KFC Tests a Prototype Called Open House and a New Look for the Brand
Image Credit - KFC / Yum! Brands
by Alex Bailey | August 16, 2026

KFC Tests a Prototype Called Open House and a New Look for the Brand

KFC will open a restaurant in Texas this summer that its U.S. president describes as the chain ten years from now.


The prototype, called Open House, lands in McKinney, a Dallas suburb near parent company Yum Brands' Plano headquarters. Guests can order at a table, in the drive-thru or for takeout. The menu pairs new items with signature ones "packaged in a new way."


"We're taking the idea that we can do all the things with our system, but how do we jolt the system and jump forward a decade?" said KFC U.S. President Catherine Tan-Gillespie. "What would the reinvention of KFC look like if the (founder) Colonel (Sanders) was here today?"


KFC will own the first one, and a franchisee has agreed to build a second. What works there will shape how the company designs new restaurants and remodels old ones.


Open House anchors a global reset that KFC calls its "next chapter", covering menu, branding and restaurant design across more than 34,000 restaurants in over 150 countries. The United Kingdom and Ireland go first, with Australia and the United States following through the rest of the year.


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"In an increasingly crowded category, we have a clear opportunity to set the standard for modern chicken in QSR," Global CEO Scott Mezvinsky said in a statement.


Sauce carries much of the load. KFC's innovation hub keeps a global pantry of more than 20 sauces, including Chimichurri Ranch and Hot Honey Habanero, drawn partly from Saucy, the tenders-and-sauces spinoff KFC launched in Florida in late 2024 and has since moved into Texas. Customers in the U.K. and Ireland get new tenders and nine sauces within weeks. Technomic found that 34% of consumers check which sauces a restaurant offers before they go.


Drinks come next. Kwench, KFC's beverage platform, sells Boba Refreshers, Krunch Shakes and Sparkling Lemonades in the U.K. and Ireland and moves to permanent menus in Australia and Canada this year. A spokesperson said the company is still evaluating when Kwench reaches the United States.


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KFC has posted three quarters of same-store sales growth after seven quarters of declines, and a two-story restaurant opens in Dubai this fall.

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by Alex Bailey | August 16, 2026 | SHARE