KFC is the UK’s king of fakeaways – the most popular restaurant to recreate at home

KFC is the UK’s king of fakeaways

• KFC is the most popular restaurant brand to try and recreate at home
• KFC accounts for 71% of Google searches attempting homemade versions of popular takeaway and restaurant dishes

KFC is the UK’s most popular restaurant food for people to try and recreate at home, a new study by Maxima Kitchen Equipment has found.

The research shows that there are more than 17,000 Google searches in the UK each month containing a popular restaurant and a phrase such as “recipe”, “homemade” or “fakeaway”.

The fried chicken chain accounts for more than 12,000 of those searches, equivalent to a massive 71%.

The study analysed the search volume of more than 20 different national restaurant and takeaway chains, such as Greggs, Pizza Express, Burger King and Domino’s.

Second on the list of “fakeaway” searches was Nando’s, with 12% of searches – around 2,000 each month, while McDonalds came in third with 4%, just 650 monthly inquiries.

KFC has previously celebrated Brits’ enthusiasm for attempting to recreate its secret mix of herbs and spices.

Its advertising campaign last year featured the public’s homemade versions of KFC which they had created when the chain’s restaurants were closed due to lockdown.

The advert tagline told fans “we’ll take it from here”, announcing its locations were reopening.

As the first lockdown began in March 2020, Twitter user Dan Fell received national acclaim after sharing his recipe for homemade KFC, which he claimed had taken him 18 months to perfect.

His tweet featuring a photo of the chicken received more than 2,500 likes, and his recipe was featured in dozens of news articles on the story.

Commenting on the research, a spokesperson for Maxima Kitchen Equipment said: “KFC is the clear winner at the top of our fakeaway list, beating lots of other popular restaurant brands. These results show that the British public can’t get enough of KFC, and if they can’t get their fingers on the real thing, then they crave it enough to try and make their own homemade version.”

Pizza chain Domino’s placed joint fourth in the ranking with Millie’s Cookies, each receiving around 450 searches (3%) every month, while Pizza Hut was in fifth with 240 monthly searches, equivalent to a 1% share.

The research was carried out by Maxima Kitchen Equipment, which has more than 40 years of experience in the supply and maintenance of professional kitchen equipment.

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