Finger lickin’ good taste for the 800th time
More than 40 years on, the country's most loved fast food brand, KFC celebrates the opening of its 800th restaurant in Musina
POLOKWANE – The first KFC restaurant opened in Orange Grove in 1971, and more than 40 years later, the country’s most loved fast food brand celebrates the opening of its 800th restaurant in Musina.
Doug Smart, KFC Africa managing director, KFC continues to lead over a third of market share in the Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) category in South Africa.
“Value and choice are our drivers for customer experience. Opening our 800th restaurant in South Africa extends the reach of the brand, but the key for us remains the maintenance of our high standards and consistent quality offering,” explains Smart.
He added KFC serves more than 20 million customers a month, and they work hard to ensure no matter which of their 800 restaurants customers walk into, they will get that distinctive KFC flavour and have a great experience.
Smart attributes the brand’s success in South Africa to his team’s ability to cater to its complex and diverse market.
“KFC does not apply a ‘one size fits all’ approach. KFC is more relevant than ever before, because of our relentless customer-centric focus. As customers’ expectations change, it becomes all the more challenging for brands to stay relevant and loved so we continue to launch exciting innovations for new occasions,” he adds.
At home, the innovation drive has led to the introduction of 24-hour restaurants, a new breakfast menu that includes coffee and toasted sandwiches, and a wide variety of value meals for KFC’s youth customers.
KFC has also collaborated with Cadbury to create a limited edition Dairy Milk Krusher and Doritos, to create the Doritos Crunch Burger.
“We speak to diverse audiences, so we have divided these markets into segments, which have allowed us to engage and connect more meaningfully with our customers,” explains Smart.
He adds the business impact has been remarkable, with sales on the increase, but the fundamental result has been the development of a bond with customers that overshadows the numbers.
Key to delivering this great experience is the team behind the scenes at KFC. More than 30 000 team members work to exacting standards to deliver the quintessential KFC experience to millions of loyal customers.
Every restaurant sources chicken and other ingredients from trusted producers and suppliers who share this commitment. KFC continues to maintain the highest standards by freshly preparing the signature chicken and other products by hand in every restaurant, every day.
“We celebrate the opening of our 800th South African restaurant, but it is also something that we want to use to drive us on to bigger and better things. The trust of our customers have enabled us to spread the brand’s reach into so many corners of the country and we will continue to work as hard as we can to show how much we value that trust,” Smart said.
