RUSSIA – KFC Russia has recently opened its milestone 1000th restaurant in the city of Vladivostok, also known as “the capital of the Far East.”
Located on the east coast, Vladivostok is a major Russian Pacific port city overlooking Golden Horn Bay, near the borders with China and North Korea
According to the fast-food chain’s LinkedIn post, the restaurant is a spacious two-story in-liner with a drive-thru making it the first among QSR chains in the city.
The new restaurant will be the 19th in the Primorsky Territory and represents the growing investments being made in Far Eastern Russia with regard to local agriculture production and enhanced logistics infrastructure.
“We’re thrilled to be bringing our finger lickin’ good fried chicken to even more fans around the world!” KFC said.
The launch is coming at a time when alternative meat inclusion in KFC menus has been rapidly expanding and is no longer confined to the franchise’ North American division.
Earlier in July, KFC revealed that will test chicken nuggets made with 3D bioprinting technology in Moscow, making it the first global fast-food chain to adopt lab grown meat.
According to KFC, chicken nuggets made in a lab with chicken and plant cells using bioprinting technology will closely mimic the taste and appearance of KFC’s original chicken nugget.
The Chicken chain expects the production of 3D-printed nuggets to be more environmentally friendly than the production process of its traditional chicken nuggets.
“Crafted meat products are the next step in the development of our ‘restaurant of the future’ concept,” said Raisa Polyakova, the CEO of KFC Russia and Commonwealth Independent States.
“We are glad to contribute to its development and are working to make it available to thousands of people in Russia and, if possible, around the world.”
As part of its efforts to capture the growing numbers of mainstream flexitarians and vegans, KFC recently launched a vegan fried chicken in Thailand.
Partnering with Meat Zero, the Yum Brands-owned fast food chain will begin rolling out 100% plant-based fried chicken across its Green Stores in the country and possibly extend distribution in the coming months.
The dishes, Plant-Based Chicken Pop and Spicy Rice Bowl with Plant-Based Chicken Pop will be available in 6 different combos and meal sets, according to a statement from the company.
KFC Thailand’s plant-based expansion is aligned with the fast-food chain’s global shift towards alternative proteins, in a bid to keep up with increasingly conscious consumers.
It recently launched a meat-free burger in Singapore, rolled out vegan chicken nuggets in China, and is also partnering with Beyond Meat to co-create new plant-based protein menu items exclusive to all three QSR brands, which together have reach of over 50,000 restaurants in 150 countries.
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