Does KFC Have a Free Refill Policy for Chicken Buckets? Find out the facts…

A video claim that originated in TikTok over a year ago and related to a purported bizarre KFC refill policy has once again started going viral among social media users. Naturally, this video sparked massive interest among netizens around the world. Let’s look at the original claim in detail.

Social Media Claim

A widely shared video on TikTok featured a user ordering an 8-piece chicken bucket. After finishing it, the user asks a staff member if he could get a free refill. The staff member instantly obliges, mentioning “that” policy, and purportedly gives the user eight more chicken pieces at no additional charge. 

In the video, the TikTok creator claimed that the policy applies 60 minutes after purchase and can be requested with a receipt. However, per the video claim, the policy is no longer valid once the customer leaves the restaurant.

The video quickly went viral, currently having over 22 million views.

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Then, the refill policy at KFC gained momentum instantly due to its tempting nature.

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We also recently found the same claim spreading on Facebook, as seen below.

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While the video may be convincing and could prompt people to visit KFC, the truth is that KFC does not offer a chicken bucket refill policy.

Fact-Checking

To begin our investigation, we searched for other videos featuring this trend. We found that some TikTok users have shared clips of themselves going to KFC and asking for the refill policy. Unfortunately, they were told that the restaurants did not have such a policy. You can watch the videos here and here.

Addressing the viral claim, on 16^th March 2023, KFC tweeted to debunk the rumor about the free refill policy on its official Twitter account.

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Moreover, KFC has also responded to the viral video on TikTok:

“Here’s the tea: KFC does not have a free refill policy, but y’all should check out our app for the special offer we really are running on buckets 😉“

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Also, according to a spokesperson from KFC, the “KFC Refill Hack” is definitely a hoax. They clarified that “We love the widespread enthusiasm for our buckets, but to clarify our policy, KFC does not offer free refills,” according to Today.com.

As shown in the viral video, the claim was initially made by a TikTok user, “Jordan_the_stallion8.” We looked at his TikTok content and found that he had also made several other claims about fast food secrets. For example, he talked about the McDonald’s secret menu and the McBrunch burger (watch the TikTok video here), which was confirmed to be true (source). However, as we can see in this instance, not all claims made on his channel were valid.

Conclusion

In summary, the claim circulating on social media about KFC’s free-refill policy is not true. Despite a viral TikTok video suggesting customers could refill their chicken buckets for free, KFC has confirmed that it does not offer such a policy.

The spread of fake claims like this can have real-world consequences. In this case, the false claim could encourage people to waste food by over-ordering to get a free refill. It could also lead to confusion and disappointment among customers who try to take advantage of the supposed policy, only to be told that it doesn’t actually exist.