KFC wants to be More Than a Restaurant

 

When we think of KFC, the team at Foodservice Solutions®, thinks restaurant brand protectionism.  It seems as if KFC is trying to keep one leg firmly planted in the past, one leg reaching the future, and the third leg of the stool confused.

The simple fact is KFC has over the course of the past 30 years capitulated more ‘fast food chicken’ market share than any company in history.  They did that when all the research consistency shows that that brand “Channel” protectionism is only important to the BRAND MARKETER. Many brand marketers are seemingly entrenched (singularly focused) “this is who we are” or “this is what we do”; that narrow focus is not in the mind of the consumer according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

It’s time that restaurant chain brand marketers truly understand that the consumer is dynamic not static, will a concept be able to move to the next level or in today’s world maintain market share. Limiting the ideations has stifled, growth, profitability and long-term viability of many a chain.

Maybe there are some sighs of movement at KFC as drive-thru wait times are at an all-time industry high— increasing by nearly a minute across the industry since 2019. In order to move forward with consumers, Kentucky Fried Chicken is introducing Quick Pick-Up, the fastest way to get its world-famous fried chicken without waiting in line.

In a new study by  SeeLevel HX's in an via updating its  annual Drive-Thru Study, drive-thru guests often have to wait in lines on average for six minutes and 22 seconds from the time they enter the line to when they drive off with their food. With KFC's Quick Pick-Up, you can order ahead, park in a dedicated parking spot, grab your hot order and go—saving you and your busy family some serious time!

The question made famous by our grocerant guru; it's 4:30 p.m., so, "what's for dinner?"  Consumers want try to pick up something quick, and the drive-thru line is wrapped around the building. You try the next closest option, and the line is equally as long. Don’t simply go to a grocery store deli or order on a grocery store app a rotisserie chicken.  KFC thinks what should do you do next time? KFC Quick Pick-Up.

Copying contactless pick-up from grocery stores and or fast casual restaurants KFC thinks that "Quick Pick-Up is changing the game by making fast food even more convenient and easy for busy customers," said Kevin Hochman, president, KFC U.S. "Santa may not be able to give you the gift of time this holiday season, but KFC can."

Here is how it works to avoid waiting in KFC's line:

·         Place an order for Quick Pick-Up on the KFC app or KFC.com

·         Head to your local KFC restaurant 

·         Park in a dedicated VIP parking spot, and 

·         Go inside where their order will be hot, ready, and waiting on KFC's new Quick Pick-Up shelf

Over the course of their lifetimes, Americans spend a collective total of 37 billion hours in lineⁱ. With KFC Quick Pick-Up, you can make at least one line (waiting for fried chicken that is) a thing of the past. 

Give Quick Pick-Up a try on KFC.com or the KFC app. And for a limited time, now through December 27, get access to these limited offers on KFC.com and the KFC app:

·         Get a free large order of our Secret Recipe Fries with a $5 purchase placed through the KFC app or KFC.com. 

·         Feed the family with an eight-piece chicken and eight-piece tenders Fill Up, which includes eight pieces of KFC's Original Recipe or Extra Crispy™ fried chicken and eight Extra Crispy Chicken Tenders, a large coleslaw, four biscuits, and two large mashed potatoes and gravy.

So, for the messaging to introduce Quick Pick-Up, KFC has created a holiday-focused advertising campaign featuring frazzled families whose sanity is saved when they realize the convenience and speed of KFC's new Quick Pick-Up service.

Included in these campaign spots is a Quick Pick-Up-inspired jingle that reminds hungry fried chicken lovers about all the joyous activities they'll have time to experience when bypassing the line at KFC by using Quick Pick-Up. 

You can’t try to please everyone all the time.  Chain restaurants new two legs reaching forward, and one leg in the present according to Johnson. Brand protectionism is static marketing.  Consumers are dynamic not static and chain restaurants need to be dynamic not static.  All retail food brands need to be looking a customer ahead. Does your restaurant brand want to be more than a restaurant or copycat brand?

Foodservice Solutions® specializes in outsourced business development. We can help you identify, quantify and qualify additional food retail segment opportunities or a new menu product segment and brand and menu integration strategy.  Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma WA is the global leader in the Grocerant niche visit us on our social media sites by clicking one of the following links: Facebook,  LinkedIn, or Twitter