KFC Stanway - Stane Leisure Park — Restaurant in Colchester

Since opening, this KFC has been a complete disaster. Initially I thought it was just teething problems, the original team seemed good but service was always slow for some reason. Eventually I went back to using the Freeport branch where the service is quick. But this weekend I was in the Stanway area needing food and not in a rush so decided to give it another go......what a mistake! Walked in and there were loads of people waiting for their orders which started alarm bells ringing. I wanted to redeem some rewards so queued to order rather than use the screens. With 2 people in the queue in front of me, the server vanished and a different one returned a few minutes later. Eventually got served (although that was a very confusing experience as well for a very simple order) and went to find a table knowing it would be a long wait. Lots of tables needing to be cleared, we chose one by the window that looked like it was being cleared (table had been wiped, cloth was still on it so assumed the person cleaning tables would be back in a second, but they never reappeared, nor did we see any one cleaning tables in the entire time we were there). Food was ready 20 minutes later but part of the order was missing which I noticed as the server passed the tray to me and mentioned but she was straight off to do the next orders and even raising my voice didn't attract her or anyone else's attention. When she returned with the next customers' orders I asked for the missing item and she said "in a minute", continued to finish the orders she was working on while I stood there with my food going cold. I then went to get salt etc. and there were no napkins, so asked someone else for those which took a while to find, and while I was waiting another customer was absolutely flying off the handle, effing and blinding about her order being wrong and how every time she comes here she has to "wait effing ages" and the "order is always effing wrong". Since the original team left, this place has become shambolic, although service has been predictably slow throughout. There doesn't appear to be any leadership or management. Nobody seems to care. Staff seem poorly trained and look ground down. Being a new purpose built store it doesn't make sense why it's such a disaster. Come on KFC, sort...

After driving a good few hours I decided to stop off at the next services on my trip! Enter the scene Stanway KFC.. KFC on the road is a win for ant chicken enthusiast but from the moment I pulled in & parked up the vibe has already changed! Touch screens didn't seem to be very responsive & when I finally managed to get one working I could already sense the tense atmosphere! I proceeded to order & at 2:13pm it was a done deal & over to the collection area where I waited.. and waited... and waited some more! I watched a number of customers approach the collection counter complaining about how long they'd been there & why half orders were supplied rather than the whole order & whilst I somewhat sympathised with the staff my sympathy grew thin the longer I too had to wait.. it took 40 minutes for my order to make it to the collection desk & I litrally could have completed my journey in that time! This looked like the worst organised I've ever seen a KFC there just seemed to be a massive lack of leadership & organisation. No communications to let people know what the delay was & no pop up on the touch screen advising of any delay either! One of the worst experiences in a KFC. Considering it wasn't even a peak time this particular KFC could do with a little improvement on leadership as the staff seemed to want to help but just kept their heads down due to the number of people backing up at the collection desk! Also uber eats or whatever other delivery service you are using need their own counter because having those drivers crowed the counter showing phones etc etc is more annoying than having to wait over 30 minutes...

Subject: Complaint Regarding Poor Quality of Food and Service – Order #7130

Dear KFC Customer Service,

I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with the food and service I received at Colchester Stanway London road today at 5.37 Pm. I placed an order for three meals which included fries, chicken wings, chicken popcorn, and watermelon juice. Unfortunately, the food was not up to the standard expected from KFC.

The chicken wings and fries were not freshly cooked; both tasted rubbery and old. The chicken popcorn lacked flavor, and the fries were unpleasantly chewy. It was clear the items had been prepared hours in advance and were not fresh when delivered. I also found the food to be poorly cooked, with a lack of taste, which made it quite disappointing.

Additionally, the service was subpar. The order was delivered very quickly, which raises concerns about the freshness of the food. There was no tissue or straw provided with the meal, and I noticed a lack of general cleanliness on the counter, which affected the overall experience.

My order number was 7130, and the receipt code is 050270223257130. The cashier who served me was named Rochelle.

This experience was very disappointing, and I feel that my money was wasted on substandard food and poor service. I hope you will look into this matter to ensure this does not happen again.

I would appreciate a response regarding this issue and a resolution to my concerns.

Thank you for your attention to...