Most people don't associate sophisticated dining with buckets of fried chicken. Even less so, KFC. But the firm still
opened one of the world's most extravagant fast-food restaurants, which appears more like a fine dining restaurant than a fried chicken shop.
KFC's most luxurious restaurant, the Crystal Bucket, is in Painted Post, N.Y. It opened on May 3 and has been hailed "the most beautiful KFC in the world," by visitors.
The restaurant was remodeled from a bank building, per Nation's Restaurant News. Contoured floor-to-ceiling glass windows wrap
around the exterior, giving it a bucket-like look. The eatery says it retains the Colonel's 11-herb-and-spice formula in a bank vault.
Yum! Brands is looking for innovative ways to include local landmarks into KFC, which has become a community destination.
"We've taken the opportunity strategically to play up the brand's provenance, and we have these unique landmarks now," KFC chief
development officer Brian Cahoe told Nation's Restaurant News. "The community was excited about this restaurant coming.
Although unique, the Crystal Bucket incorporates some of the chain's Next Generation store's digital aspects. Digital order pickup has built-in cubbies
KFC's Next Generation outlets are smaller and lack dining areas. They have computerized pick-up and drive-thru lanes.