KFC has debuted its first-ever spin-off concept, dubbed “Saucy.”
A modern shift from traditional KFC hubs, the concept aims to attract a younger consumer base. It debuted just before the holidays, in Orlando, Florida, on Dec. 23.
The core concept centers around customizable chicken tenders with 11 sauces, allowing customers to choose individual sauces or sample a flight of four.
“Post-COVID, there is a need—especially for Gen Z—to connect. They’re looking for bold flavors, a lot of colors, variety,” said KFC’s chief new concept officer, Christophe Poirier
In designing Saucy, a major emphasis was attracting and retaining the digital, on-the-go guest. It features drive-thru lanes, curbside service, pickup shelves, as well as kiosks and a mobile app that makes it easy to customize and personalize orders, with over 20 points of customization.
Saucy features mobile pickup shelves and kiosks inside the store to streamline guest experiences.
Intuitive tech takes focus
The back-of-house tech uses real-time data to reduce wait times through company Flybuy. Flybuy automatically fires orders to the kitchen based on the customer’s location, the time required to prepare the order, and the chosen pickup channel (in-store, curbside, or drive-thru).
Christophe Poirier, KFC’s Chief New Concept Officer
Poirier said that from the start his mindset was, “What are the most disruptive companies doing outside of fast food?”
“The QSR industry traditionally starts with the food, then builds on the experience and considers what kind of tools are needed. We took a different approach: What if we started with tech, digital, and AI on day one? We believe that tech and digital would revolutionize the experience for our team members. How can I make forecasting and ordering easier?” he explained.
“The same way Tesla built a car around the computer, we started with making the nucleus of Saucy this digital and tech stack, and we built everything around it,” he added.
He also emphasized, “The best digital experiences are intuitive and personalized. I’m a big believer in personalization. To me, the worst experience is when I use a brand’s app and have to start from scratch every time. If I’m using your app every day, you should know what I like.”
This idea of personalization is reflected in Saucy’s bold pink design, which Poirier says was intentional. “We chose PINK because it’s an acronym: P stands for personalization, I for intuitive, N for Next, and K for kinetic,” he said.
More and more, fast-food chains are trying out new ideas, digital tools, and fresh concepts to keep up with changing customer tastes. This shows that even the biggest, legacy brands understand they need to adapt in order to stay competitive in a world that’s becoming more focused on technology and convenience.
Although this is the first Saucy location, the plan is to grow and add to the over 30,000 KFC restaurants in nearly 150 countries around the globe.
