KFC Opens Texas Test Restaurant in Push to Win Back Market Share

KFC has opened a test restaurant in McKinney, Texas, called Open House, where the chain is trying out breakfast, table service and a broader menu as it looks to regain U.S. market share, according to The Associated Press.

The chain held a 20% share of the $21.8 billion U.S. chicken-chain segment in 2015, according to Technomic data the AP cited. By 2025, that share had fallen to 8%, even as segment sales more than doubled to $57.7 billion. Company filings show 529 U.S. KFC restaurants have closed since the start of 2022, leaving 3,424 domestic units. Much of the growth went to tender- and sauce-focused concepts such as Chick-fil-A, Popeyes, Raising Cane's and Wingstop.

The McKinney restaurant changes several parts of the traditional KFC format. Nation's Restaurant News reports the 3,400-square-foot unit runs two drive-thru lanes plus a dedicated mobile pickup lane, self-order kiosks and a lobby host, with table service inside. The restaurant opens at 6 a.m. and stays open until midnight. According to Fox News, the restaurant is testing breakfast for the first time in the U.S., along with extended operating hours. The menu also includes 20 sauces, new drinks and sides.

The test is built around lifting average unit volumes through those added dayparts, along with catering and local marketing. Neil Saunders, managing director at GlobalData, said that part of the brand's image problem is physical, noting that some existing locations “don't feel contemporary.”

For operators, the bigger question is how much of Open House will make its way into the rest of the system. KFC did not say how much of the design or menu will eventually reach its other U.S. restaurants. However, the new beverage lineup, already sold in the U.K., Canada and Australia, is the most likely to spread. Minneapolis-based franchisee Stewart Restaurant Group has also committed to opening a prototype. KFC plans to use the results of the  test to determine which elements could eventually be introduced across its existing restaurants.

For franchisees, a new prototype can eventually raise a more practical question: What will the remodel cost? McDonald's provided a recent example of how expensive a new format can become. The company said its NEXT upgrades could cost roughly $800,000 per restaurant on top of remodel costs, with McDonald's covering part of the expense, according to CNBC. Prospective KFC franchisees should ask how any new prototype will appear in the next Franchise Disclosure Document’s Item 7, what remodel obligations could apply at renewal and whether the added dayparts require enough additional labor to materially change existing unit economics.

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