Do you want a beer with your Kentucky Fried Chicken?
What you need to know:
Fast food company Kentucky Fried Chicken plans to sell beer and cider at a new concept store in Australia.
The chicken-and-chips giant is already selling alcohol at two outlets in Canada, under the KFC Fresh brand.
Fast food company KFC plans to sell beer and cider at a new concept store in Australia, a move that could herald future changes around the world.
The chicken-and-chips giant is already selling alcohol at two outlets in Canada, piloting a new “fast casual restaurant” concept branded KFC Fresh.
The idea has drawn criticism from health advocates and from investors who say the firm should remain positioned as a family-oriented quick service chain.
“The company has applied for a liquor licence for the new store in Parramatta (in western Sydney),” Business Insider reports, adding that KFC is responding to moves by fast food rivals in the Australian market who sell beer and wine.
The global fast-food chain has five outlets in Kenya, all set up in KFC’s traditional loud colours and offering their standard quick service menu, with a few Africanised additions like “ugali nuggets”.
While there are no plans to introduce beer or cider at outlets in Kenya, this could change in years to come as the chain competes with casual dining rivals like Nairobi Java House and the Savannah Coffee Lounge that offer liquor.
Quick service chains struggling to find new areas of growth are increasingly looking to adding new items onto their menus, changing their décor to appeal to young hipsters and offering alcohol to keep customers around longer.
Australia’s New Age reports that McDonald’s, which is seeking franchisees in Kenya, is piloting a new type of restaurant called The Corner, also in Sydney, which is described by a company official as “a Learning Lab where we are testing new and different food and beverages never before seen in our restaurants”.
With the chain still in its infancy locally, it may be years yet before Kenyans see a KFC Urban at which alcohol is served. But as fast food chains react to market demand for casual dining, not just quick service, you may one day be faced with the question: Would you like a beer with your KFC?
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