• KFC Crocs will finally come out on July 28 at noon Eastern Time.
• The clogs are painted to look like a KFC fried chicken bucket and are topped with chicken-scented drumstick Jibbitz charms, and will be sold on Croc's website.
• The shoe collab first premiered at New York Fashion Week in February, where they were modeled by Korean artist MLMA.
• The shoes will be $60 per pair, and $3 from each pair will go towards the KFC Foundation's scholarship fund for employees.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Nobody asked for it, but they made it. The long-awaited shoe collaboration between KFC and Crocs will finally roll out to the public on July 28.

Chicken and clog come together in eye-gouging, toe-licking splendor with KFC's new Crocs. Topped with chicken-scented, drumstick-shaped Jibbitz charms (not edible), the KFC Crocs will be sold on Croc's website starting July 28 at 12:00 pm Eastern Time. 

The bucket clogs, which originally premiered at New York Fashion Week in February, were supposed to come out in the spring. Sky-high platform versions were modeled by Korean artist MLMA (MeLoveMeAlot), but sadly for the vertically challenged, the platform version is for sale.

But since the original announcement, there's been effective radio silence from all sides — until Thursday, when Eater reported that the Crocs were about to be in stock.

A KFC spokesperson confirmed to Business Insider that the price for the shoes will still be $60, as announced in the original press release in February. For every pair sold, KFC will donate $3 to the KFC Foundation's REACH Educational Grant Program, which provides college scholarships to KFC employees at participating restaurants.

SEE ALSO: KFC will test lab-grown chicken nuggets made with a 3D bioprinter this fall in Russia

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• Robots are increasingly taking over retail spaces and restaurants.
• Their role has become especially vital during the pandemic as businesses look for new ways to enforce social distancing and no-contact service.
• We rounded up 20 retail and restaurant robots. It's up to you to decide: are they cute, creepy, or both?
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The robots were created by man. So far, they haven't evolved, rebelled, or formed a plan to kill all humans, but they're definitely more present than ever in daily life.

In the last few years, robots have entered our public spaces in a way only previously imagined in science-fiction books, movies, and TV. They've leapt from popular imagination into the aisles of warehouses and grocery stores, into restaurant kitchens and dining rooms.

Not only do robots play an important health and safety role during the pandemic — often testing for coronavirus and doing temperature scans— they're more necessary than ever before to allow businesses to reopen in a safe and socially distanced way.

Take a look at some of the Most Valuable Droids of retail below and decide for yourself: cute or creepy? Or both?

SEE ALSO: KFC will test lab-grown chicken nuggets made with a 3D bioprinter this fall in Russia

DON'T MISS: Redefine Meat's CEO reveals the tech creating its 3D-printed "alt-steak" that raised $6m in a seed round from the investors behind Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat

A restaurant in Hangzhou, China has a robot chef that looks like Ultraman, a Japanese anime character. This chef robot slices noodles in the kitchen.

Source:Getty

Flippy, a robot chef arm made by Miso Robotics, is used in stadiums and select restaurants. This fall, White Castle will start testing Flippy in one of its restaurants.

Read more:Meet Flippy, White Castle's new robot chef that can fry food and flip burgers

In Japan's Huis Ten Bosch amusement park, a robot named "Andrew" makes okonomiyaki at Hen-na Restaurant.

Source: World Economic Forum

As part of KFC's "fast food of the future" initiative in Russia, the chicken chain is testing a fully-automated fried chicken preparation system.

Source: The Takeout

Starship Technologies' tiny sidecar-on-wheels robots have been tested widely as a convenient (and now contactless) food and grocery last-mile delivery method. Starship robots have been tested by Postmates and Doordash.

Read more:Investors are betting $85 million that hungry students will normalize these robot food delivery workers of the future

Softbank's humanoid Pepper robot is being used around the world. In Germany, chain grocer Edeka introduced Pepper robots in its stores to help people social distance and stay safe during the pandemic.

Source:Retail Tech Innovation Hub

Walmart has staffed 1,000 of its stores with Bossa Nova robots, which stock shelves and help keep track of inventory. The six-foot robots contain 15 cameras that can scan aisles.

Read more: Walmart is bringing robots to 650 more stores as the retailer ramps up automation in stores nationwide

In Moscow, Russia, some Lenta supermarkets are staffed with Promobot robots, which roll around the stores and announce discounts and promotions. They also recognize regular customers and can do product demonstrations.

Source:Grocery Dive

In 2019, regional supermarket chain Giant Eagle started testing Tally robots at its stores. Tally robots, which are made by Simbe Robotics, scan shelves to keep track of stock.

Source:Supermarket News

Hundreds of Stop and Shop and Giant Foods stores are home to the googly-eyed robot Marty, who has become a customer favorite. Marty also played a key role in a murder suspect's alibi in January.

Read more:A high-profile murder case hinges on an alibi involving a googly-eyed grocery-store robot named Marty

There are many restaurants around the world that utilize waiter robots, including this one in Qingdao, China. "Tete" delivers food to guests and can speak over 200 words.

Source:Getty

This Chinese server robot made by Kewang Trade Corporation plunges deep into uncanny valley territory with its human-like visage. It can also carry more than 35 kilograms (just over 77 pounds).

Source:Getty

A robot waiter at a restaurant in Wuhan, China has expressive eyes on an LED screen.

Source:Getty

Chinese hotpot chain Haidilao employs non-humanoid robot servers that make facial expressions and speak to guests.

Read more:A massively popular Chinese restaurant chain is trying to take over the world with snarky robots, free snacks and hand massages, and a noodle dancer. Here's why I loved it.

"Robot" restaurant in Chennai employs seven female-esque robot waiters. The robots glide around on magnetic strips to serve customers their food.

Source:Scroll.in

Meet Ruby the robot waitress, who serves customers at Drink and Spice Magics restaurant in Dubai.

Source:The National UAE

In Naulo restaurant in Kathmandu, Nepal's first robot waiter, Ginger, speaks both English and Nepali, and was built by 25 Nepali engineers.

Source: Dunya News

The Gran Caffé Rapallo in Liguria was the first restaurant in Italy to employ robots as waiters.

Source:Getty

In Kabul, Afghanistan, a Japanese robot named Timea that serves patrons of Times Fast Food has earned the nickname "Nazo," or "beautiful" in the Dari language.

Source:The National

The Pepper Parlor in Tokyo, Japan is staffed by Softbank's Pepper and NAO robots. Pepper robots, which are used around the world, serve patrons while NAO robots dance and entertain them.

• The long-awaited KFC x Crocs shoe collaboration sold out within half an hour after they launched at 12:00 pm Eastern Time on Tuesday.
• Fans took to social media to express their disappointment, with some saying that they'd been waiting in line since before the official launch time.
• One user blamed shoe resellers for using bots to snatch up the clogs — a common tactic used by many in the sneaker industry.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

KFC's long-awaited shoe collaboration with Crocs went for sale at 12:00 pm Eastern Time on Tuesday, and they sold out half an hour from their launch.

Just half an hour after the shoes launched, KFC posted on Twitter at 12:31 pm that the shoes had already sold out. Fans that had been waiting in a virtual line to purchase the shoes expressed disappointment that they were unable to buy a pair. Some Twitter users blamed "bots and scalpers" for the shoe's quick sellout.

Sneaker and footware resellers do use bots to snatch up shoes right when they're released, making it harder for ordinary citizens to buy a hyped-up collab like the KFC x Crocs. A Facebook user criticized KFC for not offering the clogs on pre-order and instead choosing to release the shoes in an event, saying that this allowed bots to buy most of the shoes.

