KFC sells out of Beyond Fried Chicken in five hours

First Popeyes, now KFC — it seems everyone is running out of fried chicken (or approximations thereof) this week. On Tuesday, KFC became the first national fast-food chain to introduce plant-based chicken in the U.S., partnering with Beyond Meat to create a “Beyond Fried Chicken” product only available at one Atlanta location for a limited test. The test proved so popular that lines wrapped around the building, and the store sold out of the faux chicken in less than five hours. KFC called it a “Kentucky Fried Miracle” and told the New York Times that the restaurant sold as many of the Beyond boneless wings and nuggets that day as it would normally sell of its popcorn chicken in an entire week.

2 hour wait and line wrapped around the building at @kfc for this Vegan chicken here in ATL y'all. They cut off the drivethrough and will be sold out by 3pm. #BeyondFriedChicken pic.twitter.com/Fbt86rwZgk — Ashley Renne (@HeyAshleyRenne) August 27, 2019

While the chicken alternative itself is free from animal-based ingredients, a company representative clarified via email that KFC’s kitchen is a shared kitchen, meaning that the Beyond nuggets and wings could be cooked in the same oil as regular chicken. As for how it actually tastes, reviews seem mixed. A writer for Insider called the nuggets “mediocre” and wrote that she “could definitely tell” she wasn’t eating chicken. A writer for Digital Trends, meanwhile, wrote that the Beyond Fried Chicken had the taste and texture of real chicken, albeit the kind served as nuggets in school cafeterias.

Update 11:38 a.m.: This post has been updated with a clarification on whether or not the Beyond Fried Chicken is vegan.

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