KFC steers Romanian strategy to drive thru

Fast food chain KFC, which is active via franchise in Romania, wants to open two drive thru restaurants in Bucharest in 2014, adding to the two existing ones in the Romanian capital city. “After opening the drive thru units in Baneasa and Dristor, we believe this model has a high increase potential, so we plan to open at least two of these restaurants in Bucharest this year,” said Mark Hilton, general manager of US Food Network, the company which runs KFC, as well as Pizza Hut, Paul, Cinnabon and Hard Rock Cafe franchises in Romania. KFC's target is to open three to five restaurants in 2014, and keep the same opening pace for the years to come, according to Hilton, quoted by Mediafax newswire. KFC runs 51 restaurants in Romania, out of which five are drive thru, two in Bucharest, one in Arad, Iasi and Sibiu each. The average investment in a KFC unit is of EUR 350,000, while a drive thru unit requires double. More staffing is needed for the drive thru as well: 50 people, compared to 20 to 30 for a regular unit. US Food Network had a turnover of some EUR 42 million in 2012, up 16 percent on the previous year. Its profit was of some EUR 2.2 million. A drive thru, or drive through, is a type of service provided by a business that allows customers to purchase products without leaving their cars, a format pioneered in the United States in the 1930s. The format became popular among fast food chains. editor@romania-insider.com