KFC to cancel restaurant dining and offer just drive-thru

KFC Australia has announced it will voluntarily suspend in-restaurant dining facilities in Australia in response to the coronavirus.

The restaurant chain will only offer drive-thru, pickup and delivery services to support social distancing in the community and prevent the spread of the deadly virus. 

CEO of KFC Australia and New Zealand Nikki Lawson said the health and safety of customers and the community are top priority.

‘We have been closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation and know that social distancing is key to minimising the spread of the disease which is why we’re making a few changes,’ she said in a statement.

‘While we’ve temporarily suspended eating-in at our restaurants, fans of KFC will still be able to come in to order, but only to pick-up and use drive-thru.

‘Ordering through the KFC App and Delivery through our partners will be business as usual and are great options for convenient and contact free ordering.’

‘For all of our restaurant teams, we’ve introduced a question (on our clock in system) that asks them if they have checked their temperature and if they feel ok to start their shift, and we’ll continue to communicate our health and safety measures with our teams and their parents /guardians to ensure their well-being.’ 

KFC have introduced further safety standards in their restaurants in the face of the disease, including compulsory coronavirus training, using hand sanitisers after every transaction and increasing the frequency of hand washing.

Customers are being encouraged to use cashless options. 

The restaurant will also trial a ‘kerbside service’ where team members will deliver food orders to customers waiting in the car park.