"Sheffield KFC refused to give my army veteran father two original recipe chicken breasts and I've had enough"

A South Yorkshire man has shared his frustrations after a local KFC restaurant said he cannot specify what particular type of chicken he wants when he places an order for his elderly, army veteran father.

He said his 83-year-old father will not eat thighs or drumsticks, which can come as part of the 'two piece original recipe chicken' meal.

"My father is 83-years-old," Matthew Capehorn told The Star, "The only takeaway he would even eat is KFC and then he would also only eat the chicken breast."

His father, Malcolm Capehorn, typically enjoys traditional meals of meat and two veg, and moved from Banbury to South Yorkshire to live with his son.

Matthew said: "In Banbury, he asked for chicken breast and he would get it no problem. It is unreasonable to pay £4 for two pieces of KFC if you aren't going to eat one piece.

"This lady [at Drakehouse KFC] said 'no you're not having it'. She was so rude. It was embarrasing in front of all the other customers."

Having faced resistance from staff at the restaurant before, Matthew had contacted KFC UK to confirm if he could request specific cuts from the chicken - in their response, the company told him there was "no restriction" on requesting specific cuts of the chicken.

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When he presented the staff member at KFC Drakehouse with the email, Matthew said she continued to refuse the request and offered him an ultimatum of a refund or accepting the meal as it comes.

Matthew even ventured to KFC restaurants in Rotherham in attempts to secure the treat, but was met with similar issues.

"I'm wondering what the problem is with chicken breast in South Yorkshire," he said. "It seemed really mean that an 83-year-old man who served his country can't get a bit of chicken breast. He doesn't understand what's wrong with Sheffield."

A KFC spokesperson said: "While the Colonel always does his utmost to accommodate guest requests, this is up to the discretion of each restaurant, and sometimes it’s not always possible based on availability within that restaurant on any given day."

The KFC UK menu says original recipe chicken can be ordered on its own either as a one-piece or two-piece option. Restaurants do not give an automatic option to request specific cuts and this must be done at a counter when ordering from a member of staff.

In most cases, original recipe chicken will be one of four cuts - thighs or drums or one of the two breast cuts, keel or rib.