KFC Germany has issued an apology after the fast food chain accidentally sent a push alert to its app users with a promotion commemorating the Nazi anti-Jewish raids known as Kristallnacht.
“Night of Crystal,” or “the Night of Broken Glass” refers to a wave of violent anti-Jewish pogroms that took place on Nov. 9-10, 1938, with its name owing to the shattered glass from the windows of Jewish homes, businesses, and synagogues, a precursor to the systemic genocide of the Jewish population by the Nazis during World War II.
Enthusiasts of the fried chicken restaurant were shocked to receive a notification on Wednesday encouraging them to “treat themselves” to chicken and cheese for the anniversary of the violent anti-Jewish riots.
The notification, sent at 1 p.m. local time read: “Commemoration of the Reich pogrom night. Feel free to add more tender cheese to the crispy chicken. Now at KFCheese!”
Furious users of the app took to Twitter to express their disgust at the notification.
“Are you serious about KFC?! How low can you go, please! I puke,” wrote one enraged customer.
“I find this very wrong. Comment, KFC Germany?” wrote another, while a third added: “Are you serious about promoting a commemoration day like this?”
A follow up notification was sent out a little more than an hour later apologizing for the error.
“Due to an error in our system, we sent an incorrect and inappropriate message through our app. We are very sorry, we will check our internal processes immediately so that this does not happen again. Please excuse this error. Team KFC,” it read.
In a formal comment, KFC Germany explained it uses “a semi-automated content creation process linked to calendars that include national observances.
“In this instance, our internal review process was not properly followed, resulting in a non-approved notification being shared,” the company added.
