KFC: “No Evidence” of Fried Rat. Calls Report a “Hoax”

KFC has said that it has “no evidence” to support the claim that a deep-fried rat was recently served to a customer.

Deep Fried Rat

A photo of a deep-fried object which resembles a rat and a tail was posted to Facebook in June 2015 by a customer named Devorise Dixon. He claimed that he was served the object at a KFC and that the manager “confirmed” it was a rat. The photo’s caption read:

WENT BACK TO KFC YESTERDAY AND SPOKE TO THE MANAGER SHE SAID IT IS A RAT AND APOLOGIZED, IT’S TIME FOR A LAWYER!!! BE SAFE DON’T EAT FAST FOOD !!!

As readers began posting the image on KFC’s Facebook page, the company issued a response:

KFC takes customer claims very seriously, and we are continuing to investigate this matter. Our chicken tenders often vary in size and shape, and we currently have no evidence to support this claim. We are aggressively trying to reach Mr. Dixon, and we request that he return to the restaurant with the product for testing, or call us at 1-800-Call-KFC.

Dixon discussed the story on The Randy Economy Show, and said, “…it was very nasty. I spit it out. I looked down at my hand and I realized that it was in the shape of a rat with a tail and everything in it.”

Dixon stated that he placed the object in a bag and returned to the KFC location where it was purchased. “The manager actually freaked out too. Confirmed that it was a rat,” he said. Dixon stated that the manager apologized and offered him a free meal. Dixon declined the offer said he would contact a lawyer.

KFC told CNN that the company “made various attempts to contact” Dixon, but that he “is refusing to either talk to us personally or through a lawyer, nor has he come forward with the chicken piece in question for verification.”

On June 18, KFC began responding to individual social media posts about the topic, calling it a “hoax.”

@King_Louis17 We firmly believe this is a bogus claim, nothing more than a hoax, & an unacceptable allegation about the quality of our food.

— KFC (@kfc) June 18, 2015

The case is reminiscent of the infamous deep-fried chicken head story which was heavily reported in 2000. The assertion that a chicken head was served by McDonald’s was neither proven nor disproven.

DNA Test

Dixon’s attorney obtained a specimen of the chicken tender in question and handed it over for testing. On June 22, it was reported that independent DNA testing on the “rat” concluded that it was in fact chicken.

Bottom Line

A photo posted to Facebook in June 2015 claims that a deep-fried rat was served to a customer at KFC. Independent DNA testing later confirmed that it was in fact chicken.

Updated June 24, 2015