KFC debuts The Colonel
ON A MISSION to give a population long deprived of the taste of its 11 secret herbs and spices, KFC is taking its one-of-a-kind food truck The Colonel to the red centre of Australia.
They might know the name, and even recall his face in the iconic logo, but expanses of red earth lay between the people of Birdsville and Colonel Sanders.
Located at the edge of the Simpson Desert, the town of Birdsville in central west Queensland has a total population of only 115 people, whose closest KFC store is located more than six hours north, in Mt Isa.
Just shy of clocking up 2000 kilometres in its maiden voyage across Australia, The Colonel arrived this week from Sydney, delighting revellers at the Big Red Bash music festival.
The first chicken-tasting was held on opening night on July 4 and under the outback stars, 80 lucky diners feasted on KFC’s great-tasting Original Recipe Chicken.
Colonel Sanders himself always believed that the best things in life are free, and fun, so KFC will continue to provide
batches of its fresh cooked, Original Recipe Chicken to 80 diners at a time, across three sittings per day during the festival.
KFC Australia Individual Meals marketing director Annabel Fribence said they knew people often “went to great lengths to get their hands on our famous Original Recipe Chicken, sometimes driving hundreds of kilometres to get their fix; so we’ve paid it forward, taking our famous recipe to them and cooking it just the way the Colonel did”.
“With the Big Red Bash attracting Aussies from the far outskirts of the country, KFC saw the event as the perfect
moment to unveil The Colonel and bring a smile to people’s faces; particularly all the ‘long-timers’ and ‘first-timers’ out there who have been craving our Original Recipe Chicken for a while,” she said.
The one-of-a-kind food truck combination includes a Freightliner Argosy 110 which will be trailing a 46 FT Pantech mobile KFC kitchen which alone weighs 36 tonnes.
The truck will be fully equipped to cook more than 12,000 pieces of fresh, Original Recipe Chicken over the three-day festival.
Departing Sydney on the Wednesday June 28 on its maiden voyage, the truck,
imagined and created by David Malek, renowned film, TV and events designer, said they wanted to offer a “unique and unforgettable” experience for Aussies who may have travelled thousands of kilometres to the festival and
who may have a four-hour drive between them and their nearest KFC store.
“We eat with our eyes, as well as our tastebuds, so it’s more than a food truck; it’s immersive, it’s fun, and it represents everything KFC
stands for: the great enjoyment that comes with eating together,” he said.
The Colonel will return to Sydney on July 8, where it will be packed down and stationed, awaiting its next Chicken Run adventure.