KFC set to relaunch in Israel

The American fast food chain KFC is recruiting staff ahead of a planned reopening in Israel, the business daily Globes reported.

The company announced six months ago that it would relaunch in Israel for the fourth time.

Kentucky Fried Chicken opened and closed in Israel in the 1980s and the ’90s, and then remained open between 2003 and 2012.

In KFC’s last incarnation in Israel, franchise owner Udi Shamai’s eight locations went kosher after the company allowed him to switch the milk powder in the crispy coating to soy and to use kosher-killed chickens instead of those provided by the company.

“The moment we switched to kosher, sales began to plunge and it was no longer economically viable. The product was less good, whereas things had gone fine with un-kosher chickens,” Shamai told Globes.