Customers seek change at confusing Victoria Point fast-food drive-through where tempers flare

Deep-fried, super-sized rage is brewing in a southeast Queensland KFC drive-through as hungry customers regularly deal with a “sh*tshow” of chaos and havoc. WATCH THE VIDEO

A chorus of discontent has been served by hungry customers waiting at a popular southeast Queensland fast-food drive-through where traffic has been variously referred to as a “s**tshow”, “chaos”, and “havoc” where road rage is common.

As many as 13 vehicles at a time waited last night to be served at Victoria Point KFC where frustration with convoluted traffic arrangements from multiple entry points copped near universal derision.

WHERE HAVE YOU HAD THE WORST WAIT? Comment below.

Most concerning, more than one customer said “they had seen some things” when tempers flare at the location, which sits adjoined to the Victoria Point Lakeside Shopping Centre.

Between 6 – 7.20pm Redlands Community News observed multiple vehicles abandon the queue and noted shoppers seeking access or exit from an adjacent Aldi carpark had to drive into oncoming traffic to avoid KFC drive-through customers.

The observations were confirmed as commonplace by waiting customers.

Some were happy to wait while others bemoaned regular wait times of “15-20 minutes”.

Jodi Wright from Victoria Point lines up “around once a month” and normally waits “around 10 minutes” but was unimpressed on Tuesday.

“It is a s**tshow tonight; it used to be like this when they first opened and they had a guy directing traffic,” Ms Wright said.

“This is unusually busy, I haven’t seen it like this since it first opened.

“The traffic is terrible; something needs to be done.”

Wayne Jack from Victoria Point was equally unimpressed.

“It is ridiculous; you are arguing with people wanting to cut in from there (pointing to an alternate access),” Mr Jack said.

“Everyone knows you are supposed to queue up here and initially they had a security guy doing it but they no longer want to pay for that obviously.

“And then they back up here and if they turn left and want to go straight through they (shoppers seeking access to the Aldi carpark) have to go into oncoming traffic.”

Victoria Point man Glenn Hardy said traffic was woeful from Wednesday to Saturday at the location.

“It’s chaos,” Mr Hardy said.

“You line up here for 20 minutes sometimes and people are coming in and cutting in front of you.

“It is not very pleasant on some nights, I tell you.

“I was just saying to my son then, maybe they need to do a blocked off entry with one way in because all the cars that want to get out – they can’t move, we can’t move.

“It is just through courtesy that drivers have line up this way, but you still get people trying to cut in and there is road rage after that.”

Fran Ginty from Redland Bay admitted with a smirk that she patronises the business “once a week”.

“It (traffic) is a bit shocking,” Ms Ginty said.

“I think the way they designed it is a bit awkward.

“If you were new to the drive-through you probably wouldn’t know how to approach it.

“And people just get frustrated and don’t let anyone in because how are they supposed to know you are supposed to come this way?

“It causes havoc and I have seen a few things happen.”

A Redland Bay resident who preferred not to be named stated wait times weren’t “that bad” but confirmed traffic was at the heart of the issue.

“We prefer not to wait but it is not that bad – it depends on the night and tonight is the special.

“The main issue is when cars block others wanting to park elsewhere.”

A Thornlands man, who also preferred not to be named, was less charitable and said “I try and avoid Victoria Point KFC”.

Victoria Point Lakeside Pty Ltd. director Garry Hargrave confirmed complaints by the public had been received and described a vexed situation.

“The owners and management of Victoria Point Lakeside are extremely disappointed with the traffic queuing at the KFC,” Mr Hargrave said.

“It is unsafe and has an unacceptable impact on the functioning of the Lakeside Shopping Centre.

Vehicles exit the Victoria Point KFC at lunch time. Picture: Marcel Baum

“My company Victoria Point Lakeside Pty Ltd initially gave permission for the KFC to utilise the lakeside access. This was done as a neighbourly gesture and on the express understanding there would not be adverse impacts on the Lakeside access.

“After completion it was patently obvious the guarantees regarding vehicle queuing we were given were not correct.

“We came to a mutually agreed solution with Collins Foods and the KFC owner for the problem to be rectified by re-routing the queuing to the south. This increased the number of cars which could be accommodated and removed them from the Lakeside access.

“Unfortunately around this period the site was sold to a third party who was not informed of the dispute with Lakeside.

MORE STORIES:

KFC Eight Mile Plains opening day confirmed

Landscape-changing developments to transform Redlands’ future

Health-focused restaurant to open location where Coffee Club traded for 23 years

“Our verbal agreement was for Collins Foods to provide traffic management at peak times until the situation was rectified. They did supply traffic management for a period but (it) has been terminated.

“For reasons of their own Collins Foods and the current owner have not done the necessary works to resolve the issue.”

Representatives for KFC Victoria Point declined to comment.