KFC launches bold nationwide comeback plan with free chicken buckets for all customers

KFC is looking to make a comeback as it rolls out an offer of free buckets of fried chicken and makes some menu additions. 

The fried chicken chain on Monday unveiled a limited-time offer of a "Free Bucket on Us" to U.S. customers that purchase $15 worth of food through its website or app. 

They must belong to the KFC Rewards program to get the deal.

With the promotion, the Yum! Brands-owned chain said it was issuing a "bold comeback call to fried chicken fans" to "try our chicken, tell us what you think and help co-create this comeback." 

The comeback effort comes after KFC said it made "great strides in operations" that have helped with food taste and customer satisfaction.

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"We’re well aware of the latest fried chicken rankings, and I’m fired up to launch a bold Kentucky Fried Comeback and remind America exactly who we are," KFC executive Catherine Tan-Gillespie said. "By listening to our customers and addressing feedback, we’ll reclaim our rightful place in the fried chicken game we started."

The brand’s "Kentucky Fried Comeback" also has a heavy focus on Colonel Sanders, putting him front-and-center in advertising and giving him a "serious" expression on signage and billboards, according to KFC. 

"The Colonel would not be happy about our market share, and we’re serious about reminding America exactly who we are: the game changer with a relentless pursuit of the best fried chicken," Tan-Gillespie said.

KFC is also selling fried pickles for a limited time at participating restaurants across the country, according to the brand.

On Monday, it touted that new menu item and the recent reappearance of its $7 Fill Up meal deals at the fried chicken chain "while supplies last" as "showing KFC’s renewed focus on flavor and trend-forward menu innovations." 

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Yum! Brands has several thousand KFC locations across America. Of the nearly 32,000 KFC restaurants operating globally at the end of the first quarter, roughly 89% were located in international markets. 

During the first quarter, the company saw U.S. same-store sales for KFC decrease by 1% compared to the same three-month period a year ago. Meanwhile, its international KFC same-store sales grew 3% year-over-year in the first quarter, according to Yum! Brands. 

KFC competes with other chicken-focused fast food chains such Popeyes, Chick-fil-A and Raising Cane’s, as well as other brands in the broader quick-service industry. It ranked No. 2 among chicken chains for customer satisfaction, behind Chick-fil-A in the American Customer Satisfaction Index’s Restaurant and Food Delivery Study 2025 released last month. 

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In addition to KFC, Yum! Brands owns Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and Habit Burger & Grill. The company had a market capitalization of $41.05 billion as of Monday afternoon.