KFC Hemel Hempstead - Maylands Avenue — Restaurant in Dacorum

Went in for a meal whilst on the way home. Food excellent. Service excellent. But what was more excellent was the way they handle tricky customers...

One large bloke, flat cap, building site foreman type, Sun reader (if he can read) comes in, goes past the order screens and straight up to the counter... you know there's going to be trouble. He's acting like the big man, throwing his weight around, and asking (no telling) the staff he wants no legs in his meal, how he wants extra freebies instead of legs, more this and that... He basically wants a bucket of chicken breasts and fries for free. He's on his phone to his mates as well, (I hate that when people cannot even have the courtesy to get off their phones whilst being served in person by someone) and barking orders and pointing to the staff who are Indian, in a large booming voice, and talking down to them as if they cannot understand English! (But they speak English far better than him.)

Whilst things start to get heated, and fat bloke keeps going on about how wants this and that, wanting to speak to the manager, the staff do a genius thing... they smile and nod at him.

So clever, and completely dis-arming. He's not getting what he wants, no doubt if that was me, I'd feel intimidated, give him what he wants just to get him out of there, but the staff have dealt with these idiots thousands of times. If they give in, he'll be back every week, and so will his thick mates. So, they keep smiling, keep nodding, realises he aint getting no free chicken tonight, and walks out.

I saw this all unfold right in front of me, I went up to the counter to give them a bit of praise, but they were too busy just getting on with it, serving other customers and completing drive thru orders... Managed to catch the eye of they guy who took all the flak from fat bloke, and just gave him thumbs up. So, lets hear it for the staff, who have to face these bigoted, patronising idiots every day. They do...

Food was cold chicken taste like cleaning fluid....I suppose I should be grateful they use cleaning products considering the tables were dirty when we tried to find somewhere to sit, even food on the chairs. I returned the food and explained it was cold, taste of cleaning product and a burger had sauce which we didn't want. The order said no mayo or ketchup. We got given a plain burger FOUR times before I asked for the manager. I explained I wanted a burger with No mayo or sauce he did quite understand what I was asking for repeating did I want a plain burger. Eventually he offered me a refund. When I checked my bank I couldn't see it pending so asked if it went through. We resolved the issue I said thank you and just as I went to leave the guy said yeah don't come again. I said excuse me he said you heard me so I asked for his manager he said he was the manager which was a lie. I eventually got to speak to his manager who said I was banned because i made a complaint about the food. I've never laughed so hard. I was polite throughout and was treated like the food they cook,...

Absolutely awful! I had low expectations based on the other reviews, but it was worse than I thought possible.

Fluff and hair on the cold, greasy chicken, cold under done chips, sweaty rice and popcorn chicken that looked like it had been kept warm for a week.

The poor chickens that provided the meat, appeared to have either fallen from a high building or were bludgeoned to death by hammer, broken and shards of bone everywhere.

The incompetence and chaos behind the counter was the worst I've ever seen at a takeaway. No one seemed to know what they are doing, food is boxed up and left to go cold before additional order items are ready.

Serious, this team could make the Liz Truss government look like a slick team of highly skilled operators.

High point - knowing I don't have to go there again.

Low point - The cold chicken with added...