Fast food company KFC is hoping to sell beer and cider at a new concept store in western Sydney. The company has applied for a liquor licence for the new store on Church Street, Parramatta, as the cricket sponsor continues to lose market share to a range of smarter, fresher rival brands.
The move comes after McDonald’s began trialling a new, upmarket concept known as The Corner in Sydney’s inner west just before Christmas.
Fairfax Media reports the store will be named KFC Urban, and in a statement the company confirmed it “hopes to introduce a new KFC experience in Parramatta’s CBD in the near future, serving beer and cider as part of its menu”.
The store will dump the chain’s usual barber shop pole colours and gaudy look for a more sleek interior by Australian retail design firm The Great Indoors with timber-lined windows and exposed ceiling beams.
The new store seems to be modeled on KFC Fresh in Canada. Two stores opened in Toronto last year with a new look and menu that includes “the world’s best chicken hand-breaded with your choice of one-of-a-kind hand-spun sauce”, as well as grilled chicken dishes and salads, alongside beers.
KFC’s shift comes as some of Australia’s best chefs have been moving into the fast food market, with Rockpool’s Neil Perry opening The Burger Project in Sydney two months ago. As well as burgers and hot dogs for under $10, it also sells wine and beer.
Other fast food competitors such as the Mexican taqueria Guzman y Gomez offer beers, tequila and frozen margaritas at fully licensed dine-in restaurants.
The KFC licence for Parramatta has yet to be approved by the NSW Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority.