As more customers begin to order food through online channels, a new KFC pilot project in Newcastle, Australia looks to create a more efficient operating model to keep up with this change in consumer behavior.
Designed by FRCH NELSON with KFC SOPAC, the drive-thru only KFC features five lanes, two set up for traditional on-the-spot drive-thru orders, and three that allow customers to order and pay for a meal through the brand’s app or website. For online orders, customers drive up to one of the designated lanes and enter a four-digit code generated by the app on a touchscreen. Once the code is entered, the online order is sent to the kitchen where it is freshly prepared.
The goal of the design was to create a holistic drive-thru experience that leverages architecture, communication, service, and landscape. Without having the benefit of a public-facing interior, FRCH NELSON had to find other opportunities to display and celebrate the KFC brand on the building’s exterior, which leverages natural materials in conjunction with steel and glazing.
See Also: ‘The Whale’ will be an arctic attraction 185 miles north of the Arctic Circle
A large halo-lit Colonel Sanders layered atop the building’s wood-clad walls greets guests and the drive thru portal uses bold architecture to create a beacon for the experience. “With traditional restaurants, the building is the experience, but with this new concept it became a fixture – one element supporting the overall experience,” said Marty McCauley, Design Director at FRCH NELSON, in a release. “We had to utilize every exterior touchpoint from the landscaping, to the signage, to the architecture of the drive-thru portal, to create a holistic experience for guests.”
Related Stories
Retail Centers | Oct 25, 2017
‘Under’ will be Europe’s first underwater restaurant
The Snøhetta-designed restaurant will also function as a research center for marine life.
Retail Centers | Sep 26, 2017
DATÜM: Reinventing the department store
Department stores are going through a period of transformation in the face of a rapidly changing retail market. What’s behind the change and where is it leading us?
Mixed-Use | Sep 22, 2017
Defending against the online dragon
Some entertainment districts are going light on retail, partly because “the bulk of the leasing demand is for dining and entertainment,” say Barry Hand, a Principal with design mega-firm Gensler in Dallas.
Mixed-Use | Sep 18, 2017
Urban heartbeat: Entertainment districts are rejuvenating cities and spurring economic growth
Entertainment districts are being planned or are popping up all over the country.
Sponsored | Products and Materials | Sep 15, 2017
Creating a movement: How Mamava, Konrad Prefab and ALPOLIC partnered to change the culture of breastfeeding
Since its conception in 2006, the Mamava lactation pod has undergone several changes in design.
Mixed-Use | Sep 14, 2017
Capital One eschews the traditional bank with the Capital One Café
The new branch in downtown Santa Monica offers 8,400 sf of space designed by Gwynne Pugh Urban Studio.
Giants 400 | Sep 13, 2017
Top 75 retail construction firms
The Whiting-Turner Contracting Co., PCL Construction Enterprises, and Shawmut Design and Construction top BD+C’s ranking of the nation’s largest retail sector contractor and construction management firms, as reported in the 2017 Giants 300 Report.
Giants 400 | Sep 13, 2017
Retailers look beyond the sale: Brick-and-mortar retailers are raising their game to lure plugged-in consumers to their stores
Just two months ago, Credit Suisse forecasted that 20-25% of malls will close by 2022.
Giants 400 | Sep 12, 2017
Top 40 retail engineering firms
WSP, Henderson Engineers, and Core States Group top BD+C’s ranking of the nation’s largest retail sector engineering and EA firms, as reported in the 2017 Giants 300 Report.
Giants 400 | Sep 11, 2017
Top 65 retail architecture firms
CallisonRTKL, Jacobs, and Gensler top BD+C’s ranking of the nation’s largest retail sector architecture and AE firms, as reported in the 2017 Giants 300 Report.