A KFC spokesperson confirmed to Business Insider that there were no plans to produce more KFC x Crocs shoes.

The shoe collab, which features clogs painted like fried chicken buckets topped with a chicken-scented charm, was  first unveiled at New York Fashion Week in February.

SEE ALSO: Chipotle is giving away free guac — here's how to get it

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• KFC is temporarily suspending its iconic "Finger Lickin' Good" motto amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
• The company said in a statement that the 64-year-old slogan "doesn't feel quite right" in 2020 as health experts urge people to wash their hands often and avoid touching their faces to avoid infection.
• The motto will still be featured on products but the words "Finger Lickin'" blurred out on products in the UK, Canada, and parts of Asia. Packaging will not be altered in the US, FOX Business reported.
• "We find ourselves in a unique situation — having an iconic slogan that doesn't quite fit in the current environment," Catherine Tan-Gillespie, global chief marketing officer at KFC, said in a statement.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

KFC will temporarily suspend its "Finger Lickin' Good" slogan citing hygienic concerns amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The slogan suspension is featured as part of an ad campaign in certain countries, with the brand blurring out the words "finger lickin'" from the company's iconic motto.

The campaign is set to appear in "the United Kingdom, Canada, the Netherlands, the Middle East, North Africa, South Africa and parts of Asia," a spokesperson for KFC told FOX Business, but will not be altered in the US.

The company said in a statement that the slogan "doesn't feel quite right" as health experts urge people to wash their hands and avoid touching their faces and mouths to prevent infection.

"We find ourselves in a unique situation — having an iconic slogan that doesn't quite fit in the current environment," Catherine Tan-Gillespie, global chief marketing officer at KFC, said in a statement.

She added that, while the company is pausing its famous motto, the fast-food chain's menu will not change, and the company will re-adopt the slogan "when the time is right."

KFC has used the "Finger Lickin' Good" slogan for more than 60 years. 

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KFC is rolling out contactless pick-up lockers to some of its restaurants in Japan.

After customers order and pay for their fast food via their phones, staff cook the order and put it into one of the lockers.

Customers then enter their order code on a small pin pad to open the locker doors and collect their food, as shown in the video below.

The lockers can be used for both food and drink, suggesting they are not heated.

Customers can order food in advance and select a collection time, which reduces the number of customers waiting in restaurants.

Food delivery drivers can also use the lockers to collect orders.

Depending on the time of day, staff may also hand customers orders over the counter, KFC added in its press release.

KFC began trialling the lockers on Tuesday at four restaurants in Japan, including two in Tokyo. The fast food giant said it plans to roll out the lockers on a larger scale in Japan in the future.

KFC uses similar lockers at an outlet in Moscow that it has dubbed a "restaurant of the future."

The automated store, which has minimum human contact, uses conveyor belts and robots to put food orders in lockers at the front of the store. Customers retrieve their food using a code, and can pay either by card or using a biometric facial recognition system.

KFC's Singapore sites also added lower-tech contactless collection in March where customers order on their app and collect their food from a designated table.

SEE ALSO: Michelin says it sent food reviewers to Burger King after the fast-food chain begged for a chance to be awarded one of its coveted stars

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KFC is celebrating the holiday season by bringing back some vintage buckets. 

On Monday, the chicken chain announced it will re-release its 1966 and 1971 US holiday buckets, as well as debut a vintage-inspired 2020 design. The 1966 and 1971 buckets were precisely recreated, with the '66 bucket featuring KFC's retired tagline: ""North America's Hospitality Dish." 

The holiday buckets will be available in all US KFC locations starting on November 24. The company said in a press release that KFC will only provide a limited supply of the 1966 and 1971 buckets. 

"KFC bucket meals have been bringing people together around the dinner table for more than 60 years," said Andrea Zahumensky, KFC's US CMO, said in a statement.

"Even though the holidays may look a little different this year, we hope our holiday buckets help everyone hark back to a simpler time and bring some comfort and joy to your homes and your families throughout the season," Zahumensky continued. 

KFC is far from the only brand tapping into nostalgia in 2020.

Business Insider's Tanya Dua reported in October that brands are relying on nostalgia marketing, as people crave comfort during the pandemic. Chips Ahoy, Burger King, and AT&T all brought back retired mascots or brand spokespeople in recent months, while Budweiser revamped its 1999 "Whassup" ad. 

Read more:How brands like Chips Ahoy and Kraft are boosting sales by playing to people's cravings for comfort in the pandemic

Krystine Batcho, a psychology professor at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York, told Dua that the new reliance on nostalgia is "grounded in a sense of collective loss that we're all feeling for having suddenly lost so many of the things that we took for granted." 

"These conditions make it even more likely that people would gravitate toward this kind of marketing," Batcho continued. 

SEE ALSO: How brands like Chips Ahoy and Kraft are boosting sales by playing to people's cravings for comfort in the pandemic

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Lifetime on Monday announced a cinematic short-film about KFC founder Colonel Sanders. 

"A Recipe for Seduction," will premiere Sunday, December 13, and stars Mario Lopez as the chicken chain's larger-than-life founder.

According to a press release, the mini-movie "is full of mystery, suspense, deception, 'fowl' play and at the heart of it all ... love and fried chicken."

Twitter was quickly full of reactions about the film, causing Mario Lopez and Lifetime to trend on the website throughout the day. 

This isn't the first time KFC has made the colonel the object of someone's affection. 

In 2017, the fast-food chain announced a romance novel called "Tender Wings of Love" in which the Colonel falls in love with a woman who doesn't want to marry a rich duke. And last year, KFC released a simulation game called "I Love You Colonel Sanders: A Finger Licking Good Dating Simulator" in which the end goal was to date Colonel Sanders. 

"A Recipe for Seduction" premieres on December 13 at 12 p.m. Eastern on Lifetime. It will also be available to stream on Lifetime's website, Lifetime apps, and other video-on-demand platforms.

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The fast-food chain KFC has created a new high-end gaming console that comes with a built-in "chicken chamber" to keep your chicken warm while you play.

KFC teamed up with Cooler Master to create the "KFConsole," the chicken chain said in a statement on Tuesday. It is essentially a high-end gaming PC with components made by Intel, Asus, and Seagate.

It's a powerful machine: KFC says it can run games at 4K resolution at 240 frames per second — more than the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X can manage. It can also run virtual-reality games, according to KFC and Cooler Master's website.

The bucketlike console has a cooling system that transfers the heat produced by the components to the chicken chamber, helping to keep the hardware cool and the "finger lickin' good" chicken warm.

"The Bargain Bucket-shaped machine features the world's first built in chicken chamber, which is kitted out to keep its contents hot, ready for consumption during intense gaming sessions," KFC said.

Cooler Master didn't immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment. An Intel spokesperson said they didn't have anything additional to share at this stage beyond the details on the Cooler Master website.

The cost and release date of the KFConsole haven't yet been announced.

It also includes an Intel Nuc 9 Extreme Compute Element and two Seagate BarraCuda 1TB SSD drives for storage, Cooler Master said.

"This machine is capable of running games at top-level specs, all on top of keeping your meal warm for you to enjoy during your gaming experience ... what's not to like?" Mark Cheevers, the public-relations and social-media lead at KFC UK and Ireland, said in the statement.

