Global News Wrap Up: KFC UK runs low with gravy; Starbucks debuts reserve store concept in Seattle; Chipotle ditches sole burger site

Here is a summary of the most interesting QSR news stories of the week from around the world.

Starbucks debuts its premium reserve store in Seattle, inviting visitors to take a journey of discovery with small-lot Starbucks Reserve coffees and Princi food. This location is the first of the company’s new Reserve store concept, introducing a marketplace-style environment to showcase its premium Starbucks Reserve brand. The café, located on street level of Starbucks corporate headquarters in Seattle, was created to offer a mingling of public and private. Read more here.

Chipotle is saying goodbye to burgers: The burrito slinger has shuttered the one and only location of its fast-food concept Tasty Made, the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette reports. The restaurant opened in the Columbus, Ohio suburb of Lancaster in October 2016, with a barebones, In-N-Out-style menu of burgers, fries, and shakes. It was decidedly not an instant hit: The food got decidedly “meh” reviews from the get-go, with customers complaining it was both mediocre and overpriced.

KFC UK has been dealt a new blow after admitting stocks are running low on gravy. The chicken chain was forced to close hundreds of restaurants due to widespread chicken shortages. It has said almost all of its 900 UK and Ireland shops have re-opened but there’s only one problem – the gravy is running low. A spokesman for Yum Brands Inc, which owns the fried chicken chain, said, ‘Due to the ongoing distribution challenges DHL is experiencing, some restaurants are continuing to serve a reduced menu. ‘We’re working as hard as we can to get this sorted out. Read more here.

KFC Germany announced that their restaurants would see a threefold increase within the next five to seven years, bringing the total number from 163 to 500. Demand for their fried chicken picked up in 2017, with KFC sales climbing 10 percent to €243.7 million. The restaurant network expansion is expected to generate a billion euros in additional sales. Read more here.

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