Collins Foods has opened its 350th store. The KFC and Taco Bell franchisee recently unveiled its global milestone, a new flagship KFC in Brisbane’s Queen St Mall.
Drew O’Malley, Collins Foods’ managing director and CEO, said “Our 350th restaurant is an important milestone for Collins Foods, representing our growing scale and operational excellence over more than five decades.
“Our first flagship KFC restaurant aligns with our shift towards more sustainable operations where we are targeting a 25 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and increasing our rates of waste diversion from landfill by 25 per cent by 2026.”
The KFC flagship includes eco-friendly and locally sourced elements, including recycled glass benchtops and brick slips, water and energy saving features.
“We’re incredibly proud of our 54-year heritage as experienced restaurant operators,” said O’Malley. “We continue to innovate our restaurants and customer experience to support evolving dining trends that cater to a convenience-based, mobile lifestyle.
“Our new flagship restaurant features more dine-in options for customers, and our booth seating has wireless charging stations built into the tabletops. Digital and delivery channels are increasingly important to our business, with our new Queen St restaurant prepared to offer contactless delivery from four different aggregators.”
The business is on track to open between nine and 12 new KFC restaurants in Australia this year. Four Taco Bell restaurants are set to open across Queensland, Victoria, and Western Australia in 2022.
“Our footprint in Europe is also expanding with our Corporate Franchise Agreement in the Netherlands, increasing our restaurant count by 130 net new restaurants over the next decade,” said O’Malley
As part of its sustainability commitments, Collins Foods implemented a policy this year to plant a new tree for every new team member hired.
“We’re also partnering with local food recovery organisation Wesley Mission Queensland to supply excess cooked chicken from our restaurants to those in need,” said O’Malley.
