We have heard about the impressive results achieved by several markets in the region recently. This time, however, we want to go beyond the numbers and meet the franchisees and leaders behind these successful markets.
What drives their success? What practices have made a difference? And what can the rest of us learn from their experience?
Their stories and best practices offer valuable ideas and inspiration for KFC franchisees and operators across the region. By sharing what is working in successful markets, we can learn from one another, exchange ideas, and continue raising the bar together.
Let’s meet the people behind the results and discover what makes their markets stand out. Because great leaders are always willing to share what works.
KFC Panama Newsletter Q&A:
Platinum Brands Management — Khary Robinson, Executive Chairman & Juan Carlos Andrade, CEO
What are the top three things that have contributed to your success?
First, building the right leadership team. We needed experienced people who could strengthen the organization, improve accountability, and create the systems and culture required for growth.
Second, we invested meaningfully in the business — renovating restaurants, upgrading kitchens and equipment, and improving technology and the customer experience. Those investments also helped restore pride internally.
Third, we spent a lot of time understanding how Panamanians use and feel about KFC. One of the clearest early signals was at Albrook Mall, where KFC was one of only a few QSR brands with lines out the door despite an outdated customer experience. That told us the brand love was already there; our job was to build an operation worthy of it.
What advice would you give to markets that are in a similar situation?
Start with the right people and be clear about how you plan to create value. Before making major investments, understand the customer and identify the few changes that will have the greatest impact.
Then invest early in your people and systems. In a turnaround, you cannot fix what you cannot see, so reliable information, strong leadership and clear accountability are critical. Finally, make sure you have the financial support and patience to follow the strategy through. Turnarounds take capital, conviction and time.
What made you take the risk and invest at this level?
We saw a significant gap between the strength of the KFC brand and the performance of the business. Customers clearly loved KFC, yet the restaurant base was underdeveloped, many assets needed modernization, and KFC had substantially fewer stores than its largest competitor.
That gave us confidence that the problem was not demand — it was execution. Our diligence confirmed that the fundamentals of the brand and market were strong, even though there were challenges around financial systems, underinvestment and the relationship with Yum! Brands. We believed those were fixable with the right leadership, capital and operating discipline, which gave us the conviction to invest.
Where do you see the greatest potential for the business?
The biggest opportunity is the runway for continued growth. We believe there is a clear path to significantly expand the restaurant footprint and grow market share over the coming years.
We also see meaningful upside from continuing to improve store economics, digital capability, delivery and transaction frequency. Despite the progress already made, we still feel relatively early in the journey
What does the future look like?
We are very optimistic. There is still substantial opportunity for KFC in Panama through both the existing restaurant base and new unit growth.
At the same time, Panama has given us a model we believe can travel: strong leadership, patient capital, good systems, local consumer insight and disciplined execution around a trusted global brand. Over time, that could create opportunities to expand into other markets or potentially other brands
What have you done differently from other markets?
We never viewed the turnaround as a single initiative. We approached it as a 360-degree transformation — leadership, culture, restaurants, kitchens, technology, marketing, consumer strategy and operations all had to improve together.
Our early approach was simple: stabilize, understand the business, identify the highest-impact priorities and then move quickly into execution. There was no silver bullet. The difference was having a comprehensive plan, creating visible early wins, and being disciplined enough to execute across the entire organization.
KFC Brazil Newsletter Q&A:
KFC Brazil, Otavio Pimentel, CEO
What are the top three things that have contributed to your success?
- Renegotiating main suppliers and marinating with them
- Lowering prices and new offerings
- Increasing the amount of people on the stores
- Delisted almost 70% of previous menu, focusing on boneless, sauces and crispy recipe
What advice would you give to markets that are in a similar situation?
- Simplify your operations to improve it
- Get to know your clients in order to know what to do and specially what not to do
- Surround yourself with a strong team in all areas
What made you take the risk and invest at this level?
- The Serrano group has a lot of expertise in turning around acquired operations and improving the level of service. That helped us to know the right levers to pull.
Where do you see the greatest potential for the business?
- Expanding Drive Thru models
- Increase awareness
- Keep on improving our store operations
- Reduce store turnover
What is the next big step for the market?
- Testing and growing drive thru
What does the future look like?
- Double the number of stores in the next five years
What have you done differently from other markets?
