KFC unit at Exeter, located within the food court area opposite customer seating, between Chow and Greggs. KFC opened at Exeter in December 2021 as part of a major refurbishment scheme to the site. Moto also added a Pret, changed the location of West Cornwall Pasty, & toilets were fully refurbished. Exeter had also been extensively renovated in 2017. Adding new facilities to Exeter was a smart idea of Moto's, as it's a highly profitable site, especially during the summer holidays. Moto's quieter sites won't benefit from new brands as much. KFC replaced Arlo's here, which opened in 2016. Arlo's was Motos attempt to reintroduce sit-down dining to their sites. The brand was popular in 2016-2018, but after this, the popularity reduced & Arlo's then started closing their restaurants in 2019 (including this one), with just one Arlo's soldiering on at Chieveley, remaining until March 2020. Before 2017, this unit was used by EDC (Eat & Drink Co) which opened in 2008. Moto introduced EDC as an alternative to takeaway food options, & all EDCs were very uninspiring in design. Before 2008, this unit was Fresh Express. This unit was left boarded up at Exeter for over 2 years, so it's good to see it back in use with a customer favourite brand. KFC being a well known high street name means customers are likely to choose it over lesser-known brands at Exeter, such as Chow. KFC is a small, "takeaway only" unit with no customer seating of its own, so customers can only use the communal seating opposite. It's a fresh, modern KFC with black and red theme colours, as well as Moto's 2017-18 flooring scheme, which is now looking tired & needs replacing. KFC do tend to inflate their prices at motorway services by roughly 10% per item, as they recognise these units have more demand than their ordinary town centre branches. Their inflation isn't as significant as Burger King's & doesn’t tend to put customers off. Moto first added KFC to Hilton Park North in 2014. Despite the brand's popularity, the trial was unsuccessful & KFC closed at Hilton Park soon after. Moto then installed a KFC at Cherwell Valley in 2018, under a new deal. Since, more have opened, with Moto now considering KFC as one of their main partners. Moto introduced KFC to mimic Roadchef's success with McDonald's, but now the core fast-food options at Moto sites are identical to that of a Welcome Break. KFC was the first high street brand to be introduced to motorway services, with the 1st KFC takeaway opening in 1989 at Keele. This marked the start of motorway services providing customers high street fast food & coffee shop names. KFC was a stark contrast to the pre-existing food offer available at motorway services, as before high street fast food chains, motorway services were made up of independent restaurants and buffets. Of course the luxurious nature of motorway services was forgotten. Less care was going into presentation & cleanliness, whilst more care went into functionality & rapid service. Eventually, all motorway services became "shopping centre food courts" and sit-down dining was a thing of the past. KFC is well-received from customers due to its fast service & consistency. KFC was moderately busy during my visit, as I visited during the night. During the day, KFC will be much busier, as it's easy to notice from the interior of Exeter. The reduced trade also meant my photo was slightly easier to take. KFC is signposted from both directions of the M5, so motorists are aware that KFC is present at the site. Additionally, KFC is advertised lots around the site.

Photo taken on 22/12/2023 by Tom Moon.

Assigned to galleries: Exeter, M5, KFC, Moto