A fake KFC fried chicken restaurant operating under the name KFC Halal in Iran’s capital city of Tehran was shut down after being open for only 24 hours, because it was just too American.
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First branch of #US fast food restaurant @KFC was shut down in #Iran's #Tehran soon after its opening pic.twitter.com/S2QGtypHqI
— Tasnim News Agency (@Tasnimnews_EN) November 3, 2015
“We are shocked with the news that an illegitimate KFC outlet has opened in Tehran, Iran,” Al Arabiya News quoted a Yum! Brands spokeswoman as saying.
Oddly enough, the restaurant wasn’t shut down for operating fraudulently. This fake KFC was shuttered by the Iranian police because the restaurant’s interior resembled an American flag, according to a Mashable report.
However, the manager of the fried chicken restaurant disputes that claim, and insists the restaurant was shut down due to a misunderstanding of brand ownership.
“The shutting down of Halal KFC was due to a misunderstanding,” Abbas Pazuki, the manager of Halal KFC, told the Iranian news agency Tasnim, reiterating that police believed the restaurant was associated with KFC’s parent company, Yum! Brands.
Ali Fazeli, the head of the Iranian chamber of commerce, reportedly confirmed that the KFC location in Tehran has no connection with KFC in the U.S., and as such, “In accordance with orders from the Supreme Leader, we do not give any authorization to Western brands” in the fast food sector.
A day after #KFC supposedly opens in #Iran, it gets shut down. Owner says it's bootleg. https://t.co/ORovtQdEiV pic.twitter.com/qWdbnOmfSP
— Holly Dagres (@hdagres) November 3, 2015