KFC’s Original Recipe Bites Now Paired with America’s Most Classic Dipping Sauce – KFC’s World Famous Gravy

Long-Time Gravy Fanatics Inspire Combination with KFC’s Most Popular New Menu Item of 2012

LOUISVILLE, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--It was difficult for chicken fans to find authentic bite-sized chicken made for grown-ups until last summer when KFC introduced Original Recipe Bites – big bite-sized pieces made with 100 percent breast meat and freshly prepared every day using the Colonel’s Original Recipe of 11 herbs and spices. This week KFC introduces a match made in heaven, pairing its modern grown-up Bites with a classic grown-up sauce: Original Recipe Bites with Dipping Gravy.

“Pairing Original Recipe Bites with Dipping Gravy is not only an homage to Colonel Sanders and the high standards he put on gravy taste, it’s also a direct response to the thousands of ‘fanatics’ that rave about our gravy every day.”

“When we introduced Original Recipe Bites last year, KFC set the standard for what bite-sized chicken should be,” said Jason Marker, Chief Marketing Officer for KFC US. “Pairing Original Recipe Bites with Dipping Gravy is not only an homage to Colonel Sanders and the high standards he put on gravy taste, it’s also a direct response to the thousands of ‘fanatics’ that rave about our gravy every day.”

Almost immediately upon its introduction, Original Recipe Bites became a chicken cult phenomenon and a hot item on KFC menus from coast to coast. In fact, KFC has sold more than 300 million Original Recipe Bites since launching the product in July of last year. This positive response came with only one request: fans asked for another delectable dipping sauce for KFC’s Original Recipe Bites. It didn’t take long for KFC to decide that its world famous gravy was the perfect pairing.

The chefs in the KFC test kitchen expect gravy to be a popular dipping sauce for Bites, since it is served hot and features the signature flavor fans rave about. In addition, sauce lovers have other dipping options at KFC, including Creamy Buffalo (which debuted in 2012), Honey BBQ, Ranch and Honey Mustard.

Original Recipe Bites with Dipping Gravy are available in a six-piece combo for only $3.99. Also available is the KFC Eight-Piece Meal, which includes eight pieces of chicken, two large sides and four biscuits for just $15.99. Visit www.KFC.com for more information. (Both promotions available for a limited time at participating restaurants. Tax extra).

The Influence of KFC Gravy Fanatics

The very first gravy “fanatic” at KFC was the Colonel himself. In the early days of his franchise, Colonel Sanders was known to always carry a silver spoon in his jacket pocket to exclusively taste test gravy at hundreds of restaurants across the country. The spirit of his gravy fandom lives on today; it is embodied by the more than 300,000 fans of KFC gravy on a (non-KFC sponsored) Facebook community page and by the dozens of tweets about KFC gravy posted every day to Twitter. These fans are both loyal and creative about their love for gravy. They suggest new ways for KFC to serve gravy and often express disbelief in anyone who does not share in their fanaticism.

This KFC Gravy loyalty was the inspiration behind the Original Recipe Bites with Dipping Gravy marriage. Today, KFC is helping continue the social movement by engaging gravy lovers with a number of activations, including a call to action to get consumers to join “the gravy train,” and a dedicated hashtag – #withgravy – that will allow consumers to share their love of gravy and celebrate this perfect pairing.

About KFC

KFC Corporation, based in Louisville, Ky., is the world's most popular chicken restaurant chain specializing in Original Recipe®, Extra Crispy™, Kentucky Grilled Chicken® and Extra Crispy™ Strips with home-style sides, Hot Wings, and freshly made chicken sandwiches. There are more than 17,000 KFC outlets in more than 115 countries and territories around the world. Each week, more than 13 million people visit a KFC restaurant in the United States. KFC Corporation is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., Louisville, Ky. (NYSE: YUM). For more information, visit www.kfc.com. Follow KFC on Facebook (www.facebook.com/KFC) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/kfc_colonel).