KFC temporarily closed the dining rooms of 40 company-owned locations in Florida this week. The quick service chicken brand urged franchise owners throughout the U.S. to follow suit to halt the spread of COVID-19.
“Due to the continued escalation of COVID-19 cases in Florida, we have taken the step to close dining rooms in our 40 corporate-owned restaurants there,” the company said in a statement. “We have advised our franchise locations in the hot-spot states of Florida, Texas, Arizona and California that have reopened to consider closing dining rooms for dine-in seating at this time.”
As of July 14, only 5% of KFC restaurants in the U.S. have reopened dining rooms.\
Customers will still be able to purchase food via the drive-thru, delivery and carryout in Florida. Earlier this year, KFC tested a “20% larger” premium chicken sandwich for a limited time at select locations in the Orlando area.
As of July 14, only 5% of KFC restaurants in the U.S. have reopening dining rooms. The chain operates 56 company-owned locations. The remaining 4,000 units are franchises.
California Governor Gavin Newsom reordered the closure of all indoor restaurant dining rooms in the state on July 13, citing the soaring number of COVID-19 cases. Several other major cities, including Atlanta, Los Angeles, New York and more, have also pushed back the reopening of dining rooms indefinitely to slow the spread of the disease.
McDonald’s also pauses reopening
Earlier this month, rival chain McDonald’s also halted the reopening of the brand’s dining rooms. At the time, McDonald’s USA President Joe Erlinger and Mark Salebra, chair of the National Franchise Leadership Alliance, said the company would pause reopening plans for three weeks “to protect our restaurant teams and customers.”
“Our resiliency will be tested again,” they said on July 1. “COVID-19 cases are on the rise — with a 65% increase in infections over the last two weeks. In the last seven days, 32 states saw increasing cases and this number appears to be growing.”
At the time, the chain had reopened 15% of its dining rooms – approximately 2,200 out of 13,800 locations. McDonald’s initially closed all dining rooms on March 17, shifting their focus to “serving customers through drive-thru, walk-in take-out and McDelivery." The chain also stopped serving all-day breakfast – which includes the McChicken Biscuit and the Chicken McGriddles Sandwich – during the pandemic.
View our continuing coverage of the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic.
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