"If Sony or Microsoft want any tips on how to engineer a chicken chamber for their efforts next time, they'd be welcome to get in touch," he said.

Stephen James, the global PR and influencer manager at Cooler Master, said in the press release: "When we were approached by KFC Gaming to make the KFConsole, we jumped at the chance to get involved and enter the console war."

He added: "The KFConsole has been custom built with the gamer at the front of mind. The last thing we want is anyone to go hungry while playing!"

Read more:McDonald's president pledges to do a 'better job' on transparency with franchisees after operators take a stand against shifting costs

One Twitter user responded to KFC's tweet by asking how "Cyberpunk 2077," which has sold more than 13 million copies, would run on the console. KFC replied: "It runs better than any console."

This isn't the only mind-boggling invention KFC has come up with in recent years.

In February, the fast-food chain collaborated with Crocs to create shoes with fried chicken painted on them, topped with a chicken-scented charm. The shoes sold out within half an hour after their launch in July.

KFC announced the release of its 11 Herbs & Spices Firelog in December 2018 — basically a log that smells like fried chicken.

SEE ALSO: KFC is replacing its iconic potato wedges with fries, and customers are furious

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NEXT UP: Every difference between UK and US KFC including portion sizes, calories, and exclusive items

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KFC is reigniting the chicken sandwich wars only one week into 2021 with the introduction of a new sandwich, available in nine US cities starting Thursday. 

The fried chicken chain tested the new sandwich in Orlando, Florida last spring, and KFC said that sales were nearly double expectations, so "we knew we had a winner" chief marketing office Andrea Zahumensky said in a statement.

The sandwich, simply called the "KFC Chicken Sandwich," consists of a quarter-pound of white meat on a brioche bun with pickles and the option of spicy sauce or mayo. Beginning Thursday, it is available in Chicago, Kansas City, Louisville, Portland, St. Louis, Sacramento, San Francisco, Seattle, and Tulsa. By the end of February, customers can order the sandwich at any of the 4000 KFC locations across the US for $3.99.

Read more: How Dunkin' stole Starbucks' crown as king of social media in 2020 using TikTok stars, purple drinks, and coffee-scented candles

The chicken sandwich wars have been seemingly cold for some time, although Insider has reported on several chains gearing up to introduce competitors to Chick-fil-A and Popeyes, which both sell crispy chicken sandwiches with pickles. KFC seemingly takes a shot at Chick-fil-A in its statement, saying that the sandwich "will be available seven days a week," while Chick-fil-A is famously closed on Sundays. 

McDonald's plans to roll out three new chicken sandwiches in late February, and Burger King was spotted testing out a chicken sandwich in October. Wendy's also released a new "classic chicken sandwich" in October, replacing the older "homestyle chicken sandwich."

Yum Brands, which owns KFC along with Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and other chains, had a relatively good 2020 compared to other restaurant chains, with sales increasing more than $1 billion in Q3 compared to 2019. KFC sales declined slightly, which was offset by Taco Bell's gains in a year when the chain cut popular menu items and improved drive-thru performance.

SEE ALSO: Chipotle is launching cauliflower rice as customers demand keto-friendly options, but it costs almost as much extra as guac

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Food lockers have boomed in popularity during the pandemic as a contactless way for customers to collect food.

Chains including KFC, Burger King, and Smashburger have all announced plans to bring food lockers to their restaurants.

The trend has been around for way longer than the pandemic, and isn't just being used by restaurants.

Food lockers, in their most basic sense, are devices that are used to store food, often for customers to collect. In this way, they're a little like the Amazon Lockers located in neighborhoods, apartment blocks, and inside stores.

The lockers vary in size, and they can be different temperatures, too. Some are heated, while others are chilled, to keep food at the right temperature until customers can collect them. More high-tech models even use UV light to kill bacteria.

Fast food restaurants have rolled out food lockers during the pandemic

Though some restaurant chains already had them in the works pre-pandemic, many have pivoted to food lockers over the past year, as they focus on new methods for delivery and collection.

Customers can order food in advance online or via the restaurant's app and then pick it up from the locker.

Food delivery drivers can also use the lockers to collect orders.

Restaurants are experimenting with different ways for customers to unlock the lockers. In some cases, the lockers have a pinpad or touch screen. Cstomers need to enter a code sent to them when they placed their order. Other lockers can be opened by scanning a QR code or even by replying to a text message.

Food lockers can also help facilitate in-store social distancing during the pandemic. They remove the need for customers to interact with restaurant staff when it's not necessary. Many restaurants also let customers select a collection time when they place their order, which reduces the amount of time they spend waiting in the restaurant and the number of customers waiting there at the same time.

Burger King and Smashburger are rolling out new-look restaurants with food lockers this year.

KFC trialed food lockers at four restaurants in Japan in October, and it also uses similar lockers at its dubbed "restaurant of the future" in Moscow. The automated store, which involves minimum human contact, uses conveyor belts and robots to put food orders in lockers at the front of the store.

Customers retrieve their food using a code, and can pay either by card or using a biometric facial recognition system.

North Carolina-based chain Rise Southern Biscuits & Righteous Chicken is rolling out heated food lockers in some of its stores, too. The lockers are stacked on top of one another with individual heating systems.

"We just want people to feel safe, regardless of how they perceive the virus," Rise CEO, Tom Ferguson Jr., told Insider. "Not only do the food lockers provide a contactless transaction, they also add convenience. The biggest plus for us at Rise is it's freed us to focus on the culture in our kitchen that makes running a restaurant worth it."

Though the trend has been accelerated by the demand for contact-free collection, food lockers aren't a new phenomenon. Some fast food outlets were considering them before the pandemic.

Back in November 2018, Dunkin' said it was testing pickup lockers at its innovation lab. After placing an order for pickup on the Dunkin' app, users would simply go to the lockers, scan a QR code, grab their order, and go. Dunkin' said it envisioned locating the lockers in busy stores in cities like New York, so that customers on-the-go wouldn't have to wait on any lines.

Wingstop said in January 2019 it was looking to introduce the lockers to cut labor costs, noting that 75% of its business was collection.

Automats are like vending machines for hot food

Before restaurants started using them for customer pickup, automats were already using rows of food lockers to sell hot food. The world's first automat was opened in Berlin in 1895, though it looked very different to modern ones.

With a notable presence in countries including Spain, the Netherlands, and Japan, automats are like self-service vending machines where customers insert coins or use their card to buy hot food.

Individual food lockers sit on top of each other and are lined up in rows. Staff top them up throughout the day.

Automats require fewer employees and a smaller real estate footprint than standard fast food restaurants.

Horn and Hardart opened the US' first automat in Philadelphia 1902 and went on to dominate the industry in the US: By the 1950s, the company operated almost 50 automats in Philadelphia and more than 100 in New York.

The popularity of automats has since dwindled in the US, and Horn and Hardart's last NYC site closed in 1991. As software and hardware progressed, San Francisco chain Eatsa developed a chain of more high-tech alternatives, but it closed its doors in July 2019, too.

The pandemic, however, is giving automats a new lease of life. Some companies are trying to innovate beyond the traditional automat models, and "the time certainly seems right," according to Tim Sanford, editor of trade publication Vending Times.

While automats typically sell pre-made food, a new automat restaurant opened in New Jersey in 2021 that makes food to order. Automat Kitchen has a patented ordering and pick-up system that delivers items to customers through a wall of lockable LCD boxes.

