KFC Hornby — Restaurant in Christchurch

I’m very slow to write negative reviews…this may be the first 1-star review I’ve ever written. But repeated mishaps from this location have led me to this point.

I have often ordered catering from this location for large groups. Everyone enjoys the food. But the chaos that usually surrounds the experience has made it less and less worth the effort.

Often (over 50% of the time) we are missing large portions of our order. Often (over 75% of the time) our order is 15+ minutes late.

But last night, we hit a new low. I had ordered a meal for our youth group to be delivered. When the delivery driver arrived, he dropped a single bag of food at the front door and ran away quickly. We immediately knew this wouldn’t be the whole order, but the delivery guy was long gone.

We opened the bag to discover that 30 pieces of chicken were missing. On my email receipt, I was instructed to call 0800KFCKFC with my order number ready should there be any issues. I rang the number, followed the prompts to connect me to KFC Hornby, and was hit with an automated message saying the call was unable to be answered.

So I went to Google Maps to find a local number for the store. When I rang the 03 number, it just gave me a disconnected tone immediately. So now, having ordered delivery, I’m having to drive to the store in person - thus defeating the purpose of delivery in the first place.

When I arrived, the staff knew exactly where my missing food was…still sitting on the warmer. Apparently, whoever had given the order to the delivery driver just “missed” it. The guy who explained this to me was quick to say it wasn’t his fault…he was on break. The manager was also quick to pass the blame, claiming he “didn’t know who made the mistake.”

With 30 pieces of chicken left unclaimed, no one thought to check the contact info on the order? No one thought to call the customer and explain the inconvenience? When the customer arrived, no one thought to offer a refund of the delivery fee, considering the convenience of delivery had been cancelled out? No one was willing to be accountable for the mixup? Their highest priority was to pass the blame to someone else?

Unfortunately, this will be the final time I am subjected to such service from this location. Probably a dozen high value catering orders over the past couple of years…but now...

Strong Customer Review for KFC Hornby

Order Number: 5559250511038 Collection Date & Time: 11/05/2025 at 7:18 PM Location: KFC Hornby, Hornby Shopping Centre, Main South Road, Christchurch

I placed an order via the KFC app, scheduled for pickup at 7:18 PM. Upon arrival, my order number was clearly displayed on the "Order Being Prepared" monitor. At around 7:20 PM, I saw a Chilli Chicken Bowl being prepared and placed on the warming counter. I assumed it was mine, but after that, it sat there untouched for nearly 20 minutes.

During that time, staff appeared visibly disorganized—walking back and forth, staring at the monitor, but seemingly unaware of what was going on. One staff member took almost 10 minutes to pack a single packet of chips. Several customers were left unattended and eventually walked out. While I understand mistakes can happen, I was here for my food—not to witness chaos.

By 7:40 PM, it was clear my order was being ignored. I approached the counter just as the same bowl—prepared at 7:20—was finally being packed for me. I stopped the staff and pointed out the unacceptable delay and potential food safety concern. They acknowledged it and went to the back to prepare a replacement. Unfortunately, the replacement bowl didn’t even have sauce in it.

Then came the worst part: a team member (possibly a supervisor) approached me, not to apologize, but to explain that I should have informed staff upon arrival. He claimed they "can’t see app orders" unless told directly—even though the order had been visible on the monitor the entire time. When I asked who was responsible for missing the order, he deflected, saying it was "no one’s fault." Instead of simply correcting the mistake, he decided to blame me for not speaking up sooner. When I challenged this, he told me to "calm down"—a completely unnecessary and dismissive remark when I was only asking valid questions.

This entire experience—from the delay to the lack of accountability and poor customer service—was deeply disappointing. I expect better systems and better attitudes from a well-established chain like KFC. Mistakes happen, but the way they are handled makes all the difference. This experience has definitely impacted my trust in...

Where do I start… this place is so disgusting, that it has put me off ever getting kfc ever again. First of all, at 1:15pm today (which I think every single person in the world is aware is a busy lunch time) this kfc thought it was a good time to send 2 staff on their lunch breaks, when there were only 2/3 other staff left in the kitchen. There was a line of over 10 people waiting to order food, and instead of taking customer orders, the staff put their orders in and were served their lunch first before any customers… bare in mind all of the customers have been waiting already for over 30 minutes. After the long wait to order and an unreasonable waiting time for the order to be made, I ordered a veggie burger because I have been vegetarian for 9 years. Instead of giving me a veggie burger, they gave me a snack chicken burger that I only realised wasn’t a veggie burger after I took a bite. This is DISGUSTING and REVOLTING. I ended up vomiting, and tried to call this kfc but I got no answer (as I had already driven off home with this order). This is disgusting and absolutely unacceptable. This kfc needs to be shut down, by the majority of reviews, it seems like many people have had the same experiences!! The health and safety of this place...