A Digital Taste

Janet Yuen, CEO of KFC-Birdland Hong Kong, is focused on creating a modern dining experience, where service is as instant as the customers’ photos splashed on the digital walls.

- Wendy Kay

Janet Yuen has yet to realize her dream of owning her own restaurant. In the meantime, she’ll continue running nearly 90 of them, an irony not lost on the CEO of Hong Kong’s KFC-Birdland. “In my early 20s, I would have loved to become a chef and run a restaurant and I always keep this little dream as part of my retirement plan,” she says, laughing. “Although now I’m thinking more of a boutique coffee shop, a space where artists can have a gallery or play live music. Some day.”

Janet is certainly sharing her concept for creating hangout spaces in her KFC stores – of which there are 83 in Hong Kong and five in Macau, to be exact. She admits that when she joined as Chief Operations Officer in April last year, the brand had grown a little tired since its launch in Hong Kong in 1985. A new vibe was needed, something edgier, more modern, to attract customers.

“To compete, we have to be unique and Instagrammable – not just the food, but the environment,” she explains. “So I focused on digitalization to build new relationships with our customers.”

In July, KFC opened its first concept store in Causeway Bay, a three-story state-of-the-art socializing hub with mixed seating for 150. It offers a chic, relaxing atmosphere with three-dimensional art installed at each stairway for Instagrammable photos. “It’s a great place to gather and chill while eating affordable food,” Janet says. “At street level, there’s a dessert kiosk, while on the first floor there are self-ordering kiosks and modern bar stools. Upon the second level are our kitchen and service counter and a dining area including cafe chairs. It’s also a party area, not just for kids, but adults, too, because KFC offers the perfect snacks for a party.”