KFC India Has An Amazing Delivery Policy, And We Wish US Locations Would Adopt It ASAP

Fast food companies spend a lot of resources coming up with innovative ways to keep hungry customers coming back, and sometimes they up the ante to near-unbelievable levels. While they usually customize their offerings and deals depending on geography, KFC India's Express Pick-Up service, which promises to get customers their orders in seven minutes or less, is something that would probably be appreciated all over the world. 

The company introduced the policy in late 2021, in the aftermath of COVID-19 and the associated increase in online and delivery orders. Note that the offer is only valid on online orders and those made through the KFC app, likely to ensure there would be no human delays in processing the order, while also cutting staffing costs by automating the ordering process. If the order takes longer than seven minutes, the customer gets a free piece of fried chicken. KFC advertisements of the service initially featured Indian Olympic athlete PT Usha, who is well known in the subcontinent for her track and field records.

Of course, the promise of short order turnaround times comes with several terms and conditions, including the policy not being valid on large orders. There are also caveats to churning out orders quickly, like compromised quality — this is especially apparent with certain menu items, like how some facts about KFC mashed potatoes might shock you. Even the original Colonel Sanders (who actually existed) wasn't a fan of the chain's spud offerings after he sold the company. Still, if one is willing to overlook certain factors, can this lightning-fast order turnaround be replicated in the U.S.? Turns out it can.

It's probably not too difficult for fast food chains in the U.S. to replicate KFC India's Express Pick-Up service, provided it comes with some caveats. Certain menu items that take longer to make because they're cooked from scratch might have to be excluded from the policy — like its fast food fried chicken sandwich, which is made to order.

Interestingly, while there is no express pick-up service, most drive-thrus in the US actually are swift enough to match the seven-minute mark, and sometimes even beat it significantly. A study by QSR Magazine found that on average, fast food drive-thrus made customers wait about 255 seconds (4.5 minutes) for their orders, which is significantly less than seven minutes. While KFC does quite well against competing fast food chains in terms of speed when it comes to delivering drive-thru orders, according to some reports, Chick-fil-A does the best job when it comes to speedy service and high quality. Of course, while drive-thrus are often faster than KFC India's Express Pick-Up service, the latter has one thing going for it. There is no guarantee that you'll get your order quickly in a drive-thru. With the latter's Express Pick-Up service, if your order is delayed, you walk away with free crispy chicken.