What It Was Like To Eat At KFC In The '80s

Whether you're old enough to remember pulling up to your local KFC in your Trans-Am while you were blasting REO or you've simply watched enough "Stranger Things" to wax nostalgic for the decade of hair bands, it's fun to imagine what life was like in the '80s. Eating at KFC in the 1980s was a different experience than you get when you go to the restaurant today. There were buffets (a few KFC buffet locations still exist, just FYI) and food served on actual plates instead of in cardboard boxes, not to mention the fact that the chain was still named Kentucky Fried Chicken, as it didn't change to the acronym KFC until 1991.

The buffet is perhaps the biggest shift. For about $6 per person, according to one Reddit user, you could get your unlimited fill of fried chicken and sides, making KFC a solid stop for a family packed with hungry kids. In addition to the buffet, counter service offered core menu items like fried chicken, coleslaw, and mashed potatoes, similar to those you get at the restaurant today. There were also items like Chicken Littles (the original came on a Hawaiian-style roll, not a sesame seed roll like the ones offered at KFC today), chicken livers and gizzards, (which were — and in some areas still are — a regional offering), and potato salad.

While there is certainly still plenty to love about KFC today, there are quite a few things that those who frequented the chain in decades past wish they could still get their hands on — namely, the chicken. In a Reddit thread, many KFC customers remember that individual pieces of chicken were larger than they are today. Others (myself included) recall that the gravy of years past was outstanding, and a far cry from the spicy, uber-flavorful stuff you get on your KFC mashed potatoes now.

Specific menu items — including original Chicken Littles — are missed by those who loved the restaurant in the '80s well. Dinner rolls (similar to the taste of a King's Hawaiian roll) were served with little packets of butter, and some wish they were still around instead of the biscuits the chain serves alongside meals today. Other bygone menu items from the '80s include country-style barbecue ribs, Kentucky nuggets, and country fried steak. While KFC does bring back discontinued menu items from time to time, like its beloved potato wedges, which returned for a short while, we wish they'd bring back other staples of '80s dining, especially those fried chicken buffets.