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KFC Tests "Open House" Prototype as Yum! Brands Bets on Format Reinvention

6/27/2026

KFC is set to open a prototype restaurant called "Open House" in McKinney, Texas, expected late summer, marking the most visible test of a brand overhaul that touches store format, menu architecture, and visual identity in one coordinated push.

Brands, KFC's parent, is deliberately siting the test near its Plano, Texas headquarters — a signal that the company wants close oversight before any broader system deployment.

Catherine Tan-Gillespie, KFC's president, described the ambition bluntly: jump the brand forward a decade, not iterate on what exists. What "Open House" Actually Changes The prototype's name signals intent.

Where the QSR model has historically optimized for throughput — lane speed, ticket time, table turns — Open House is designed around occasion flexibility, with the space adapting across dayparts.

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