After New Plymouth’s KFC location burned down earlier this month, loyal patrons found themselves quite sad and chicken-less. What greasy grub would they stuff themselves with for the next two months as they await the restaurant’s rebuilding? Would they even survive eight weeks without the Colonel’s meat? (Yes, pun intended.)
Heeding his customers’ concerns, the store’s general manager Jamie McKaughan has stepped up and is currently organizing a bus trip to Hawera, where the closest KFC is located. The town is about 45 miles away from New Plymouth and, according to Google Maps, it’ll take a little over an hour to get there by car. Despite the distance, McKaughan’s little field trip idea has been well-received — his Facebook post about the bus ride has gotten over 100 responses so far.
“I want to help our wonderful New Plymouth community. We’re going to put a colonel’s coach together and offer it up in a competition. We’ll put them on a bus to Hawera let them have their meal then bus them back,” he said.
“It’s probably going to be at least another four weeks before the drive-through is open and another six to eight weeks before we re-open the whole story.”
Apparently this isn’t the first time the folks in New Zealand have gone gaga over KFC. Back in 2010, the same New Plymouth restaurant closed for renovations. When it finally reopened a few months later, there was a “stampede” of people and customers had to wait up to 40 minutes to get their mitts on a leg and thigh.
I’m more of a Popeyes gal myself.