Customers order in advance via its website and get texted a code when the order is ready. Rather than enter this code into the locker, they can also reply to the text message to open the locker – making it an entirely touch-free experience.

The Brooklyn Dumpling Shop is rolling out new-look automats, too. Its 24-hour locations, set to open in the spring, will let customers control their orders using their phone. The sites will range in size from 500 square feet to 1,000 square feet, and the lockers light up in blue for chilled items, and red for hot to-go orders.

Front- and back-of-house automation mean the restaurants could roughly halve their labor costs, developer Stratis Morfogen told Insider's Nancy Luna. The company plans to open a site at the Oculus at the World Trade Center with mega-mall developer Westfield, Morfogen said.

Food lockers are being brought to residential buildings, workplaces, and university campuses, too

Food lockers aren't limited to just restaurants.

Alchemista, which formerly provided corporate catering to clients including TripAdvisor and Moderna, has pivoted to providing patent-pending food lockers. The company is currently focused on expanding them to residential buildings, CEO Christine Marcus told Insider, but also plans to roll them out to offices, sports centers, and university campuses.

You scan the QR code to unlock the locker and then pay via your phone, meaning you don't even need an app to use them – and the whole process takes just four seconds, Marcus said.

Before the pandemic, companies were trying to boost their corporate perks with offerings such as free meals for staff. Marcus said these trends would continue after the pandemic but companies might pivot to food lockers rather than on-site catering to reduce their real estate footprint.

It will be a "very different world when people go back to work," she said.

SEE ALSO: Smashburger is opening 40 restaurants in 2021. Take a look at its plans for open kitchens, food lockers, and more.

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A tweet from Burger King UK that said "women belong in the kitchen" was criticized on the social-media site on Monday, International Women's Day.

The messaging wasn't the work of a social-media manager gone rogue — it was tied to the chain's launch on Monday of an initiative to help increase the number of women in head-chef roles. But it struck people on Twitter and Facebook the wrong way.

Some described the tweet as tone-deaf on a day meant to celebrate women. Others said they wouldn't eat at the restaurant anymore. And others joked about the fast-food chain's marketing team thinking the message would be a good idea.

A Twitter account associated with KFC said Burger King should have deleted the tweet after sending it. "Why would we delete a tweet that's drawing attention to a huge lack of female representation in our industry," Burger King replied.

Gender stereotypes are still alive. A 2016 study found that people were even more likely than 30 years earlier to believe in gender roles such as that women cook and clean.

"Burger King belongs in a trashcan," Chelsea Peretti, a comedian and actress from "Brooklyn Nine-Nine,"tweeted in response to Burger King. Still, the Burger King UK account added 10,000 followers on Monday.

Many people on Facebook reacted with the laughing emoji. Several commenters criticized those who didn't find it funny, while others said there should have been a better way to promote the new initiative.

"Our tweet in the UK today was designed to draw attention to the fact that only a small percentage of chefs and head chefs are women," a Burger King spokesperson said in an emailed statement to Insider. "It was our mistake to not include the full explanation in our initial tweet and have adjusted our activity moving forward because we're sure that when people read the entirety of our commitment, they will share our belief in this important opportunity."

In a separate statement, Global Chief Marketing Officer Fer Machado tweeted the company is "indeed sorry" about how the tweet came across, adding that "The intention behind the activity is actually good."

Burger King echoed its "women belong in the kitchen" messaging in an ad and a press release, adding that women "belong in fine dining kitchens, food truck kitchens, BK Restaurant kitchens, award-winning kitchens, casual dining kitchens, and ghost kitchens."

The fast-food chain said it was creating the Burger King Helping Equalize Restaurants, or HER, scholarship to support employees pursue a degree in culinary arts. "This is a start in doing our small part to help women in the culinary field achieve their ultimate goal," the company said in the press release, adding that women occupy only 7% of head-chef positions in restaurants.

Statistics from the US Labor Department have indicated that while more than half of culinary graduates are women, only about 20% of working chefs are women. The median pay for a chef was about $51,000 in 2019, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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A KFC worker filed a complaint detailing the violence and harassment she says she faced on the job. And she's not the only hourly worker facing similar issues. 

Laura Amaro filed a complaint Monday with CalOSHA, a state agency charged with ensuring workplace safety, and the Los Angeles County Public Health Department saying that she faced injury, threats, and harassment at her job.

Amaro says she was shot in the chest with a BB gun while working at the KFC's drive-thru area in late February. 

"It could have been a real gun," Amaro said. "It could have hit one of my eyes. And, they wouldn't care what happened to me. They wouldn't care if I had died or not. I have a daughter. They wouldn't care if my daughter was mother-less."

According to the complaint, Amaro was bleeding and had to pull a bullet out of her skin.

Read more: Workers file new sexual harassment complaints against McDonald's

"At first the shift leader said she was going to call an ambulance to get me medical attention, but she called the store manager first," reads the complaint, viewed by Insider. "The store manager told her that I was only going to have a bruise and not to call the paramedics, so she just gave me alcohol and a band-aid." 

Amaro says she was expected to work for six more hours, finishing her shift at 1 a.m. The next day, she told the shift leader she had to miss work to see a doctor. In the following weeks, the shift leader "retaliated against me by cutting my hours and changing my shifts so I cannot spend time with my daughter at home," according to the complaint. 

A KFC representative told Insider that it is committed to treating customers and employees with honesty and integrity, and creating a safe workplace. According to the representative, the Los Angeles location in question is "well-lit, includes extensive security cameras for monitoring employee safety, and it is protocol that back-of-house doors remain locked."

"Any claims of retaliation or mistreatment are investigated," the KFC representative said. "This franchisee puts a particular emphasis on employee wellbeing by providing training and anonymous feedback mechanisms for the protection of its team members, including an anonymous employee reporting hotline."

Amaro says she faced threats and harassment, including from anti-mask customers

While being shot with a BB gun and having her hours cut helped convince Amaro to file the complaint, she says she faced numerous instances of harassment and violence on the job. 

Amaro said that during her six months working at the KFC, she was cursed at by customers who were angry about having to wear a mask.

"You tell them to put on their mask and they get upset and say, 'Oh I don't have COVID,"' Amaro said. "When you say, I'm sorry, you can't come in here if you don't have a mask ... they get mad."

One customer threw a drink in Amaro's face when the location ran out of chicken breasts, according to the complaint. Another time, Amaro says she and a coworker had to stop an angry customer from entering the KFC location with a baseball bat. 

"When I was hired, the shift leader told me, 'To work here you have to have a lot of courage, because the customers will throw drinks at you and curse at you,' but that should not be acceptable at a workplace, especially to the extent of getting shot and suffering bodily injury," the complaint reads.

Amaro said she was also concerned about catching COVID-19 on the job, in part because she was not alerted when coworkers became ill.

"Out of respect for employee privacy and in compliance with HIPAA standards, team members are not proactively informed about individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19; however, any employee who is exposed or in proximity to the individual is notified and provided testing (paid for by the franchisee), as well as paid time off while employees are quarantined and awaiting results," a KFC representative said. "In this case, this particular employee had not been exposed to any team members who tested positive for the virus."

Additionally, Amaro said, social distancing was difficult, as the store was small and employees frequently have to work in close quarters. While some fast-food chains screen workers for COVID-19 symptoms, Amaro said that such practices were not mandatory at her location. 

