Free chicken? Not so fast. On her show earlier this week, Oprah offered a free grilled chicken meal to anyone who printed an Internet coupon and brought it to their local KFC. But after massive lines, chicken shortages, and "riots" (via Consumerist and Opinionated Catholic), KFC has announced it can no longer honor the coupons (which were supposed to be valid through May 15, not including Mother's Day) and is offering a rain check to anyone who does have a coupon. Meanwhile, Fast Food Maven reports that rival chicken chain El Pollo Loco will accept the original KFC coupons on Mother's Day only. People aren't just mad because they can't get their chicken. Civil Eats is angry that despite running a piece on factory farming earlier this year, Oprah promoted KFC, which buys its chicken from Tyson, "one of America's worst offenders when it comes to support for factory farming." WireTap says that "KFC is a far cry from the sustainable alternatives that Oprah should be supporting, alternatives that would seem to be more in line with 'living your best life.'"

"I know that content providers like Oprah are hungry for ad dollars, but ...zounds. KFC? Oprah, despite her struggles with weight, certainly confers an image of someone who is mindful of what she eats," writes Brand New Day. Idea Peepshow thinks KFC should have prepared better and that people shouldn't have been mad about the lines--"Come on, it's Oprah. As much as you'd like to believe she's giving you an exclusive inside tip, let's face it, the lady has a few other 'friends.'" Twarketing says that "this will be an obvious case study on what not to do with a free meal offer." And NPR's Monkey See lists the lessons learned from this debacle, writing, "Oprah giveth, and Oprah taketh away, is the thing. If you throw in with Oprah, you have to be prepared to serve America--all of it, at the same time. Kentucky Grilled Chicken is now the James Frey of fast food: something Oprah threw her support behind, and now will wind up having to apologize for in one way or another." Or, as The House of Marketing puts it: Don't give away free stuff in a recession; you might get more than you bargained for.