Why These KFC Items Didn't Last

When Colonel Harland Sanders first opened the Sanders Café at a refurbished Corbin, Kentucky, gas station in the 1930s — aka the world's first KFC location — it's difficult to imagine he could've predicted his restaurant would become an international juggernaut over the next century. Whether or not he possessed a prescience regarding the future popularity of his pressure-cooked fried chicken is largely irrelevant. After all, the man's main focus was always producing top-notch, high-quality meals for interested diners, no matter what was on his menu.

In that regard, while Colonel Sanders' famed (and highly secretive) 11 herbs and spices have remained unchanged through the ensuing decades, the same can't be said for the rest of KFC's menu. The chain has introduced a staggering number of food products over the years, and though some have survived over time (Famous Bowls, anyone?), many weren't long for the fast-food fried chicken world.

Be it a misguided attempt to expand beyond its fried chicken sweet spot, a poultry-centric swing and a miss, or something else entirely, there's no shortage of food items that failed to become permanent KFC additions. With so many now-discontinued menu items to consider, we decided to highlight some of the more noteworthy ones from KFC's history. From basic chicken wings to edible ice cream cups, here's why these KFC items didn't last.

Fried chicken wasn't the only protein available to customers at Colonel Sanders' original café. Of course, since the man was largely beholden to what was available on any given day, the varied protein selection was more out of necessity than anything else. Hence, diners were often offered beef or pork dishes rather than his soon-to-be famous fried chicken. In that regard, it appears there's some logic behind some of the more unusual former items offered by the chain — though it's just as clear why the country-style BBQ ribs didn't last especially long after their mid-1970s introduction.

Some readers may presume the country-style BBQ ribs' long-term failure was simply a result of producing a poorly made product. While some older consumers have fond memories of KFC's heavily-sauced alternative to chicken, others recall it being a disastrous attempt at authentic barbecue, meaning it was never likely to become a permanent, decades-long fixture on menus.

We're sure if Colonel Sanders himself was the one creating (and serving) us a plate of BBQ ribs, it would be a mouthwatering delight. But, as is often the case with mass-produced fast food items, it's nigh impossible to ensure each individual restaurant puts in the precise care and attention required — particularly for a dish like ribs.

Few aspects of life in the 21st century are more glorious than the presence of fast food restaurants containing both KFC and Taco Bell. Of course, the joys of dining at a so-called Ken-Taco Bell (what a clever portmanteau!) generally come from the ability to mix and match your meal with individual (and distinct) food items from each restaurant. Not that KFC's disastrous Nacho Box (released in Australia locations in early 2014) was a synergistic effort between restaurants, but it sure feels like one.

Quite frankly, if the Nacho Box had been a co-branded product between Yum! Brand subsidiaries, it might have lasted longer. As it was, though, the Nacho Box suffered from a number of glaring issues once customers were able to purchase it. For starters, many early diners were served nachos topped with moldy cheese — a stomach-churning factor that presumably turned off future consumers in the process.

More than that, the haphazard assembly of the KFC Nacho Box meant it didn't remotely resemble what was advertised. Not too long after its introduction, the unevenly dispersed collection of tortilla chips, melted cheese, and popcorn chicken went out with a whimper.

If you're ever in doubt regarding what made Kentucky Fried Chicken a global phenomenon, the answer is right there in the name. Clearly, KFC hasn't stuck exclusively to fried chicken during its near-century in business. But, just as clearly, not many of the fast food chain's attempts to expand beyond deep-fried poultry have been particularly successful over time. One prime example of these failed efforts is the now-discontinued grilled chicken, which, well ... can you guess why it didn't last in the long run?

Of course, while some readers may be under the impression KFC's grilled chicken — introduced with great fanfare in 2009 — bombed because it was unappetizing, the somewhat healthier option was actually quite tasty. Then again, the item's quality was never the issue. The main problem (according to many franchisees at the time) seemed to revolve around a failed, exorbitantly expensive ad campaign rollout.

The initial grilled chicken introduction proved so disastrous for certain KFC restaurant owners that a number of them sued KFC's parent company, Yum! Brands, in 2010, after a notable drop in overall sales. KFC grilled chicken was likely doomed from the start. As of 2018,  it seemed to have vanished from menus around the U.S.

We noted earlier that Colonel Sanders was prone to serve additional meats to customers besides fried chicken at his original restaurant. With that in mind, it wouldn't be entirely shocking to discover the founder of KFC tried his hand in other areas beyond fried chicken restaurants. The brief appearance of Kentucky Beef restaurants — which shuttered all 100 locations within a few years of its 1968 debut — may not have been Colonel Sanders' personal idea.

Regardless of who spearheaded the creation of KRB (as it was colloquially known), the logistics of a roast beef–focused fast-food chain appeared to be too much to overcome at that time. In fact, whether or not KFC's corporate cousin offered a tasty product was largely irrelevant, as the immense difficulties with cooking and serving a generally slow-roasted meat in a quick-service style were too cumbersome to resolve.

While most folks have likely forgotten about Kentucky Roast Beef (or never knew it existed in the first place), it's still an interesting relic from the company's past. Seeing how KFC has only continued to blossom since KRB closed all locations in 1970, it's clear the company has no regrets — and no one was crying over spilled roast beef.

Quick: What's the difference between KFC's short-lived Original Recipe boneless chicken and the fast food chain's boneless chicken tenders? Beyond the shape and general size of each menu item, there seemed to be little to no variation between the two. Seeing how the Original Recipe boneless chicken essentially failed to justify its very existence, then, it's not entirely shocking to learn it didn't last long at restaurants.

We're sure KFC's Original Recipe boneless chicken — which was eventually, and briefly, offered as Extra Crispy, as well — was a phenomenal product on its own (since it was still a fried chicken product from KFC). But, the weird hybrid between bone-in chicken and boneless chicken tenders wasn't appealing enough to convert devoted fans from either of KFC's already available menu items.

Additionally, the painfully unfunny commercial accompanying its 2013 launch where a father panics about having eaten "the bones" in his KFC bucket likely did the item no favors. After a year or so on the market, Kentucky Fried Chicken pulled its boneless chicken from stores in 2014 with seemingly no intentions of bringing it back down the line.