By: Margaret High, The News Reporter
Construction recently began at the intersection of J.K. Powell Boulevard and Washington Street for a new Kentucky Fried Chicken. The $1.5 million building, called the flagship model, will be 3,500 square feet and feature a “casual dining” area that seats 55.
The current KFC, just down the road, will be vacated and made available for lease, according to Thomas A. Broome, president of Scottish Food Systems, Inc. and owner of the KFC and parcels of land.
Broome predicts the new KFC will have 40 employees — a 10-person increase from the current KFC — and an estimated 10 to 20 percent increase in sales. The “state of the art” restaurant includes new technology, such as self-order kiosks, and expanded parking for truckers.
“The flagship building changes the dine-in experience,” Broome said. “It’s more like a casual dining restaurant. A large part of our business is take out and drive-thru, and we’ve wanted to increase our dine-in numbers so what we’re seeing in these new buildings is a higher rate of dine-in.”
The decision to move KFC happened after the NCDOT announced its major overhaul of U.S. 701 bypass, Broome said, since an extended divider would make it more difficult for traffic to enter KFC. Construction is expected to take four months.