KFC menu changes are moving into a new restaurant format, with the first Open House location under development in McKinney, Texas. KFC U.S. President Catherine Tan-Gillespie said the prototype is meant to show what the chain could look like 10 years from now.
The first Open House site is scheduled to open later this summer. It will use an open-concept layout and table service while still keeping drive-thru and takeout, giving the company a way to test a different in-store experience without giving up the services many customers already use.
Catherine Tan-Gillespie in McKinney
Tan-Gillespie described the project as an effort to push the brand forward. “We’re taking the idea that we can do all the things with our system, but how do we jolt the system and jump forward a decade?” she said in comments about Open House.
She also framed the concept around the company’s original identity. “What would the reinvention of KFC look like if the (founder) Colonel (Sanders) was here today? How do we take all of his legacy, his DNA, to a next generation concept?”
Open House and Saucy
Open House is part of a wider refresh that includes an updated logo, a new advertising strategy, menu innovation, and new restaurant concepts. KFC said the Open House menu will mix new dishes with familiar KFC favorites presented in new ways, while the company’s blend of 11 herbs and spices remains in place.
Two years ago, KFC introduced Saucy, a modern concept built around chicken tenders and dipping sauces. More than 10 Saucy locations are expected to open soon, and the company is also testing roughly 100 concepts across its brands.
KFC's wider test lineup
That test lineup includes a greater focus on boneless chicken tenders, a new Dunked menu platform, a new global sauce program, and Kwench by KFC, which includes Boba Refreshers, Krunch Shakes, Sparkling Lemonades, and iced coffees. KFC has restaurants in more than 100 countries, and the company started as a roadside gas station in Corbin, Kentucky, in 1930.
For customers in McKinney, the immediate change is simple: the first look at Open House is coming later this summer, and the company is using that site to judge how far it can push its menu and restaurant design at the same time.