- Hard to tell, I think a combination of what we mentioned before.
KFC Aruba Quest To Regain The Trust & Love in Every Bite
KFC Aruba Franchisee Kirran Panjabi
KFC Aruba’s journey begins with one essential belief: a Passion for Taste starts in Our Restaurants.
Regaining our customers’ trust required more than a marketing campaign. It required every department — from restaurant operations and food safety to supply chain, HR, maintenance, marketing and leadership — to work interdependently toward the same goal: bringing back the OG KFC taste and delivering genuine, heart-led service.
What are the top three things that have contributed to your success?
First, it starts with a passion for taste — and that starts in our restaurants. We returned our focus to the fundamentals: product quality, operational discipline, and consistent execution. Our teams worked together to maximize every process affecting the customer experience, helping us restore the OG KFC taste and regain trust in every bite.
Second, we strengthened heart-led service. Great food must be matched by genuine hospitality. We empowered and believed in our restaurant teams to serve with greater care, pride and personal connection, making every guest feel welcome.
Third, we made the brand more locally relevant. We connected with Gen Z and Gen Alpha through our distinctive combination of Papiamento and English — our “Papia-English” voice — and continued showing up where Aruban culture happens, including Carnival, the Flip Flop Festival, and the Aruba Beach Tennis Open.
I want to add a fourth thing that is just as important as all of above: Trust in Every Bite. We immediately moved to hire QA/FS expert from the local brewery who brought a wealth of knowledge and passion not only to safety, BUT ALSO to training mindset change in our teams, that our food has to be safe to consume.
We also simplified key parts of our menu, particularly in the drive-thru, making it easier for our teams to serve customers quickly and consistently.
What advice would you give markets in a similar situation?
Stay consistent and remain committed. Trust is not rebuilt through one campaign, one promotion or one successful month. It is earned through every meal, every interaction, and every visit.
Know your customers through CUOs, customer feedback, and frontline insights. Then use that understanding to remove friction across every touchpoint — from ordering and payment to product quality, speed, and service.
Most importantly, keep the restaurants at the center of the strategy. When restaurant teams are aligned, supported, and passionate about the product, customers can taste and feel the difference.
What made you take the risk and invest at this level?
The brand was unloved by both the teams and our customers for years; we saw an opportunity to bring the magic both KFC and our operating platform to Aruba to refresh, restart, and regain the love the lost. We wanted KFC Aruba to be distinctive — not simply louder than the competition, but more relevant and meaningful to our customers.
We believe people enjoy buying, but they do not enjoy being sold to. That is why we invest in showing up authentically where culture happens. By participating in the music, sports, and celebrations that matter to Aruba, we create genuine connections with both current and future customers.
At the same time, investing in culture only works when the restaurant experience delivers on the promise. Our external presence and internal operations must always reinforce each other.
Where do you see the greatest potential for the business?
We see significant potential in boneless products, beverages, and snacking occasions.
The snacking opportunity remains largely untapped in Aruba. It gives us room to attract new customers, create additional reasons to visit, and strengthen KFC’s relevance beyond traditional lunch and dinner occasions.
What is the next big step for the market?
The next major growth opportunity is digital. Kiosks and delivery aggregators will make KFC more convenient and accessible while creating a faster, more frictionless customer journey. These channels will help us increase penetration, improve the ordering experience, and create new growth opportunities across the market.
Digital growth, however, must remain connected to restaurant excellence. Technology can make ordering easier, but our food quality and heart-led service are what will keep customers coming back.
What have you done differently from other markets?
Our greatest strength is adaptability. We observe what works in other KFC markets, learn from their experiences and adapt those ideas to Aruba. We do not simply copy and paste. We make every initiative locally meaningful by respecting Aruba’s culture, language, and customer expectations.
This balance between global brand standards and local relevance allows us to remain unmistakably KFC while feeling authentically Aruban.
What does the future look like?
The future looks very promising — but we want more. Our ambition is clear: We are working to become the number-one QSR brand in Aruba.
We will get there by protecting the OG KFC taste, strengthening heart-led service, expanding our digital capabilities, and continuing to connect with Aruba’s culture.
Above all, we will succeed through interdependence: every department supporting our restaurant teams, and every restaurant team delivering the quality, care and consistency our customers deserve.
That is how we will continue regaining trust — one guest, one experience, and one bite at a time.
