger King, in 2008 an employee was shown bathing in a giant sink in the restaurant and calling himself "Mr. Unstable." He posted the video on MySpace and was fired after health officials caught on, Fox News reported at the time.

Taco Bell

taco bell peed nachos

This viral photo allegedly shows a Fort Wayne, Ind. Taco Bell employee urinating on a plate of nachos. He posted the photo to his Twitter account and was later fired.

taco bell employee licking shells

Last month, another Taco Bell employee was fired after the above photo was posted to the company's Facebook page. The picture was apparently snapped during an employee training session and the taco shells were not meant for customers.

Wendy's

Wendy's Frosty

Also last month, a Wendy's employee was shown in a photo guzzling Frosty ice cream directly from the machine. This came around the time Wendy's was promoting its new waffle cones.

KFC

KFC employee licking mashed potatoes

This KFC employee was photographed licking a mound of mashed potatoes at the restaurant. The picture was posted to a local news station's Facebook page and garnered more than 2,000 shares and 700 comments.

The employee was fired, and KFC released a statement saying the photo was taken after the restaurant closed and the food was not served.

Subway

Subway sandwich photo

Most recently, two Subway employees were let go after numerous Instagram photos surfaced that showed the "sandwich artists" defiling food and freezing pee at the restaurant. The above employee said he put his genitals on a loaf of sandwich bread, but added that he did it at home and not at Subway.

What motivates these employees to behave badly? Brand consultant Laura Ries told USA Today that "The majority of [fast food chain] workers are young adults armed with cellphones and getting paid minimum wage. It is the nature of the beast."

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KFC Is Sending Fried Chicken To A Family Who Woke Up With A 7ft Tall Empty Bucket In Their Yard

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Last week, a Georgia family was surprised to find a 7ft tall KFC bucket in their back yard.

“I was driving by, I saw this giant Kentucky Fried Chicken bucket in my yard, and I thought for sure I was hallucinating,” Aleena Headrick told the local NBC affiliate. "It's unusual but it makes really landmarks to our house. We can just say, 'come down to the giant KFC bucket and turn right.'"

KFC's PR team immediately jumped on the strange news event, asking Facebook fans what they would do if they woke up to the same circumstance.

kfc bucket

One wise commenter noted, "I don't know but there better be chicken inside of it."

But alas, the bucket was empty. So KFC's PR team is going to do something about it.

"We have been in touch with her and we’re working on a date when we can deliver Kentucky Fried Chicken and all the fixings for her and her family,” a spokesman said.

The chain officially changed its name from Kentucky Fried Chicken to KFC in 1991. The sign is estimated to be 30 to 40 years old. It was dropped off for the Headrick's landlord, who collects signs in his spare time.

SEE ALSO: McDonald's Didn't Put Its Name On This New Series Of Experimental Ads In France

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‘Vanity Sizing’ Is Becoming A Necessity In China

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Hong Kong Gap

International clothing retailers have long struggled to find a balance in their global sizing policies in order to cater to both their super-size American and petite Chinese customers, but a concerning new report on China’s rising obesity rate may see them making adjustments in the future to their China clothing sizes.

The practice of “vanity sizing,” or offering roomier fits in items claiming to be a smaller size on the label, is well known to retailers in the American clothing market, where brands need to deal with the fact that the average customer is both larger and more insecure about their clothing size. Until now, foreign companies have had the exact opposite problem in China, where their hamburger-friendly helpings of fabric have left thin Chinese consumers with limited fitting options.

Finding the right fit has long been a challenge for retailers in China, whose “vanity” sizes have forced them to make major adjustments. Fast-fashion brands and mid-range American companies have especially had to make big changes when they entered Asia: Gap, for example, has to provide a size XXXS in China in order to make up for the size difference. According to a recent report on Minyanville,

Overall, Chinese people are smaller than their Western counterparts, so size XXL won’t sell well here. In 2008, Alvanon, an expert global size and fit organization, conducted the most extensive collection of body scan research in China. The research showed that the average Chinese woman is 5’4” tall and weighs 125 pounds, while the average Chinese man is 5’8” and 145 pounds. These measurements — as compared to the average American woman who is 5’4” and 155 pounds, and the average American man who 5’9” and 191 pounds — show a significant difference between Chinese and American buyers. However, height and weight alone do not tell the whole story. Not only are Chinese people smaller on average, but their proportions are also different.

This all may be set to change, however, as the size of China’s waistlines may be growing along with the country’s GDP.

According to a troubling report this week from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of obese people in China under the age of 18 is now up to 120 million. According to People’s Daily:

In 2010, a national survey showed the obesity rate for people aged over 18 was 12 percent and the overweight rate was 30 percent.

In the past 10 years, the average weight increase in Chinese people has been almost equivalent to the average weight gain among people in Western countries over the past 30 years, said Wang Mei, a researcher at the China Institute of Sports Science.

Excessive eating and drinking caused obesity problem, which could increase the country’s healthcare burden, said Ma Guansheng, an expert at the center.

Fast food chains such as KFC and McDonald’s are prevalent in China, and with a middle-class population roughly the same size as that of the United States, their prices allow for regular consumption by a vast number of people. For the upper-middle and affluent classes who may not be scarfing down daily big macs, high-calorie Western staples such as wine, chocolate, and even cheese are all gaining in popularity.

Let’s all hope for China’s sake that public health officials and experts can get a grip on this problem before it gets out of hand like it is in the United States. It is certainly possible for countries to develop quickly, have access to fast food restaurants, and not have massive numbers of overweight people — take Japan, for example, where retailers also have to grapple with fitting adjustments.

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This Map Shows The Most Popular Chain Restaurants In Each State

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five guys burger

First there was this Corporate States of America map, and it was interesting.

Then things got boozier.

Then we realized that America probably needed a food map to soak all that booze up.

This is an attempt to maximize the most noteworthy restaurant chain (with an emphasis on fast food where possible) associated with each state.

Could mean it was founded there.

Could mean it's headquartered there.

Could mean both.

There were some tough calls (click here for more detail on the decision-making process), see if you agree with them.

Again, this was done with an eye towards businesses with local resonance but national notoriety. Except for the Dakotas. What are we going to do with you, Dakotas?

To view the full map go to Thrillist >

See the original post and map at Thrillist.

fast food map from Thrillist

SEE ALSO: This Map Shows The Most Famous Booze From Every State

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KFC Japan Is Going To Start Selling Deep-Fried Soup

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KFC's Deep Fried Soup

In what seems like an apparent one-upsmanship act against American county fairs, the folks at KFC Japan have recently announced they will be offering a deep-fried soup product this month.

According to RocketNews24, one of the current items that sits as a “common fixture in Japanese cafes” is a creamy soup corn potage. The result apparently includes KFC launching a deep-fried corn potage fritter, describing their process in a frighteningly nonchalant manner, “We bread the corn potage and cook it to a crisp.”

The deep fried soup will be available for a limited time only at KFC locations across Japan starting September 5th.

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