KFC fast food offer at Warwick Southbound, located between Pret and Burger King, opposite customer seating, in the food court area. Characteristically, KFC lacks any seating of its own, so customers can make use of the communal seating. KFC opened when the site was first built in 1994, & was one of Welcome Break’s first KFC units. KFC’s popularity means it’s often busier than Burger King, which is declining due to the high prices they charge. KFC does inflate their motorway prices quite a bit due to high demand, with products costing around 10% more than an average high street KFC. Due to its popularity and high recognisability, customers seem happy enough to pay these prices. Welcome Break first opened KFC in 1989. They introduced KFC to bring a well-known high street name to their sites, to attract customers as they know what they are getting. KFC was the first example of Welcome Break stepping away from their existing restaurant format with the gradual loss of their Little Chef, Granary and Julie’s Pantry restaurants. Following KFC, Welcome Break began using BK, and then they created mini food courts to replace large restaurants using various brand partners, including Subway and Chopstix. Moto’s recent partnership with KFC, and the fact it’s now provided at most of their sites, makes Welcome Break’s KFC offer look less exclusive. At one point, Welcome Break painted their sites red, to advertise KFC. Additionally, they changed their motorway signage to “Welcome Break KFC”. This pic evidences Welcome Break’s 2014 flooring scheme and the heavy refurbishments they have done to Warwick South. This KFC itself was fully refurbished in 2022. It was tidy and all the self-service machines were working. They also seemed to be well-stocked, which is a good sign at 12:10, when I visited. KFC was fairly quiet during my visit despite how busy the amenity building was itself. It appears I beat the lunch time peak, & in roughly 30mins to 1hrs time I would expect this unit to be much busier. KFC is signposted from the M40 Southbound, so customers can expect to find this facility here. Additionally, KFC is advertised from the exterior of the amenity building & lots around the site, showing Welcome Break realise the value of this popular brand to their sites.

Photo taken on 24/06/2024 by Tom Moon.

Assigned to galleries: Warwick, Welcome Break, M40, KFC