Summertime was busy as ever for our teams. A lot of planning and effort went into our “KFC Summer Remodels”. Several of our locations needed to upgrade and renovate in order to improve efficiency and thus sales. These improvements had to be made within a very short timeframe in order to serve our guests to the best of our abilities. Despite the pandemic, the Emerge team quickly set to work with the help of our experienced construction crews who didn’t run into any problems and satisfied all the biosecurity measures to meet our needs during these times.
The first remodel was in Tidwell, TX in July 2020. The store housed a KFC-Taco Bell unit in a building far too small to accommodate both brands in a 14 seat dining area. This was a challenge for even a very good manager to operate efficiently and profitably. A first for Emerge, the Taco Bell was pulled out and a base KFC remained instead. Fortunately, all of our employees are cross-trained, so when Taco Bell was pulled out, the entire team remained to work as KFC. Due to the pandemic, keeping people 6 feet apart left space for only 6 customers to dine-in following biosecurity measures. So offering only carry-out service, this new KFC unit is running 5% more efficiently and 10% more profitably. All in all, a successful improvement for Emerge and for our customers.
The second remodel took place in Friendswood, TX in August 2020. This KFC was built back in 1990, so the building was showing its age while being located in an upscale neighborhood. Our teams took only 15 days to fully renovate the building. It opened offering both dine-in and carry-out services using an open-table closed-table system to ensure safe distancing between customers. Now the store’s sales are trending up and it’s considered “best on the block” within it’s an upscale neighborhood.
Biosecurity measures have been a priority during these remodels. As per KFC requirements, glass shields have been implemented in all restaurants as well as individual measures every crew member is required to take to protect themselves and our guests. A win-win for the community and KFC!