A KFC representative said that the chain provided strict guidance around COVID-19 safety and cleanliness, including increasing the frequency of cleaning and sanitizing, providing masks and gloves for employees, and requiring social distancing "in lobbies and back-of-house wherever possible." When a positive case is detected, the representative said, the location undergoes additional sanitation. 

Fast-food workers' jobs can be dangerous, especially during the pandemic

Harassment and even violence on the job are unfortunate realities for many restaurant workers. 

Employees at chains including McDonald's,Waffle House, and Chili's have faced assault after trying to enforce COVID-19 safety precautions over the last year. Last summer, some restaurants decided to shut down dining to protect workers from harassment.

Anti-mask violence even prompted the CDC to issue specific guidance on how to protect retail and restaurant workers from customers.

"In 30-plus years of studying retail and crisis situations, we have never seen a situation of customers being so rude to hourly employees," Larry Barton, a professor of crisis management and public safety at the University of Central Florida, told Insider's Mary Hanbury in May.

Even before the pandemic, fast-food workers faced harassment and violence.

A 2015 survey of almost 1,500 fast-food workers found that 12% reported they had been assaulted at work in the previous year. According to the same study, 87% had been injured at least one time at work in the past year. 

In 2019, the most recent year the Bureau of Labor Statistics provides data, 99 people working in food preparation and serving jobs died from fatal work injuries. 100 workers died in 2018, and 89 died in 2017. 

Amaro said that management needs to put less pressure on workers to speed up drive-thru times, and more emphasis on safety. She wants the location where she continues to work to hire a security guard, and for management to call the paramedics if there is an injury on the job in the future. 

"I still have the wound," Amaro said. "My chest still hurts, and my shoulder does too."

SEE ALSO: EXCLUSIVE: Workers file new sexual harassment complaints against McDonald's

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Millennials still can't get enough of Apple, Nike, and Amazon. Marketing agency Moosylvania has once again compiled its "Millennials' Top 100 Brands" based on a survey of 1,000 millennial consumers. While some of the top brands stick around year after year, other changes are distinct. No airlines are on the list in 2021 after a year stuck at home, though United Airlines and Southwest both made the list in 2020.

"We've learned that the brands who prioritized emotional connections either joined the list or improved. Inversely, brands who dropped in millennial ranking struggled to create two-way conversations with their fans who needed them most amidst unprecedented challenges," Chief Strategy Officer Andrew Cohen said in a statement.

Here are the top brands according to millennials.

100 (tie). Monster Energy

Energy drinks remain popular among millennial consumers.

100 (tie). Louis Vuitton

Louis Vuitton was ranked the world's most valuable luxury brand in 2019, and it's kept a top stop for years.

99. Kraft

Kraft is one of more than 20 brands owned by Kraft Heinz, one of the largest food and beverage companies in the world.

95 (tie). TJ Maxx

Discount retailer TJ Maxx plans to open new stores in 2021, bucking the retail trend of store closures from the pandemic.

95 (tie). Roku

Insider picked two Roku products as the best streaming sticks of 2021.

95 (tie). Nordstrom

Nordstrom closed stores and laid off workers over the last year, and has started investing more in dropshipping.

95 (tie). Champion

Apparel brand Champion has catered to gamers this year with a gamer collection and a collab with Nintendo.

94. Acura

Acura released the NSX supercar in 2020.

90 (tie). Ralph Lauren

2020 was devastating for many fashion brands, and Ralph Lauren reported a 57% drop in sales.

90 (tie). Nestle

Nestle is known for candy, but it recently invested in Essentia alkaline water and Freshly prepared meal company.

90 (tie). Dove

Dove sells products including deodorants and body wash, owned by Unilever. Sales of hygiene products were down early in the pandemic.

90 (tie). Arby's

Arby's is owned by Inspire Brands, the parent company of Sonic, Buffalo Wild Wings, and other fast-food brands.

87 (tie). Subaru

The Subaru CrossTrek and Forester were two of the fastest-selling new cars during the pandemic.

87 (tie). Red Bull

Red Bull is the second energy drink brand on the list, proving the product still has cache with buyers.

87 (tie). Patagonia

Patagonia has long been a favorite for its outspoken activism on environmental and labor issues.

86. Motorola

Some Millenials are nostalgic for the original Motorola Razr. The company released an updated version in 2020 as part of a new wave of foldable phones.

83 (tie). Rue 21

In October 2020, the retailer had about 700 stores across 46 states. The CEO says the retailer is focusing on experiential retail.

83 (tie). Hulu

Hulu's engagement was up 40% during the pandemic, which was a boon for streaming, the company said.

83 (tie). Calvin Klein

Calvin Klein's parent company, PVH, announced it would close 162 stores and lay off 12% of its workforce in July.

80 (tie). Ulta

The beauty retailer announced plans to open Ulta stores in hundreds of Target stores in 2021.

80 (tie). Chipotle

Chipotle was one of the restaurants to grow and open new locations, including investing in drive-thrus, while the rest of the industry suffered the effects of the pandemic.

80 (tie). Chanel

The last year was tough for big fashion houses, including Chanel, as they were forced to cancel runway shows and shutter stores.

79. Reebok

After years of disappointing sales, Adidas announced plans to sell Reebok in February.

77 (tie). Whole Foods

The Amazon-owned grocery store has more than 500 locations in the US and UK.

77 (tie). Sephora

Sephora is another beauty retailer, and it began a partnership with Kohl's to open mini Sephora locations in the stores.

73 (tie). Michael Kors

Michael Kors sells jewelry, watches, accessories, and more. In 2018 parent company Capri Holdings bought Versace.

73 (tie). Lexus

Lexus sells luxury sedans, SUVs, and hybrids.

73 (tie). Dollar Tree

Dollar stores, including Dollar Tree, have done well over the last year and actually opened new locations.

73 (tie). Android

Android makes smartphones that compete with iPhones, and Insider recommends some models.

69 (tie). Torrid

Torrid is a clothing chain that sells plus-size clothing for women.

69 (tie). Mountain Dew

Mountain Dew is owned by PepsiCo, with new flavors including Mountain Dew Frost Bite Zero Sugar.

69 (tie). Great Value

Great Value is one of Walmart's in-house brands.

69 (tie). Dodge

Dodge sells SUVs, sports cars, and minivans.

68. Best Buy

Gadgets retailer Best Buy is one of several chains closing stores this year.

65 (tie). Doritos

Doritos chips are a staple as demand for comfort food leaped in 2020.

65 (tie). Bank of America

Bank of America has been raising the salaries of associates to compete with other big banks.

65 (tie). Audi

Audi is working towards a 30% electric US lineup by 2025.

64. YouTube

Google-owned video platform YouTube led to the rise of influencers.

63. Wendy's

Fast-food chain Wendy's joined the chicken sandwich wars in 2020.

62. Converse

Converse are some of the most iconic sneakers of all time, according to sneaker experts.

60 (tie). Trader Joe's

Trader Joe's is beloved by customers for in-house brands and frequently changing inventory. 

60 (tie). Honda

Honda sedans, like the Accord, are a mainstay on the market.

59. Lululemon

Lululemon grew sales during the pandemic as consumers turned to athleisure.

58. Pizza Hut

Pizza Hut is owned by Yum Brands, which also owns KFC and Taco Bell.

56 (tie). Levi's

Levi's sales were slightly down thanks to the turn towards athleisure, though some experts predict that trend will soon reverse.

56 (tie). Costco

Costco in-store sales grew during the pandemic, and now the big box store is reopening food courts.

