KFC US President Catherine Tan-Gillespie discussed a new restaurant concept called Open House with Fox News Digital, which aims to modernize the 75-year-old fast-food chain while preserving its classic elements. The restaurant serves as a testing ground for how KFC can stay relevant in today’s market without losing its nostalgic appeal. Key features include Art Deco and mid-century modern design aesthetics combined with digital ordering technology and traditional table service, reflecting a balance between technological advancement and human interaction. The menu includes the original recipe fried chicken alongside new items like tenders, wings, sandwiches, wraps, and nuggets, as well as expanded breakfast and late-night offerings to test customer interest in these dayparts.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-02,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
KFC has launched a comeback strategy in the U.S. fast-food market by opening an experimental concept store named Open House in McKinney, Texas on Thursday. The new KFC location aims to test innovative ideas while maintaining the brand's classic appeal. It offers unique menu items such as boba refreshers and milkshakes with crunchy toppings, alongside a broader selection of chicken tenders, dipping sauces, and sides like spicy pickles and fried green beans.
The Open House restaurant features modern amenities including touch-screen kiosks for ordering, mobile pickup stations, two drive-thru lanes, and an interior layout designed to encourage customers to stay longer. Additionally, it includes a merchandise section and a photo booth. KFC's U.S. President Catherine Tan-Gillespie emphasized that the new format blends nostalgic elements with modern touches, reflecting how founder Colonel Harland Sanders might design a restaurant today if he were starting from scratch.
The initiative comes as KFC faces growing competition in the American market, particularly from rivals like Raising Cane’s. McKinney was chosen due to its fast-growing and competitive dining scene, providing both existing customers and potential new ones with an inviting and contemporary experience.
Written for “KFC Restaurant Makeover” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 2 other(s) covering the same event.
“This is the Kentucky Fried comeback made real in one restaurant,” KFC US President Catherine Tan-Gillespie told Fox News Digital.
asserted
Gillespie → make → Digital
The restaurant, dubbed Open House, serves as a testing ground for how the 75-year-old fast-food chain that Colonel Harland Sanders founded might modernize without abandoning the things that made it famous.
uncertain
it → dub → things
KFC’s challenge isn’t necessarily getting Americans to remember the brand.
asserted
Americans → get → brand
It’s getting them to think about it when deciding what to eat today.
asserted
them → get → what
“There is a massive love for this American icon,” Tan-Gillespie said.
asserted
Gillespie → be → icon
But in the US, she added, “we tend to be thought about in people’s memories.
asserted
we → add → memories
We’re not actually being considered in eating moments of today.”
asserted
We → consider → today
That tension between nostalgia and relevance helped shape Open House.
asserted
tension → shape → House
In developing the restaurant, KFC started with a question.
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KFC → develop → question
“We sat back and said, you know, if the Colonel were building a restaurant from scratch today, what would this look like?” Tan-Gillespie said.
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Gillespie → sit → what
The answer incorporates Art Deco and mid-century modern influences alongside large glass windows, digital ordering and drive-thru technology.
asserted
answer → incorporate → windows
At the same time, the restaurant features lobby hosts, table service, booths and outdoor dining designed to encourage customers to gather.
“For me, the philosophy is that we should be digital where it’s helpful, but human where it matters,” Tan-Gillespie said.
asserted
Gillespie → feature → me
Start your day with all you need to know
Morning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.
asserted
Report → start → news
The menu follows a similar philosophy: Hold onto KFC’s most recognizable products while experimenting with how customers want to eat chicken now, Tan-Gillespie said.
asserted
Gillespie → follow → chicken
Buckets and the chain’s original recipe remain central, but Open House expands into tenders, wings, sandwiches, wraps and nuggets, along with new sauces, drinks, snacks, sweets and sides.
asserted
House → remain → sauces
Open House is scheduled to operate from 6 a.m. to midnight, giving KFC an opportunity to test breakfast and late-night occasions that traditionally haven’t been a major part of its US business.
asserted
that → schedule → business
“We will see if those shoulder day parts work commercially for us and work for the guests, work for our team members,” Tan-Gillespie said.
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Gillespie → see → members
“If they don’t, we’ll cut them back.
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we → do → them
And if they do, then we can look to scale them nationally.”
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we → do → them
KFC also chose McKinney with scalability in mind.
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KFC → choose → mind
Tan-Gillespie described the Dallas-Fort Worth area as a fast-growing and competitive restaurant market, while McKinney provides a mix of existing KFC customers and consumers the chain hopes to attract.
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chain → describe → consumers
The suburban setting also gives KFC a test that could potentially translate to similar markets elsewhere.
uncertain
that → give → markets
But even as KFC experiments with new formats, flavors, technology and dayparts, Tan-Gillespie said some pieces of the brand aren’t up for reinvention.
asserted
pieces → experiment → reinvention
“Buckets of original recipe fried chicken should not change,” she said.
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she → fry → chicken
“I think the things that should change is making sure that we expand into the ways that customers want to eat fried chicken today.”
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customers → think → chicken
And what would Sanders make of that balance between the KFC he created and the one the company is trying to build?
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company → make → KFC
“I think he would feel really proud, actually,” Tan-Gillespie said.
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Gillespie → think → ?
“I think he would say, ‘This feels like me.
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This → think → me
This feels like what I was trying to do.’
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I → feel → what
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