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KFC Opens Eco-friendly Restaurant In Indianapolis

By: KFC |  1,014 Shares     304 Reads

Project Uses the LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Certification Process created by the U.S. Green Building Council

April 26, 2011 // Franchising.com // INDIANAPOLIS, IND - While the newest KFC in Indianapolis features the brand's familiar red and white design scheme, it's the color "green" that is really going to have people talking. The new KFC at 6154 North Keystone Avenue was designed with the planet in mind, and it features design advances in the areas of energy efficiency, community connections, water conservation and sensible materials. The restaurant, located across from Glendale Mall, opens for business Tuesday, April 26, at 10 a.m.

"This new KFC Green restaurant is part of our E3 initiative, which looks at Economically responsible ways of saving Energy and being Environmentally aware," said Roger McClendon, Chief Sustainability Officer for Yum! Brands, Inc., parent company of KFC Corporation. "KFC has a responsibility to our customers, employees and shareholders to be forward thinking and intentional in our environmental sustainability vision. This project is part of our global environmental stewardship efforts."

The building is designed to use 25 percent less energy and water than a conventional KFC restaurant. It features energy-efficient cooking equipment, low-power, long-life LED lighting, locally sourced building materials, parking preference for hybrid vehicles, fixtures designed for lower water use, waste recycling (including cooking oil and plastics), and many other green innovations.

"We are very proud of this restaurant, which is a tangible example of the work we are doing to reach our goal of reducing our environmental impact, while serving the food our consumers love," McClendon added. "This is one step along our path toward designing and building greener restaurants and we'll be using it as a 'test lab' to evaluate the performance of technologies and processes. What we learn at the Indianapolis restaurant could potentially impact the design of future buildings worldwide."

"Transforming Indianapolis into one of the most sustainable cities in the Midwest takes strong partners. KFC is one of those partners," said Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard. "I am proud to see this new KFC location open. They are to be commended for their focus on sustainability."

The debut of the Indianapolis KFC follows the opening of a KFC/Taco Bell restaurant in Northampton, Mass., which was LEED Gold-certified in 2009. KFC will be seeking LEED certification for the Indianapolis restaurant as well.

KFC made other environmental news recently when the brand introduced fast food's first consumer-reusable container at restaurants coast to coast last year. The side item container was honored with a 2010 Greener Package Award.

Here are some of the design elements of the new KFC Green restaurant:

Energy Efficiency:

• Cooking with energy efficient kitchen equipment
• Specifying high efficiency heating, cooling and ventilation
• Reusing energy to heat hot water
• Lighting with low-power, long life LED lighting
• Harvesting sunlight to reduce manmade lighting
• Automating energy management and monitoring

Community Connections:

• Building with local building materials such as concrete, steel and masonry
• Roofing and paving are light colored to help reduce urban heat island effect
• Parking preference for customers using hybrid vehicles
• Reducing use of foam through reusable food containers

Water Conservation:

• Installing fixtures designed for lower water use
• Planting indigenous flowers and shrubs to reduce water needs
• Using water conserving drip irrigation system Sensible Materials:
• Reducing building size to save materials and energy
• Incorporating building materials with recycled content, including floor tiles, wall coverings and cotton fiber insulation

Sensible Materials:

• Building with sustainably harvested wood (FSC Certified)
• Selecting earth-friendlier adhesives and paints
• Recycling waste including cooking oil and plastics

For more information on other Corporate Social Responsibility efforts of KFC and Yum! Brands, read the 2010 CSR report at http://www.yum.com/responsibility.

About KFC

KFC Corporation, based in Louisville, Ky., is the world's most popular chicken restaurant chain specializing in Original Recipe®, Extra Crispy™, Kentucky Grilled Chicken® and Crispy Strips with home-style sides, Honey BBQ Wings, and freshly made chicken sandwiches including the Double Down™ and the Doublicious™. There are more than 15,000 KFC outlets in 109 countries and territories around the world serving some 12 million customers each day. KFC Corporation is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., Louisville, Ky. (NYSE: YUM.) For more information, visit www.kfc.com. Follow KFC on Facebook (www.facebook.com/KFC) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/kfc_colonel).

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