Fired chicken chain, KFC has had to close more than half of its 900 UK outlets after delivery issues meant the group ran out of chicken.
The company switched its delivery contract last week from xperienced food distribution firm, Bidvest to DHL, which blamed 'operational issues' for the supply disruption.
It was unclear when the delivery problems would be rectified, a KFC spokesperson said, 'Workers are being encouraged to take holiday but would not be forced to do so.
'Our teams are working flat out all hours to get the rest back up and running as soon as possible - but it's too early to say how long it will take to clear the backlog.' KFC has set up a web page where 'fans' can find their nearest outlet that is still open.'
KFC said that in the outlets owned by the chain, staff on short-term contracts would be paid the average hours worked per day over the past 12 weeks, while those on salaries would be paid as normal.
However, 80% of KFC outlets are run on a franchise basis. 'Franchisees will be seeking their own independent advice, but we're encouraging them to adopt this policy too,' said the chain.