KFC has opened a drive-thru restaurant at Monks Cross Shopping Park in York, run by franchise partner Adil Group, QSR Media reported on 26 October 2026. The site seats 64 customers, has four ordering kiosks and creates 40 jobs, and is among the first in the UK built to KFC’s latest restaurant design.
The restaurant opened on 17 October and is the third KFC opening of the year for Adil Group, after launches in Ashford and Acton. The operator has been a KFC franchisee for 22 years and bought its first 11 restaurants across Northamptonshire and Bedfordshire in 2004, the multi-site route most fast food franchises in the UK now recruit for. QSR Media places the York site within KFC’s UK and Ireland investment plan, which targets 500 new restaurants over the next decade.
What the York restaurant offers
The unit has seating for 64 customers, four digital ordering kiosks, parking for 15 vehicles and a dedicated waiting area for delivery drivers. The 40 roles span team members, team leaders and management. The menu covers KFC’s core fried chicken range and its Tenders and Dips offer, plus limited-edition Mozzamelt products and drinks from the Kwench range. KFC said the team will run daily litter picks around the site and pass surplus food to community kitchens through its partnership with The Felix Project.
Where Adil Group stands in the KFC system
QSR Media gives Adil Group’s portfolio as 113 restaurants, a figure that appears to predate its purchase of 22 KFC restaurants from fellow franchisee 1st Rate. Law firm Freeths, which advised on that deal, says it lifted the group’s KFC estate to 135 restaurants and made it the largest KFC franchise partner in the UK and Ireland, with the new sites in Manchester, Liverpool, Blackpool, Preston and Wigan. Freeths adds that the group operates more than 230 sites and employs over 7,000 people across KFC, Costa Coffee, Burger King, Taco Bell and Anytime Fitness, a portfolio spanning the coffee and gym sectors as well as fast food. Raja Adil, chief executive of The Adil Group, said the deal showed the group’s “continued confidence and commitment to the KFC brand”.
The investment plan behind the openings
KFC announced the plan in May 2025, when it marked 60 years in the UK and Ireland. Food Manufacture reported at the time that KFC would invest £1.49 billion over five years across restaurants and suppliers, with more than 7,000 new roles and 500 new outlets over the next decade. Of that total, up to £466 million was earmarked for new restaurants, including upgrades to more than 200 existing ones. The sources reviewed do not say how many of the 500 openings will be run by franchise partners.
What comes next for Adil Group and KFC openings
No further Adil Group openings were announced alongside the York site. Raja Adil said the North West expansion creates opportunities to grow the business, invest in its restaurants and develop its people. Monks Cross is among the first UK restaurants to carry KFC’s latest design, and the investment plan also covers upgrades to more than 200 existing restaurants. The sources reviewed give no timetable for Adil Group’s next KFC opening.
