The Retro KFC 'Thrift Box' That Fed Your Family For Around $3

Buckets of fried chicken may be Finger Lickin' Good, but they're not necessarily easy on the wallet. 50 years ago, however, KFC was serving up fast food family meals that gave foodies more bang for their buck. Kentucky Fried Chicken opened its first franchise in 1952 (the chain's name wouldn't change to KFC until 1991), and 20 years later, the chain's 1972 menu had reached (arguably) peak flow state. At KFC, $3 could feed a hungry household. 

A Reddit thread shares a KFC menu from 1972, which lists what was called the Thrift Box. This meal deal included nine pieces of chicken for just $3.10. Nowadays, the closest equivalent on the chain's menu is the 8-piece Chicken-Only Bucket for about $21.99, varying by location. At the time, KFC also offered a slightly larger Thrift Bucket with 15 pieces of chicken and five "homemade" rolls for $4.35. Today, KFC serves biscuits instead of rolls.

A lot has changed over the years, and commenters on the thread note that some of those changes have been for the worse ("An entire bucket and meal for $5.90. Wow") and some for the better ("No Mac n Cheese? What world is this?"). One apparent longtime KFC fan celebrates the memory of those discontinued rolls, describing, "They were very salty and buttery on the outside, and very soft and sweet on the inside." They also apparently had a yeasty scent and didn't taste particularly homemade. "More like Wonderbread but sweeter," they added. "I'm not sure my adult palate would appreciate them, but as a kid they were heavenly."

The Thrift Box appears to have been available from around the mid-1960s until the late 1980s. Another Reddit post shares a KFC ad from 1967 that lists the Thrift Box — which is described as "Just Right for 3 to 4 people!" — at $2.25 (the equivalent of $22.58 today, adjusted for inflation). The price isn't exactly as "thrifty" as its name suggests, which commenters on the post point out. A fan from the era writes, "I grew up in the '70s/'80s. Compared to places like McDonald's, Burger King, and Wendy's, KFC was always pricier. We never went there without a coupon. Even in the '90s when I started working and had plenty of spending money, it was harder to justify KFC." Others note that KFC prices remain fairly high even today compared with other fast food chains: "[A]n eight-piece meal with two sides and two biscuits is $28 where I am now, and I'm not in a major city or a major tourist area."

Prices for the Thrift Box steadily increased over time. An Instagram post shares a photo of a KFC menu from 1968, which lists the Thrift Box at $2.50. Commenters reminisce about the chain's old menu offerings, like bean salad and potato salad, and its low prices. Fast-forward to 1981, and a KFC ad offers a coupon that would make the nine-piece Thrift Box cost $4.49, suggesting the meal cost close to or above $5 during the '80s. Nowadays, Church's offers the best value of any fried chicken chain.