Buckets of KFC are placed at the entrance of the fast food chain by a customer to protest food safety in Hankou city, Central China's Hubei province, Sept 4, 2012. [Photo/CFP]

Mr Yang, 30, brought 22 sets of take-out KFC buckets and put them at the entrance of the restaurant in Hankou, Hubei province, on Tuesday.

The man said he saw the chef of the restaurant making food without wearing gloves, hat and mask as KFC regulations state. Yang refused to eat the food and requested 20 sets of buckets as compensation, but the restaurant's manager refused.

Yang then tried to buy 2,000 family buckets after he didn't get any response from the restaurant and KFC customer hotline, but the KFC restaurant refused to sell the other sets to Yang.

YUM! Restaurants (China) Investment Company Limited, KFC's parent company, responded late Tuesday night, saying they discipline the workers and appreciate Yang's supervision.