55. Dr. Pepper

Dr. Pepper is owned by Dr. Pepper Snapple, the parent company of Canada Dry, Crush, and other brands.

54. Tesla

Tesla makes electric cars and is famously led by Elon Musk.

53. Coach

The designer handbag, shoe, and clothing brand said in August last year that half of its new online customers were Gen Z or millennials.

51 (tie). Ross

Off-price apparel retailer Ross is taking advantage of pandemic supply disruptions, saying they always create inventory opportunities for the retailer. 

51 (tie). Nissan

The Japanese carmaker planned to make an electric vehicle with Apple, but talks fell through a month ago over branding issues.

50. HP

The long-time computer maker produced over 5 million 3D-printed parts for personal protective equipment for healthcare workers and donated $21 million in products and grants to underserved communities during the pandemic, a spokesperson said.

49. Facebook

The social-media behemoth that forever changed how people interact also owns popular sites Instagram and WhatsApp.  

48. H&M

Fashion giant H&M announced plans to close 350 stores and open 100 new ones as it focuses more on online sales in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

46 (tie). Pink

Pink, the girls' apparel and lingerie store, is owned by L Brands, along with Victoria's Secret and Abercrombie & Fitch.

46 (tie). Gap

The San Francisco-based apparel retailer is expecting a boom in sales post-pandemic, with Gap Inc. CEO Sonia Syngal saying she's "quite optimistic."

45. Victoria's Secret

The well-known women's lingerie retailer, owned by L Brands, faced a tough year of store closures and lawsuits last year.  

43 (tie). Shein

American Teens are obsessed with this Chinese fast-fashion retailer. 

43 (tie). Aldi

Discount-grocer Aldi defied the pandemic last year, opening more stores as consumers cooked more at home.  

42. American Eagle

American Eagle survived and thrived during the pandemic, thanks to its TikTok presence and body positivity message. 

41. Burger King

The fast-food chain caused a raucous last month after launching a campaign titled, "Women belong in the kitchen," which was meant to show off its new initiative to help female chefs rise to leadership roles. 

40. eBay

The 25-year-old online resale store is shedding its old-school image and has even found a way in with young buyers looking to purchase sneakers.

39. Jeep

The car brand is well-known for popular vehicles like the Jeep Grand Cherokee, Jeep Wrangler, and Jeep Compass.

38. Vans

Vans made California skate culture a global phenomenon, and young people love it. 

35 (tie). PlayStation

PlayStation, the video-game console brand made by Sony, has released its latest generation of consoles with the PlayStation 5, but it's still sold out nearly everywhere.

35 (tie). Old Navy

This beloved brand, still owned by Gap, has been outfitting American families for nearly three decades. 

35 (tie). Hershey

The chocolatier is best known for its Hershey Kisses and chocolate bars that pair well with a summer favorite: the s'more.

34. KFC

The fast-food chain has joined the so-called chicken-wars with other businesses like Popeye's and Chick-fil-A, as it added a new chicken sandwich to its menu earlier this year. 

33. Dell

The 37-year-old company is best known for its laptops and desktops, like the Dell XPS and Inspiron.

32. Bath & Body Works

Bath and Body Works sells soap, hand sanitizer, and fragrance products, and sales boomed during the pandemic.

30 (tie). Puma

The German footwear-maker is known for its basketball shoes, and most recently, its partnership with music artist Dua Lipa, Rolling Stone reported. 

30 (tie). Kohl's

The Midwestern department store is best known for its discount deals and celebrity partnerships.

29. Kroger

The Cincinnati, Ohio-based grocery retailer has boomed amid the pandemic as shoppers have flocked to grocery stores to fill their needs.

27 (tie). Mercedes-Benz

The German automaker, known for its luxury vehicles, debuted its C-class sedans earlier this year. 

27 (tie). LG

The South Korean conglomerate is known for making everything from washers and dryers to TVs. But recently it decided to stop making smartphones. 

26. Toyota

The Japanese carmaker, known for owning the hybrid car market, is stepping into the electric vehicle realm this year with three new cars.

25. Taco Bell

The Mexican-inspired fast-food chain, known for popular items like the Crunchwrap and Chalupa, is working to hire thousands of workers as the economy begins to re-open. 

24. Gucci

Millennials love this fashion brand, Insider's reported previously. Celebrities like lil Pump and Kylie Jenner have pumped up this brand through social media, as well. 

23. Jordan

The brand, owned by athletic-maker Nike, was inspired by basketball legend Michael Jordan. 

22. Disney

The entertainment giant struck a new chord with fans when it launched its own streaming service in 2019, that featured new shows like the Mandalorian, as well as classic Disney films. 

21. Nintendo

The Japanese company went from a playing-card business to a gaming giant, with products like the Nintendo Wii and Switch, over the course of its 132-year history.

20. BMW

The German car manufacturer is known to have the go-to fancy vehicles, with options like the BMW 3 series. 

19. Netflix

The online-streaming giant released popular new hits this year like the Queen's Gambit and Bridgerton, which it said was its top series of all time. 

18. Chevrolet

General Motors, founded in 1908, is the owner of Chevrolet and maker of popular vehicles like the Chevy Silverado and Chevy Bolt. 

17. Chick-fil-A

Chick-fil-A was the overall favorite brand this year in the US as Americans turned to fast food for comfort amid the pandemic. 

15 (tie). Starbucks

The Seattle-based coffee chain is well-known for its long menu of fan favorites and specialty drinks. 

15 (tie). McDonald's

The world's first fast-food chain recently added three new chicken sandwiches to its menu to compete with other chains with similar offerings. 

14. Under Armour

The athletic apparel-maker grew to contend with industry big shots like Nike but fell into a bit of a rut last year. 

13. Ford

The 118-year-old car manufacturer is known for making everything from trucks, to compact cars, and now even to electric vehicles. 

12. Pepsi

The beverage-and-snack-maker has gone through multiple brand transformations over the years to remain relevant with younger generations, Insider reported. 

11. Microsoft

The tech company, founded by billionaire Bill Gates in 1975, surpassed a $2 trillion valuation earlier this month.

10. Coke

This brand has been under fire recently from both sides of the political spectrum for originally not speaking out against Georgia's new voting law and then subsequently taking a stance against it. 

9. Sony

This hardware maker is probably best known for creating the PlayStation video game console. It recently launched the next-generation console, the PlayStation 5, but it's been tough for consumers to purchase. 

8. Google

The Mountain View, California-based tech giant is said to also have one of the best, most diverse workplace cultures, according to employees. 

7. Adidas

The German athletic apparel-maker is turning its focus back to its namesake brand after announcing it would sell the Reebok brand it bought in 2006. 

6. Target

This retailer is the "perfect place to discover new and innovative brands," as it sells dozens of products from startups, Insider reported. Target also launched its own athleisure brand a year ago, capitalizing on people's desire to wear comfy clothes during the pandemic, and it already hit $1 billion in sales -- marking a faster pace than popular brands like Lululemon. 

5. Samsung

The smartphone-maker released its brand new line of Galaxy phones early this year, which included the S21, S21+ and the premium Galaxy S21 Ultra models. Samsung is the second-biggest seller of smartphones in the US, after Apple, with 16% of the market. 

4. Walmart

The Arkansas-based retail giant is reaching out to younger generations through influencers and its partnership with TikTok, where users can buy Walmart fashion products without having to leave the app.

3. Amazon

When Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos first saw the new A-Z smile logo for the company in 1999, he loved it. "Anyone who doesn't like this logo won't like puppies," he reportedly said.

