KFC Cheesy Bacon Bowl — Marketing & Product Review
By now you’ve probably seen the KFC TV commercials that advertise the NEW! KFC Cheesy Bacon Bowl product.
The original KFC Famous Bowl (layers of mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, a few pieces of popcorn chicken and then a little bit of shredded cheese on top) premiered over five years ago. This new Cheesy Bacon Bowl is the original Famous Bowl with the addition of tiny pieces of bacon. ‘Nuff said.
Mmmmmmmm. Bacon.
KFC Cheesy Bacon Bowl TV commercial
Right off the bat, these modern KFC commercials are annoying and really in your face. From the loud and over simplistic (and ANNOYING!) voice of the narrator telling us things we already know, to the emphasis on bacon, this commercial feels like it was designed for morons.
Now don’t get me wrong here. There’s nothing wrong with bacon. I love it just as much as the next person. It’s just that the way that the commercial pushes this feature of the Cheesy Bacon Bowl (which the bacon part is a very small percentage of the bowl itself), it feels like the company is dumbing itself down to try to attract those high school and college guys who feel the need to be macho for the lamest of reasons.
It’s like, “Oh yeah. I’m a guy. I love bacon. Therefore I must eat this KFC product, hang out at a bar and drink a bunch of light beer, and then grab a Baconator from the Wendy’s drive-thru on the way home. It makes me feel macho.”
Okay, that might have been exaggerated. Stopping at Wendy’s also requires getting a Frosty. And some spicy chicken nuggets. And maybe a Junior Bacon Cheeseburger.
Today I had the opportunity to try the KFC Cheesy Bacon Bowl. We had some online coupons to try the bowl for $3.99 and also receive a free drink.
The Cheesy Bacon Bowl itself was fairly large. The first thing I noticed when removing it from the food tray was that the bowl itself felt fairly heavy. It was heavy, looked good, and the Cheesy Bacon Bowl smelled great.
As a whole, the KFC Cheesy Bacon Bowl was pretty good. The bacon though, the biggest emphasis in the TV commercial, was a bit on the skimpy side. You definitely get the additional flavor of bacon, but since the pieces are so small, you don’t get the sensation of eating the delicious food item. You might be able to pick up and nibble on the largest of pieces, but most of the bacon pieces are so small that they get lost with the cheese, gravy, and other items.
It’s important to note that as a value, the regular price for the Cheesy Bacon Bowl is a bit on the expensive side as the majority of the bowl is filled with mashed potatoes. On top of that is a little bit of corn, a few pieces of popcorn chicken, a layer of gravy, and a sprinkle of shredded cheese and pieces of bacon.
Right now the KFC location that we visited (a KFC / Taco Bell combo restaurant that I worked at waaaaaay back in high school) is offering a Cheesy Bacon Bowl and small drink combo for $4.99. This isn’t too bad if you’re dining there and want to fill yourself mainly on mashed potatoes. There’s a great big layer of them on the bottom of the bowl. But as far as satisfying a craving for the Colonel’s famous chicken, or even snacking on some bacon, then this is not the product for you.
When it comes to dining at KFC, one of the most expensive menu items is the drink itself. The smallest size offered at said location was a “medium” drink for only $1.69. Yikes! The trick at this location is to order a cheap Taco Bell combo meal to get some food and a drink, and then add on some KFC side items like a KFC Snacker sandwich or two or some popcorn chicken. Though to maximize that way one should probably enjoy eating products from Taco Apocalypto.
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When it comes to satisfying a BACON craving (Mmmmmmmm. Bacon.), some of the best bacon that we’ve discovered is from a chain of Asian grocery stores called H Mart. Some of the bacon there is SO THICK that it’s like eating a slice of pork chop. Add some additional seasoning and you’ve got yourself an awesome snack.
When it comes to bacon and using it as a primary reason to sell a product, don’t screw around. Either use it in the product in a GENEROUS and non-insulting method, or don’t even bother wasting our time. KFC’s Cheesy Bacon Bowl was good, but with that much of an emphasis on the bacon, it seemed kind of ironic since that was the smallest percentage (and size) of the items in the bowl.
Oh boy! Bacon crumbs! Yay! /s
Come on, KFC. Stop teasing us and put larger pieces of bacon in the bowl.
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These reviews and much more are available at my other website, Chamber of Reviews!