A call has been made for Wokingham’s town centre to gain a KFC.
The fast food restaurant, which specialises in fried chicken meals, already has numerous branches across the Thames Valley including a drive-through in Bracknell, a local store in Shinfield and a large diner in Reading’s town centre.
Wokingham’s town centre does have a range of fast food outlets including Kebab Extra, Station Fish and Chips, a Burger King in Carnival Pool and numerous takeaway vans, but it currently doesn’t have an fried chicken specialist.
KFC itself has a website for potential locations and franchise partners: around a quarter of its UK stores are owned by the chain, the rest being franchised. It says that it is looking for 400 locations to expand its offering, and Wokingham is on its radar for both a restaurant and a drive-through.
It is also seeking potential sites in Lower Earley and at Shepherds Hill.
The chain has expanded dramatically over the years: in 2004, it said it should sell 379m pieces of chicken, while it now expects to serve 690 million over the course of the year.
A petition was set up in June by We Need A Wokingham KFC on change.org, asking for support for a Wokingham branch. However, it has garnered just seven signatures and some unsavoury and racist comments from “supporters” (Warning: petition link leads to offensive language.)
The petition states: “The people of Wokingham need a KFC, Reading and Shinfield are too far away. We have too many of the same old restaurants. We got enough people to petition to open a Nandos, we can do it for KFC. With the new regeneration of Wokingham town centre there must be space for a KFC somewhere.”
What do you think? Does Wokingham’s town centre need a KFC? Use the comments below to have your say.
