As part of the AKFCF Board’s recent Spring Meeting in the Dominican Republic, AKFCF franchisees visited the KFC Punta Cana restaurant on May 28 for a two-hour store visit focused on sharing best practices, exploring innovative ideas, and learning from the local KFC team.
Located in the tourist area of Punta Cana at Friusa Center, the free-standing restaurant opened in June 2024 and offers a unique opportunity to experience KFC operations in a high-volume, international tourism market.
During the visit, the KFC US franchisees had the opportunity to learn about the restaurant’s strong operational performance, including key metrics related to ROCC, KFC Listens, etc.
The restaurant was also selected to showcase KFC LA&C channel strategy, offering guests multiple ways to order and enjoy their meals, including Dine-In, Drive-Thru, Kiosks, Take Away, and Aggregators.
Sharing Ideas and Best Practices
The visit provided several interesting takeaways and ideas including:
• Ice Cream: An internal project and unique offering that generated interest among the visiting franchisees.
• Kiosk Adoption: Insights into encouraging customers to use self-service kiosks and integrating this channel into the overall restaurant experience.
• Biscuit Dessert: A creative dessert application using the KFC biscuit.
• Suggested Sales Contests: Ideas around using sales contests to encourage teams to focus on specific products and increase suggestive selling.
• Popcorn: Discussion around customer preferences for popcorn size and flavor.
• Drive-Thru Menu Design: An interesting look at the order and placement of DT menu options.
The visit also included food sampling, allowing the group to experience some of the local KFC flavors and offerings firsthand.
Beyond the operational insights, the visit demonstrated the value of franchisees sharing ideas across markets. Different customer profiles and operating environments can lead to innovative solutions that may inspire opportunities in other restaurants and countries.
Recognizing the Restaurant Team
The visit concluded with a well-deserved recognition of the KFC Punta Cana team members for their hospitality and for sharing their knowledge and experience with the visiting franchisees.
Many thanks to Pablo Girard, KFC Dominican Republic General Manager, Vanessa Gonzales, Marketing Manager and his team for warmly hosting the AKFCF US franchisees. The visit provided valuable insights, fresh ideas, and an excellent opportunity to learn from one another while experiencing KFC Dominican Republic firsthand.
KFC Dominican Republic currently operates 49 restaurants across the market, making it an excellent example of a growing KFC operation in the Caribbean and a valuable source of ideas and best practices for franchisees across the system.
