The most hated KFC in America is at LAX. Our research confirms it

Theoretically, every KFC should be the same. Practically, they are often not. Differences in franchise management across all fast food brands can lead to unexpected irregularities in what customers encounter inside restaurants, regardless of the logos on the storefront.

Fast Company analyzed the Google Maps reviews of every location in the United States for four different fast food brands (McDonald’s, Burger King, Taco Bell, and KFC). We ranked the locations based on a weighted scoring system that we devised, which factors in both the average customer review score and the number of reviews that customers have left.* (These scores were current as of July 30, 2024.)

Here are the five best and worst KFC locations in America, according to our analysis of customer experiences. And if you’re wondering how a seemingly monolithic brand can produce such drastic variations across their franchises, you can read more here.

#1 Best: 637 E National Ave., Brazil, IN

Score: 4.67

Reviews: 780

Weighted score: 11.12

Representative review: “The food was hot and ready. The staff was very kind and helpful. The place was packed but we had no waiting to be served. A great addition to our small town. I will be back.”

#2 Best: 501 S Main St., Sapulpa, OK

Score: 4.21

Reviews: 960

Weighted score: 8.31

Representative review: “I LOVE thier Pot Pies. The manager Angie I think it is. She is the nicest person. You can tell she seems to run a tight shift, but she stays professional. Her and her crew were working hard!!!!! GREAT pot pie as always. See you all next time!!!”

#3 Best: 1301 Southern Hills Center, West Plains, MO

Score: 4.26

Reviews: 717

Weighted score: 8.28

Representative review: “Absolutely outstanding customer service. Restaurant is clean well-maintained. Food was off the hook. Best KFC I’ve ever been in and I’ve been [in] all of them.”

#4 Best: 514 S Commercial St, Harrisburg, IL

Score: 4.20

Reviews: 938

Weighted score: 8.21

Representative review: “I’ve never seen such a nice KFC. Very clean, there was a young man scrubbing the chairs. Chicken was good. Very big. It has a big back room that would be great for a meeting room.”

#5 Best: 3970 Hwy 411, Madisonville, TN

Reviews: 765

Weighted score: 8.03

Representative review: “HIGHLY RECOMMEND!! This Kfc is by far the BEST ONE EVER! The food is ALWAYS HOT & FRESH, the portions are what they should be. Service is excellent & the atmosphere is Amazing! Keep up the GREAT WORK 😊”

#1 Worst: 380 World Way, Los Angeles, CA (LAX)

Score: 1.48

Reviews: 286

Weighted score: -8.60

Representative review: “Very rude people, poor overpriced menu. Avoid if you can. Messed up the simple order in the limited menu. Just sad. Eating there made me feel sad. I feel sorry for anyone that has to suffer this place.”

#2 Worst: 21566 N John Wayne Pkwy, Maricopa, AZ

Score: 1.94

Reviews: 609

Weighted score: -6.80

Representative review: “I usually don’t come to this KFC because they are always rude and don’t even acknowledge you at the drive thru until you drive off. But i decided to give it another try and it was the worst! Nobody was in line but they said I would have to wait for my food which is okay but my food never came! I walked in there after 15 minutes literally to see about my food the manager was so rude and she doesn’t even know how to count change! I asked for my money back and she gave me the wrong amount 3 times and was mad at me cause she was wrong! I’m in retail too and I would never treat my customers the way they do, not even if I had a bad day! Customer service is so important and they need to train their employees more and teach them the significance of Good customer service! I will never go there again ! Horrible place! Horrible Service”

#3 Worst: 4727 N Midkiff Rd., Midland, TX

Score: 1.89

Reviews: 300

Weighted score: -6.33

Representative review: “we waited about 7 minutes to even order and there was no one eating there.Then she came over touching her hair and said “[dine] on or carry out” then she was rude about us ordering and she went to touch some chicken with the same hands she was touching her hair with.She then told us it would be a 16 minute wait for some chicken so we told her never mind and on our way out she yelled at her co workers “SHE DONT WANT IT””

#4 Worst: 16980 W Yuma Rd., Goodyear, AZ

Score: 2.02

Reviews: 331

Weighted score: -5.69

Representative review: “I ordered chicken strips for my aunt who is 78 years old. They were so tough. My dog wouldn’t eat them will not be coming back.☹️😡. We should be able to give 0s. Oh yeah got a chicken sandwich also and it was over cooked to.”

#5 Worst: 1960 E County Line Rd, Littleton, CO

Score: 2.08

Reviews: 460

Weighted score: -5.64

Representative review: “Manager gave me the middle finger out the drive-thru window for canceling a delivery order after they had 10 minutes to prepare this order… real mature🤦‍♂️ Riddle me this, how long do your apple pie poppers take to make? 10 minutes seems a bit excessive for FAST food… now I am not saying, but I am just saying🤷‍♂️ Regardless, it is real amusing to see your manager on-duty act as classy as he did for NO reason, like dude, there will be other delivery drivers, calm down… it is just a job, why so serious🤣”

*Methodology

Weighted scores were created after selecting only locations with at least 50 reviews on Google Maps, subtracting three from the score (which averages those reviews), and multiplying the result by the log of the number of reviews, which we capped at 1,000 reviews. For example, a restaurant with a score of 4.0 and 90 reviews would yield the weighted score of 6.75 (1.5 * log(90)). A restaurant with a score of 1 and 3,000 reviews would yield the score -10.36 (-1.5 * log(1000)). Because the maximum number of reviews to weight the score is 1,000, locations with identical scores and any number of reviews over 1,000 will be tied.