2. Nike

Nike has been known for its unforgettable ads and unparalleled storytelling abilities. The shoe-maker is known as a marketing-first company to most, but its new CEO has been working to transform Nike into a technology-first company. 

1. Apple

Apple was dubbed the most valuable brand in the world this year, surpassing Google and Amazon, based on a ranking from Brand Finance Global 500. Last year, the company released four new models of the iPhone: iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max.

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Sales for KFC's new chicken sandwich are booming.

The fast-food brand said US customers were buying double as many of the sandwich, simply called the "KFC Chicken Sandwich," as they had of other sandwiches launched in the past. The new sandwich replaced the "Crispy Colonel," and KFC has also previously launched a Cheetos sandwich and a donut fried chicken sandwich.

"Our main challenge has been keeping up with that demand," David Gibbs, CEO of KFC's parent company Yum Brands, said at its earnings call Wednesday.

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The sandwich contains an extra-crispy quarter-pound of chicken breast filet, pickles, and the option of spicy sauce or mayo on a brioche bun. It launched across the US in late February.

"Customers are loving the product and coming back more frequently for it," Gibbs said.

He added that there had been a "general tightening" in domestic chicken supply, but KFC told CNN that the brand wouldn't run out of the sandwich any time soon.

The chicken sandwich wars show no signs of stopping

Popeyes was credited with starting the chicken sandwich wars in 2019, when its sandwich became an instant success following huge social-media buzz. It sold out just two weeks after launch, and the chain sold 250 million of the sandwiches within its first year of launch.

Fast-food and fast-casual chains have been quick to jump in on the booming demand for chicken sandwiches. As well as KFC, other brands including McDonald's, Burger King, and Smashburger all launched new chicken sandwiches during the pandemic.

Chick-fil-A is known as the home of the original chicken sandwich, and its recipe has changed little since its creation by the chain's founder in 1964, Insider's Erin McDowell reported.

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KFC's Nashville Hot chicken is exploding in popularity on social media, and some locations are running out of the hot sauce required to make the item as a result.

"Due to the popularity and high demand of our Nashville Hot sauce, some of our restaurants may be experiencing temporary outages," a KFC spokesperson told Insider, confirming the shortage.

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The hashtag "nashvillehotchicken" has nearly 84 million views on TikTok, nearly all of which are about KFC's menu item. Users make videos of themselves trying the chicken tenders documenting the "crunch" of the first bite and usually explaining that they wanted to try because they saw other TikTokers do it. Most non-KFC videos under the hashtag are about how to recreate the dish at home, or alternative restaurants to get them because local KFCs are sold out.

Even famous YouTuber and online personality Trisha Paytas posted multiple videos of herself trying to find the Nashville Hot tenders and trying them.

Despite the newfound popularity, KFC has sold its Nashville Hot Chicken since 2016. The chain has called it one of the most successful launches of its history, and KFC head chef Bob Das told Insider at the time of the launch that it was his favorite new menu item in his 16-year career.

A KFC spokesperson told Insider that it isn't behind the hot chicken tenders trend on TikTok, though "we love to see people celebrating their favorite menu items and finding new ways to enjoy and create content with our world-famous fried chicken." The chain has recruited TikTok stars to promote its chicken sandwich online.

The current shortage is likely a case of suppliers not being able to predict the sudden spike in demand over the last few weeks, Mark Kalinowski of Kalinowski Equity Research told Insider.  Yum Brands, KFC's parent company, doesn't break out sales of individual items, but same-store sales were up 11% on a two-year basis at the end of the first quarter of 2021, despite a tightening of the US chicken supply.

The five-year-old menu item's sudden popularity is a testament to the power of social media, Kalinowski told Insider. 

Social media-driven shortages at fast-food chains are nothing new, though generally they impact newer offerings. In April, Starbucks locations around the country saw an oat milk shortage that many baristas blamed in part on the newly launched Ice Brown Sugar Oat Milk Shaken Espresso. The brown sugar syrup used in the drink was also in short supply. 

At McDonald's, the Travis Scott meal was so popular, in large part thanks to social media, that some locations ran out of Quarter Pounder ingredients last year.

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KFC is revamping its packaging this summer.

The new packaging will add more of its trademark red and white stripes, spelling out "Kentucky Fried Chicken" in full rather than using the KFC abbreviation, and adding a ton more detail to Colonel Sanders' face.

The fried-chicken chain said the new packaging was "more modern" and reflected the brand's identity, though it looks remarkably similar to packaging KFC used in the late 1960s and 1970s.

The chain also played tribute to its past last winter, when it re-released its 1966 and 1971 bucket designs for the holidays.

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The new packaging includes reheating instructions, which the chain said is "because KFC's fried chicken is just as good the next day."

Chris Turner, the CFO of KFC's parent company Yum Brands, said during an earnings call in April that people had been placing larger fast-food orders during the coronavirus pandemic. This could mean people have more leftovers to reheat the next day.

KFC's chicken bucket will also get a makeover, with a new "Fried with Pride" logo. While Colonel Sanders will still dominate the front of the bucket, its back will include information about how it makes it trademark fried chicken.

There is, however, no information on its secret 11 herbs and spices.

The new packaging also includes images telling customers to "order ahead" via its app.

Fast-food chains have seen a massive surge in online orders during the pandemic, and by encouraging customers to order food via the app companies can collect more data on order behavior and find out how to drive more orders.

Online orders through fast-food chains' own apps and websites, rather than through delivery apps like DoorDash and Uber Eats, also yield higher margins.

KFC told Insider all its new paper packaging was certified by either the Sustainable Forestry Initiative or the Forest Stewardship Council.

The fried-chicken chain joins McDonald's and Burger King, which also unveiled new-look packaging during the pandemic.

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Franchising can be a great opportunity to gain capital quickly with a lower level of risk involved. It's no secret that marketing and publicity can make a huge difference in how successful your franchise becomes. Incorporating strong communication strategies can help you gain the attention of potential new customers and increase revenue exponentially.

But where do you start? With so much information, it can all become overwhelming. Here are the five best marketing strategies you can implement into your franchise to make it flourish.

Read more: The co-owners of P. Terry's turned a small burger joint into a beloved Texas franchise with 20 locations. They share how they got their start and their plans for expansion.

1. Get your consumer involved

Getting your consumer involved will help you get to know your customers better and improve your relationship with them. Use social media in a way that is interactive for them, such as posting polls for input. Having passive content doesn't work. Instead, be consistent with personalized blog posts, graphics, and video content while thinking about consumer behavior and how you can show your customer how your product or service will satisfy their needs. 

Get your customers involved in person as well. If you are searching for a new flavor or product, ask for input from your consumers and look for official taste testers. Your brand identity will be improved by including your consumers, and these activities allow you to collect customer database information.

2. Align your communication with the same underlying message

When thinking about an advertising campaign for a franchise, it's important to use integrated marketing communication that creates a consistent brand image for the company that's cohesive to all the marketing you are doing. Consistency with the colors, images, messages and themes used within your marketing as a whole allows you to create a theme with a central message that will be communicated by all activity. 

If someone asked you what brand made cars that were, "The Ultimate Driving Machine," you would know almost immediately that they were referring to BMW. A study done with the Seal of Cotton showed that in 2020, "eight out of 10 consumers are aware of the trademark, and 86% say it helps them make informed purchasing decisions."

