Surprise reopening of KFC causes 'two-hour queues' and 'manic scenes'
The surprise reopening of a KFC restaurant in north Wales led to massive queues and “manic scenes”.
Customers had to wait two hours to buy chicken on Tuesday when the drive-thru in Rhuddlan resumed business after a month and a half.
It is understood that the outlet on Castle View Retail Park opened at lunchtime and it didn't take long for customers to arrive – with pictures from the location showing the build-up of cars.
Bosses decided to close restaurants when the coronavirus lockdown began in March and only started reopening them in mid-April.
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Twitter users posted pictures and videos showing the long queues of cars outside the popular fast-food restaurant.
One person tweeted: “Rhuddlan kfc drive-thru queue actually looks like Manchester airport arrivals. Absolute clown if ya sat in it.”
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But its return has proved so popular staff had to start turning people away in the evening.
Another witness added: “The queue outside Rhuddlan KFC was massive. Staff are having to start turning people away because the queue has become too big and the wait is two hours.”
KFC announced that it would be opening the drive-thru lanes at 55 restaurants across the UK, but Rhuddlan was not on the list so its opening came as a welcome surprise for many fans.
There were also similar scenes around the country showing people queuing at drive-thrus.
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A KFC spokesman said: “We’ve been working hard to responsibly reopen our restaurants and now we’re spreading our wings a little further.
“In line with government advice, we’ve decided to open the drive-thru lanes at 55 of our UK restaurants that are already open for delivery.
“We know it’s tempting, but please, please don’t all rush at once! Delivery remains the best way to get your fried chicken fix – we just want to offer a little more choice to those who are already on the road for essential journeys or on their way home from difficult shifts.”
It is understood that the restaurant's drive-thru will be open from 12pm-9pm.
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