A new “KFC” restaurant will be coming soon as Taco Bell prepares to move from inside KFC to the Franklin Village Shopping Center.
A change is coming soon to two local fast food restaurants. Taco Bell will be leaving its current merged location with Kentucky Fried Chicken in the Hilltop Plaza and move to the pad of the former Long John Silvers property in the Franklin Village Shopping Center.
Both restaurants are owned by Charter Foods of Morristown, Tennessee, according to East Franklin Township Codes Officer Greg McKelvey.
“The game plan for the Hilltop Plaza facility that now is made up of Kentucky Fried Chicken and Taco Bell, that building, in fairly short order, is going to undergo a total remodel and will be exclusively Kentucky Fried Chicken,” McKelvey told the Kittanning Paper. “They also purchased the former Long John Silvers’ property in the Franklin Village. It is my understanding that building will be demolished and a new building will be built there for Taco Bell.”
McKelvey said that although there isn’t a specific time table for Kentucky Fried Chicken renovations, he believes it will happen soon.
“I just approved recently the new signage of Kentucky Fried Chicken, so that (renovation) is going to happen first. It’s going to look totally different. That building will be exclusively Kentucky Fried Chicken,” McKelvey said. “I have yet to see any drawings regarding the new Taco Bell. However, I have talked to architects, but have no time-frames on that.”
McKelvey said he was hoping demolition of the Long John Silvers building would happen soon to avoid it becoming a dilapidated building.
He was also very complimentary of his interaction with Charter Foods representatives.
“Talking with the architects and signage people, they’ve been very professional. Hopefully everything will work out.”
The Charter Foods website shows they are taking applications for Taco Bell employees that include team members, shift leaders, assistant general manager, and a general manager for the new restaurant. Until now, the two restaurants have shared staff in the merged location at 14 Hilltop Plaza.
Taco Bell Director of Operations Kevin Kupniewski did not respond for comment regarding the length of time for renovation of Kentucky Fried Chicken, or the plan for employees during the time the renovations are taking place.
The former Long John Silvers building will be razed to make room for a new Taco Bell restaurant in the Franklin Village Shopping Center.