Chicken returns to the menu at KFC in Antigua

KFC’s three resturants on Antigua look set to reopen this evening after a lack of chicken forced them to close their doors.

The fried chicken chain has been severely hampered by supply problems following the passage of Hurricanes Irma, Jose and Maria over the past two weeks.

All three branches on island – High St, Fort Road, Old Parham Road – have effectively been closed since Monday evening due to “the storms here and in north Florida where our poultry ships from being affected”, according to a senior KFC official.

There has been a general poultry shortage on the island since the storms, and a local shipping agent said that “a lot of that cargo was stuck in ports we couldn’t access”.

“Transshipment points, St Thomas, USVI and Sint Maarten got badly damaged.”

“We are a franchise and have to adhere to brand standards and utilise only approved products and we are barred from using just any poultry and other ingredients,” the KFC official explained.

“The shipping logistics through places like Sint Maarten have affected us.”

The local franchise expects a full shipment of poultry in short order and expects to resume normal operations Wednesday evening.

The reopen timeline, however, is contingent on a reasonable turnaround time of containers en route that must pass through the St Maarten port which has been severely compromised due to Irma’s passage.