KFC debuts Open House restaurant in Texas to test new customer experiences

• KFC's new Open House restaurant concept opens this Saturday in McKinney, Texas.
• The new store will offer expanded menu offerings, including breakfast, which is a new venture for the fast-food chain.
• KFC, part of Yum Brands, announced a new rebranding effort earlier this year as it faces stiff competition among fast-food chicken chains.

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Follow your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNTKFC Debuts Open House in McKinney, Texas.Courtesy: KFC

KFC is debuting a restaurant concept, Open House, where it will test new offerings such as breakfast, late-night and table service, the company said in a release Thursday.

Expanded menu offerings include breakfast items — a first for KFC — such as breakfast sandwiches, mini cronuts and hot and iced coffee. There will also be beverages, including boba refreshers, and new sides such as fried green beans and spicy pickles. Table service will be available, in addition to dual drive-thru lanes and self-ordering kiosks.

The brand will use the space to identify ideas for implementation in restaurants nationwide, particularly as it works to regain its market share.

"It gives guests a reason to try us, or try us again, while giving us a real restaurant where we can learn what works for guests, our teams and the business, and scale the strongest ideas across the system," Catherine Tan-Gillespie, president of KFC U.S., said in a news release.

The 3,400-square-foot space will open Sept. 26 in McKinney, Texas, with a celebration planned for Sunday.

Open House comes with broader rebranding effort from KFC, part of Yum Brands. The fast-food chain recently announced changes such as emphasizing boneless chicken and expanding sauce choices.

Those initiatives come as the company adjusts to competition from other fast-food chicken chains. In August, QSR Magazine reported that KFC ranked fifth among U.S. fast-food chicken chains in sales, behind Chick-fil-A, Popeyes, Raising Cane's and Wingstop.

In Yum Brands' second-quarter earnings report, KFC saw a same-store sales growth rate of 2%. Its largest market is in China, where sales rose 6% in that period.

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