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A KFC outlet in Durban has put on its charity wings and donated a small undisclosed sum of money to an HIV/Aids group following a consumer complaint.
A hungry customer who made her way to KFC in Chatsworth Centre for a meal was so distraught after finding a feather in her wing that she vowed never to eat from the fast-food retail giant again.
Inspired by customer's generosity
She expressed concerned over safety and hygiene at the branch and claimed that the oversight could have resulted in a serious accident had a child eaten it.
"What if a child who was unsupervised by an adult was eating it?" she asked.
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After complaining to the manager at the store, a new meal was offered, but the customer refused to accept it. She was then offered R150 in retail vouchers which she also turned down.
An agreement was then reached that the KFC outlet would make a donation in the customer's name. "I opted for the charity option", she said. In fact, the KFC owner said he was so inspired by the customer's generosity that he doubled the donation amount.
Missionaries of Charity
"KFC has donated an amount to a charity organisation called Missionaries of Charity on behalf of myself," she said cheerfully.
Sister Vincent from the charity based in Chatsworths said the money would be used for the general running of the organisation that provides care to 50 adults and 10 children - some who also have HIV/Aids.
She said most of the people at the charity are brought in after living on the streets and ending up in hospital in dire need of medical care.
The Missionaries of Charity has several branches world-wide with the first one officially established in the Archdiocese of Calcutta in 1950 by Mother Teresa.
KFC - we are sorry
KFC Africa corporate communications manager Gail Sham said the group apologised to the customer for her experience at the Durban restaurant.
"As an act of discretion, the franchisee owner, out of the goodness of his heart, decided to make a small donation - despite it not being part of KFC policy to do this.
"The satisfaction of our customers is of the utmost importance to us and we work hard to resolve our customers’ queries through a formal customer care process," she added.
Feeding the hungry
KFC is no stranger to helping the needy.
Annually each KFC restaurant together with their customers contributes to Add Hope, which helps to feed the hungry.
This initiative includes providing support to churches, schools, early childhood development centres and drop in centres.
A total of R23.2m has been raised since January this year. In 2014, customer and restaurant donations amounted to almost R54m.
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