With more than a million Twitter followers, KFC appears extremely picky when it comes to following back.
But its list of 11 followed accounts reveals a surprising pattern: six guys named “Herb” and all five members of The Spice Girls.
Or, as the eagle-eyed Twitter user @edgette22 discovered: “11 Herbs & Spices” — a clever and subtle nod to Colonel Sanders’ original secret recipe for the chain’s famed fried chicken.
In addition to each of the Spice Girls’ accounts, the Louisville-based chain also follows a half dozen men named “Herb,” ranging from a local politician to a Green Bay Packers player.
The amusing revelation left social media users impressed by the joke hiding in plain sight.
“The person that runs the KFC account needs a raise,” tweeted one user. “I don’t care how much they make now. GIVE THEM A RAISE.”
“I don’t know who I’m more impressed with, @KFC for doing it for @edgette22 for noticing it,” tweeted another.
The user who discovered the stunt — who has been retweeted more than 230,000 times — also was taken back: “I need time to process this,” he tweeted.