KFC drops famous 'finger lickin' good' slogan during coronavirus pandemic

The fast food chain has suspended the use of its 64-year-old slogan

KFC has suspended its famous slogan during the coronavirus pandemic. YouTube

For the first time in 64 years, KFC will suspend its “finger lickin’ good” slogan.

The fast food chain announced the unprecedented move on Monday, saying that the phrase "doesn't quite feel right" during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

"We find ourselves in a unique situation – having an iconic slogan that doesn't quite fit in the current environment," Catherine Tan-Gillespie, global chief marketing officer at KFC, told CNN.

But the fried chicken chain assured customers that its famous slogan would return when “the time is right”, and that there would be no changes to the restaurant’s menu.

Following the announcement, a video shared to KFC’s UK and Ireland YouTube account blurred the slogan on buckets of chicken and old billboards.

“That thing we always say? Ignore it. For now,” the video says.

The move comes as global health advice from the likes of World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reminds people to avoid touching their eyes, nose and mouth where possible.

The announcement was met with confusion by many of the restaurant’s fans on social media. “This is stupid. I believe it's implied that the slogan refers to one's own fingers,” one person said on Twitter, while another said, “I’m officially done with this year.”