KFC Drops 'Finger Lickin Good' Slogan Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

By Mary Anne R. First Posted: Aug 26, 2020 06:31 AM EDT

Global fast food giant KFC said it is temporarily suspending its 64-year old slogan, "Finger Lickin' Good," given the current hygiene advice because of the coronavirus pandemic. The company said the slogan does not feel quite right with the current situation.

The decision came after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) urged consumers to avoid touching their face, including the mouth, to avoid spread of the infectious coronavirus.

"We find ourselves in a unique situation - having an iconic slogan that doesn't quite fit in the current environment," Catherine Tan-Gillespie, global chief marketing officer at KFC, said in a statement.

Tan-Gillespie said that while they are pausing the use of the slogan "It's Finger Lickin' Good," they assure that the food craved by so many people around the world is not changing.

The famous slogan will return in the right time, the company said.

KFC COVID-19

The famous fried chicken company was also affected by the COVID-19 pandemic as some of its stores temporarily closed during this time.

KFC has cut down some menu items such as KFC's potato wedges. Secret Recipe fries replaced them on menus nationwide.

The fried chicken chain began testing the fries in 2019 in select markets. The item was seeing 12 percent higher demand.

Aside from KFC, some fast food chains such as McDonald's also decided to remove some food items in their menus.

McDonald's salads, bagels, yogurt parfaits, and grilled chicken sandwiches are among the items with uncertain future in McDonald's menu.

McDonald also brought back some items such as variations of the Quarter Pounder and the Bacon McDouble. Taco Bell and Subway have also cut down some items in their menu.

Safety Measures

YumBrands' Taco Bell and KFC have announced a complete list of enhanced safety measures to prioritize the health and safety of both customers and employees.

The safety measures came after the company's initial response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Among the said safety measures are contactless service and payment, gloves and masks, sealed orders, and labor shifts.

Individual sanitizing wipes were also provided with every drive-thru order, employee temperature checks with infrared contactless temperature scanners.

Plexiglas counter shields were also added at KFC and social distancing signs and tapping on lobby floors to promote social distancing where carryout is available.

KFC spokesperson said that these enhanced safety policies were created with guidance from the CDC and the World Health Organization.

"As that guidance has evolved, we continue to look at our restaurants to determine areas where we can apply interventions to support social distancing and limited contact, and to increase the overall safety for our team members and customers," the spokesperson said in a Forbes report.

The spokesperson said that as part of the YumBrands' family, KFC have also access to experts in virology and communicable diseases to help them in their thinking and decisions.

The brands have also obtained disposable, non-medical grade masks for employees who work in states were a mask mandate is implemented.