BY DAVID WANJALA
Eating on the go in the city has always been a nightmare especially with limited parking spaces and endemic slow service. It was no wonder therefore that pomp and glamour greeted the opening of Kentucky Fried Chicken’s (KFC) first drive through fast-food outlet in Nairobi and indeed East Africa, in early December.
Speaking at the launch of the KFC Mombasa Road Drive-Thru at Total Service Station, Mr Justin Melvin, the general manager of Kuku Foods Kenya, KFC’s local franchise, said the fastfood giant is keen on offering solutions to the needs brought by Nairobi’s rapid expansion. “Nairobi being the all-round trade pivot in the East African region, people have less time and they want to eat. You want something quickly and you do not want to park. They just want to come through, get something to eat and drive out,” he said.
KFC opened its first outlet in Nairobi at Nakumatt Junction in August 2011. Three years on and the largest international chicken franchise serving the world famous Colonel Sander’s secret recipe has increased its footprint to five outlets including KFC at Galleria in Lang’ata, City Centre on Kimathi Street and Westlands, Woodvale Groove.
“Three years down the line we have seen growth in terms of revenue and the number of eateries in the region making Kenya our leading country in the region,” he says.
The drive-through experience is expansion for KFC that ropes in Total Kenya Ltd in an extension of partnership between the two companies that successfully exists in Africa countries such as Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa. “KFC facilities supplement the availability of high quality fuels, lubricants and LPG at our outlets and the offerings of our Bonjour convenience stores,” said Total Kenya Managing Director Ada Eze during the launch.
The partnership, Ms Eze said, is a win-win for Kuku Foods and Total. “Today the footprint of KFC in Kenya has been expanded and we are giving our customers the option of either eating a meal here, or picking up their food while still in their cars before continuing the journey,” she said.
The drive-through outlet has got a sit-in capacity of over 50 people and a private parking of 20 vehicles. This gives clients the luxury of choice of what suits them best between just driving through for a maximum three-minute service or sit-in service.
With a drive-through, you get to order and pick up your food without leaving the comfort of your car. All you do is drive around the restaurant that consists of three service windows. At the first window, there is a microphone box and a menu board. Here, you place your order then drive around to the next where you pay, and on to the last window for delivery of your order and drive out. The whole process is programmed to last 2-3 minutes.
The response was overwhelming with overall sales overshooting targets. Mr James Ouma, the outlet’s manager, says “it was as if people were waiting for a service of this kind.
Already, the drive-through represents 20% of our total sales and with time as more people discover the service, we expect it to shoot to above 40%.” That was hardly a week after the launch.
The beauty with the drive through is its seamless convenience for those on the go between ordering food that you can munch on the way or carry home or to the office, and fueling.
According to wiseGEEK, an online publication, the first drive-through business has been around for over 70 years. Surprisingly, it was not a restaurant, but a bank. Merchant’s Bank opened in Syracuse, New York, in 1941. The first drive-through restaurant, Red’s Giant Hamburg in Springfield, Missouri opened in 1947.
“Over the past two decades, drive-through restaurants have become a staple on highways, driving stops, and small tourist towns, where speed and convenience are a must,” the wiseGeek says.
McDonald’s drive-through in Australia holds the Guinness World Record for the fastest service in the world. The MacDonald’s Wynnum-West drive-through can serve up to 41 cars in 15 minutes. Walking through a drive-through is not allowed, and most restaurants will refuse service to pedestrians.
KFC drive-through model, according to the franchise’s manager, has been successful in the other African countries and they are keen replicate that in Kenya’s growing economy. “Kenya has been witnessing rising purchasing power among the middle class, with retailers and shopping centre developers investing in expansion. We are committed to lead the way by offering Kenyan consumers the ultimate innovation in convenience,” said Mr Melvin, adding that they are capitalising on the country’s increasing mobility, fast-paced lifestyle, greater consumer spending power and desire for luxury items such as automobiles.
To crown that commitment, the two partners were working on opening another drive-through at the end of December. “The next step is opening a second KFC drive-through outlet at our Limuru Road Service Station,” said the Total Kenya general manager. Ms Eze revealed that Total will partner with KFC at selected centres countrywide.
