KFC opened an experimental restaurant in McKinney, Texas, to test breakfast, extended dayparts, new service models and revenue-boosting layout ideas that could scale across the U.S.
Open House is a 3,400-square-foot prototype in McKinney, Texas, built as a learning lab to inform KFC’s U.S. comeback strategy.
The concept introduces breakfast in the U.S. KFC system, table service, dual drive-thru lanes, a mobile pickup lane, self-order kiosks and digital menu boards.
Design mixes mid-century modern elements and brand heritage to encourage dwell time while testing merchandising, music and seating formats tied to AUV-maxxing strategies.
What Open House is and why KFC built it KFC opened an Open House prototype in McKinney, Texas, as a deliberate experiment to fuel its U.S. comeback plan. The restaurant is 3,400 square feet and is being used as a learning lab to test the "place" component of the brand's strategy, alongside product, promotion and price. Company leaders conceived Open House after concluding the brand was "loved but latent" and needed renewed energy.
The prototype pairs a mid-century modern aesthetic with unmistakable KFC branding. It features oversized windows, flexible indoor and outdoor seating, a breezeway, a "celebration booth" for special occasions, visible digital screens promoting signature items, and music throughout the space. The goal is to encourage customers to stay longer while allowing staff and operators to observe how layout, ambience and merchandising influence spend and visit frequency.
Service formats and operations being tested Open House includes multiple service and fulfillment options to evaluate what could scale broadly:
For the first time in the U.S. system, KFC is testing breakfast at Open House. Media coverage and KFC materials cite breakfast sandwiches, mini cronuts and hot and iced coffee as part of the new daypart. The menu also expands other offerings: new tenders and sauces, side dishes such as fried green beans and spicy pickles, and new drinks including boba refreshers and crunchy-topped milkshakes. These items give KFC ways to trial cross-sell and AUV-maxxing (average unit volume increase) tactics across dayparts.
Open House is explicitly designed as a data-collection and iteration venue. The company is monitoring how customers respond to:
KFC has already been refreshing marketing and bringing back popular items such as popcorn chicken and potato wedges. Open House is the next step to operationalize and validate ideas before committing capital to larger rollouts. The prototype gathers real-world performance data to inform whether and how to scale offerings and dining formats across the U.S. system.
The restaurant, located outside of Dallas, will serve as a learning lab to fuel the chain’s U.S. comeback plan.
KFC has been taking a licking from fried chicken rivals like Raising Cane’s, but the global fast-food chain has a plan to return to the top of the U.S. pecking order. The Kentucky-born brand opened a new restaurant in McKinney on Thursday to serve as a test lab in its home market. Called Open House, it serves breakfast
KFC has been taking a licking from fried chicken rivals like Raising Cane’s, but the global fast-food chain has a plan to return to the top of the U.S. pecking order.
KFC will soon open a new restaurant concept, Open House, offering breakfast, late-night service, and table service, the company said in a release Thursday. The expanded menu includes breakfast items, a first for KFC in the U.S., such as breakfast sandwiches, mini cronuts, and hot and iced coffee. Customers can also try
KFC has been taking a licking from fried chicken rivals like Raising Cane’s, but the global fast-food chain has a plan to return to the top of the U.S. pecking order.
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