KFC invests £38m in ‘speciality’ drinks range to entice consumers beyond chicken

KFC is launching a new drinks range, backed by a £38m investment, as it aims to expand its appeal beyond chicken and tap into Gen Z consumer trends.

The fast-food chain is rolling out ‘Kwench by KFC’ across the UK in 2026, a “specialty” drinks range featuring boba teas, iced coffees, milkshakes and flavoured lemonades.

The range expands KFC’s offering outside its stronghold of chicken, with the aim of giving consumers – Gen Z in particular – reason to visit the brand during different dayparts, outside of mealtimes.

Younger consumers are driving demand for specialty drinks, KFC says, citing data from across the global quick-service restaurant industry. The chain is aiming to “become the fastest-growing restaurant brand for the next generation”, it says.

According to the same data, more than half of these drinks are now purchased outside of mealtimes, suggesting that KFC has an opportunity to expand the occasions it is relevant to. The chain has been piloting the Kwench range across 38 Manchester restaurants. During the pilot, one in two consumers said they would visit KFC specifically for the Kwench drinks range.

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KFC also reports positive feedback from consumers during the trial, with over 90% stating they “loved” the new range. It reports that sales of the Kwench range have more than doubled since the end of the trial.

The move to expand the occasions KFC is relevant to is backed by a significant investment from the brand and its franchise partners, it is also backing the launch with a multimillion pound campaign.

To boost visibility of the range, KFC locations will be fitted with dedicated Kwench counters and branding, with some restaurants being given additional furniture themed around the range.

There are 11 different drinks in total across the four categories of boba, sparkling lemonades, shakes and iced coffees, with prices ranging from £1.99 to £3.49. Some drinks from the range will also be part of KFC meal deals and bundling.

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“Bold, trend-led drinks are playing a much bigger role in how Gen Z engage with restaurant brands, which is a huge opportunity for us,” says Leo Sloley, strategy and innovation director at KFC UK. “Kwench adds something completely fresh to our menu, giving people more reasons to visit KFC beyond our iconic chicken, at different moments throughout the day.”

The rollout of the range is under way, with Kwench expected to be available across all UK restaurants and delivery partners by the summer. The UK and Ireland is the first KFC market globally to roll out the range across all its restaurants.

The move to expand KFC’s relevance to consumers beyond purely chicken comes as the chicken fast-food market in the UK experiences huge competition. Whether it’s from new players such as Wingstop and Popeyes, or old rival McDonald’s, KFC faces a lot of competition in the arena.

In recent years it has moved to emphasise the “cult” status of its chicken to set it apart from these competitors, notably through its ‘Believe in Chicken’ platform.