Having consistency within all forms of marketing allows a brand to build trust, become more recognizable, reach a greater audience, and even save money and contribute to successful, well-recognized, long-running campaigns. This creates a brand image that is identifiable no matter the angle you are advertising or what channel you are using.

3. Be generous to the community 

The community can be one of your biggest supporters when you have a franchise, so in order to make it flourish you need to routinely get involved in order to improve your relationship with customers. You can be a presence in the community through things like going to events, sponsoring scholarships, donations, and fundraising. This marketing strategy strengthens valuable relationships while also targeting valuable customers. Dunkin' has routinely donated to the Boston Marathon, which is an iconic community event for Boston. After years of this form of community involvement, Dunkin' is associated closely with being the face of the annual event. 

4. Incorporate PR 

Implementing PR into part of your marketing plan is something businesses often don't think about. PR gives you the opportunity to share your message, highlight a special promotion, and strengthen your competitive advantage.

KFC over the years has ramped up its PR efforts and is the perfect example of how you can leverage your brand to get you into the press to boost sales. From producing a line of edible nail polish in Hong Kong, called "Finger Lickin' Good" to partnering with Lifetime to create a movie titled "A Recipe For Seduction,"KFC has certainly focused on incorporating PR into its strategy.

5. Find your niche

When successfully marketing for a franchise, you must communicate to your audience using their language and the media that they consume. McDonald's has nearly mastered the concept with having many offerings and directly advertising to each group of customer accordingly. The company has its $1 items for budget savers, McHappy Meals for parents and kids and even a range of options in its vegetarian offerings. The media and channels of marketing vary for each segment — when advertising to a younger audience, they would be on TikTok whereas an older audience would receive more print or TV ads.

While there are many franchises in the world, using the above five strategies as part of your marketing mix can certainly make a world of a difference. Often it's not what you do, but how you do it that will boost your awareness — and ultimately your sales — while strengthening your competitive advantage. 

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Fast-food giants cut back on promotions, discounts, and cheap meals during the pandemic as demand for pizzas, burgers, and chicken soared, according to a report by Reuters.

Big chains have scaled back value meals, which typically contain a menu item with fries and a drink on the side for $5 or less, and are instead pushing larger combo meals and more expensive menu items, Reuters reported.

"Value menu items are not really profit drivers," BTIG analyst Peter Saleh told Reuters. "They're designed to drive traffic."

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But the trend of cutting cheaper meals, which often have thin margins, and driving customers to more profitable menu items is nothing new. Dollar menus have been disappearing in recent years, Insider's Kate Taylor reported, and McDonald's killed its iconic Dollar Menu in 2013.

But this has accelerated during the pandemic as ingredient costs rose and some restaurants struggled to get enough staff to make their full menus.

McDonald's, for example, slashed some less profitable menu items during the pandemic, including its Little Mac and the Double Big Mac, chicken tenders, and salads. It's also scaled back its cheaper $1 $2 $3 Dollar menu by slashing a third of its lineup since 2018, Reuters reported, and has been collaborating with celebrities to promote more expensive combo deals instead, including the $6 Travis Scott meal and the BTS meal, which costs around $10 dependent on location.

McDonald's told Insider that it had evolved its $1 $2 $3 Dollar to give more choice to franchisees based on local market demand, and regularly reviews and changes other national deals. It added that local markets have their own value and deal programs, meaning that offers vary across the US, and said that its Famous Orders were designed to introduce its food to a new audience.

Other chains have scaled back discounts. Domino's said at its earnings call in April that it was shunning some of its more aggressive promotions, like its Boost Week, which sells half-price pizzas online, because sales were already so strong.

And Reuters reported that KFC stopped marketing its "$5 Fill Up" meal in 2020, instead promoting family meal deals that can cost up to $30.

Wendy's said that more customers were buying from its higher-end lineups, like the Made to Crave menu, which includes a $5.69 Bourbon Bacon Cheeseburger and a $6.19 Pretzel Bacon Pub Cheeseburger, both with single patties. Both cost more than twice as much as its pared-down Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger, and appear at the top of the list on Wendy's online ordering website. The cheaper burgers are at the bottom.

"We're trading folks up into our best, highest-quality food items," CEO Todd Penegor said during the chain's earnings call in May.

He said this was "quite healthy for the business."

"I know everybody will be out there fighting for traffic as folks get back into more normal patterns," Penegor said. "But we feel like we've got a lot of compelling value already across our menu."

Wendy's told Reuters that it pioneered the value menu in 1989 with its dedicated list of 99-cent items.

Brands aren't completely scrapping their value menus, however. Taco Bell reintroduced its $5 Grande Stacker Box in late 2020, while Burger King launched a dollar menu, called the $1 Your Way menu, in late December.

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KFC is opening a fried-chicken-themed pop-up hotel with a "press For chicken" button in every room.

A one-night stay will cost $154 (£111), it said, and guests can get up to $139 (£100) worth of free chicken during their stay.

The fast-food chain said in a press release Wednesday that its "House of Harland" hotel would open in London for 11 nights between August 18 and 29 — a reference to the 11 herbs and spices that go into its chicken. Harland is a reference to Colonel Harland David Sanders, KFC's founder.

A black Cadillac, which KFC calls the "Colonelmobile," will pick up guests and take them to the pop-up hotel, where their own "chick-in" clerk will greet them, the company said.

Guests will have access to a private cinema, a "hot-winger arcade machine," and a "chicken-concierge service"— they just have to push the "press for chicken" button and wait for free chicken to be delivered to their room, KFC said.

Guests have a $139 allowance during their stay for chicken orders to "prevent over consumption," KFC told Insider in an email. 

Guests can book only one-night stays for a maximum of two people, according to Hotels.com, which will take the hotel's bookings from August 11.

Guests can book for six of the 11 nights, KFC told Insider in an email. Two nights are reserved for select KFC guests, and one is for a KFC competition winner. It's not clear what happens on the other nights.

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All the money raised from the promotion will go toward the KFC Foundation, KFC said in its press release. 

"Expect to see drumsticks in the detail, from bedding to wallpaper to an Arcade Machine and towel — fried chicken will never be far from your thoughts," KFC said in the release.

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KFC customers in the UK might have problems getting their favorite meal when they next visit the chain.

The fast-food giant tweeted Wednesday that, at some locations, some items were unavailable and the packaging "might look a little different to normal."

"Things may be a little different when you next visit us," it added.

The company didn't say which items or packaging were unavailable, or how many of its more than 900 UK restaurants had been affected. Some customers said that there were no cups.

KFC credited the supply issues to "some disruption over the last few weeks," without elaborating.

The fast-food chain didn't immediately reply to Insider's request for comment on which items were unavailable and what had caused the shortages. KFC hasn't tweeted about the shortages since Wednesday's post.

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Restaurants across the US have been hit by supply shortages, causing some restaurants to hike up menu prices or slash their opening hours.

A restaurant owner in Maine told Insider that ingredient shortages were forcing her to close her restaurant an hour early every day, while a New Jersey pizzeria owner said that he'd had to raise menu prices for chicken wings by more than 50%.

Starbucks also put a temporary hold on some ingredients like hazelnut syrup, toffee nut syrup, chai tea bags, and green iced tea, per an internal memo viewed by Insider in June.

Grocery stores across the UK have been hit by similar shortages, too.

The supply-chain issues have been attributed to soaring shipping prices, extreme weather events, and a huge shortage of truckers. The UK's Road Haulage Association estimates that there's a shortage of around 100,000 drivers.

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