Whitsunday council approves new KFC for Cannonvale
A fast-food favourite is returning to the Whitsundays. Find out who’s coming back to town and when.
Mackay
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Whitsunday fried chicken lovers can revel in some mouth-watering news as the Colonel’s famous 11 herbs and spices are set to return to the region in mid 2023.
The Whitsunday Regional Council has approved plans for a proposed new KFC at Reef Plaza complex at Cannonvale, less than 12 months after giving a green light to another outlet just further north.
There has been a huge community push – over several years – for the chain affectionately known as the “dirty bird” to return to the tourism hotspot following outcries after a previous KFC site on Airlie Beach’s main strip shut down.
The new outlet is earmarked for 16 Paluma Rd, within the same precinct and adjacent to the existing McDonalds and will include dine in and drive-through access and a total of 21 car and five motorbike parking spaces – which increases the number of overall spaces offered onsite by eight.
There will also be an enclosed bin room.
The hours of operation will be 24 hours, seven days a week and the new restaurant will be accessible via the existing Reef Plaza site driveway.
The application was lodged in May 2022 and is now locked in with the council approving the project “in full” on September 16.
This news comes three and a half years after the fast-food giant politely declined establishing an outlet in the Airlie Beach area.
“We are always looking for opportunities to bring the Colonel’s Finger Lickin’ Good Chicken to new areas, but at this stage we have no plans to open a KFC restaurant in the Whitsundays,” a KFC spokesman said.
“But never say never.”
Now, the global fried chicken franchise will welcome two outlets in the Whitsunday region as construction of a new Bowen KFC nears completion.
KFC was granted the necessary approvals in January 2022 for a new store on the corner of Leichhardt and Livingstone streets and in September 2022 put a call out staff ahead of its opening.
The Cannonvale KFC is due to open mid-next year.
Helen Moore, Collins Foods’ Chief Operating Officer for KFC Australia, said the company was “very excited to open a free-standing drive thru for customers in the Airlie Beach area”.
“KFC lovers currently have to travel to Mackay to enjoy our delicious hand-made chicken and we’ve heard locals have even created a Facebook page where you can place a KFC order if someone is driving down there,” Ms Moore said.
“ For those who can’t wait until our Cannonvale store is open, we’re also opening a store in Bowen before Xmas, which is about 50 minutes-drive.”
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