Yum Brands Inc. is approaching fried chicken from a fresh angle with the launch of a new concept next week called Saucy.
Backed by KFC, Saucy is scheduled to debut on Monday in Orlando with a menu that puts the brand’s Original Recipe chicken tenders front and center.
With those tenders will be the offer of 11 sauces—from Thai Sweet ‘N Spicy to Creole Honey Mustard—as well as an 11-beverage lineup that will include teas, freezes and refreshers. Among the drinks available will be a Hot Honey Watermelon Refresher, for example, a Peach-Mango Lemonade Freeze and a Passion Fruit-Orange-Guava Refresher.
The number 11 is a nod to the brand’s famous 11 herbs and spices in its Original Recipe.
At Saucy, guests can choose their sauce or try several with a sauce flight. |Photo courtesy of Saucy.
The move taps into a number of trends, from the Gen Z love of boneless chicken, to the popularity of sauces, a social-media-fueled obsession with dipping finger foods, and the ongoing focus on beverages.
And, though KFC ‘s “finger lickin’ good” fried chicken has a history that goes back to 1952, with Saucy, the brand is taking on more contemporary boneless-focused fast-casual chicken players, like Chick-fil-A and Raising Cane’s.
Both of those brands are known for their crowd-pleasing sauces, but they lack the variety that will be on offer at Saucy.
“Everyone is obsessed with sauce—more is more,” said KFC Chief New Concept Officer Christophe Poirier, in a statement. “With Saucy, we’ve taken KFC’s famous Original Recipe and amplified it with a brand-new concept that lets consumers play with flavor. You can pick a combo, choose a flight of sauces, or, my personal favorite, mix sauces and sides to create your perfect meal.”
Poirier noted that there seem to be 4,000 different ways to order at Saucy without repeating a flavor experience, though, he added, “We’re sauce people, not math people.”
Sides at Saucy include toasted Hawaiian rolls, crinkle-cut fries and slaw. A three-piece tender meal with toasted roll, fries, a medium drink and choice of sauce is priced at $7.99.
Chicken sandwiches are also an option, like the EZ Crispy Sandwich, and the Spicy Queso Crunch. And there are also desserts: a chocolate mousse cake or key lime pie.
Rather than KFC’s brand color red, Saucy will lean pink, with a tech-forward format. The restaurant is a drive-thru, and guests can order via kiosk in restaurant. Those who dine-in might also experience live entertainment, the company said.
The company is also tapping technology to create back-of-the-house efficiencies to ensure tenders are as hot and fresh as possible, reducing wait times and “upping the crisp factor.” And the concept’s app will also feature 20 “points of personalization” that will account for customer preferences.
The debut restaurant will be a drive-thru with kiosk ordering. | Photo courtesy of Saucy.
Unlike the primarily franchised brands that KFC parent Yum is known for, Saucy will be company owned, at least initially. The company hinted that more locations are planned.
Yum also joins a number of top restaurant chains experimenting with new spin-off concepts this year.
Taco Bell, another Yum brand, is testing a beverage concept called Live Mas Café in San Diego, in partnership with Diversified Restaurant Group. And McDonald’s last year launched the beverage-focused CosMc.
Golden Corral is testing the fast-casual Homeward Kitchen. Perkins is testing the fast-casual Griddle & Go. And Bertucci’s recently launched a limited-service variant called Bertucci’s Pronto.
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