One of the largest restaurant chains in the world, KFC, has been accused of stealing the concept for the South African dish chicken kota, which was created by young businessman Romeo Malepe.
Kota, sometimes referred to as Sphatlo locally, is a substantial sandwich made by stuffing a number of things into a quarter-loaf of bread, wrapping it, and then eating it on the go.
A meal similar to Romeo Malepe’s chicken kota is about to be released by KFC.
Romeo said that the chain stole the concept he had four years prior when he was wanting to partner with them, according to a BBC story.
In a reply to South African media, KFC, however, refuted the entrepreneur’s assertions, stating that it was “no secret that kota is a famous South African meal and the limited-edition KFC Sphatlho is the result of an internal product development process.”
I should also mention that the chain has drawn influence from South African cuisine throughout the years.
“We will continue to use South African food trends as inspiration to bring relevant products to our fans across South Africa,” KFC stated.
