KFC Is Testing New Drinks in McKinney, Texas, And They’re Nothing Like the Usual Soda
KFC is known for fried chicken, buckets, and that unmistakable Original Recipe flavor. But in McKinney, Texas, the chain is testing something that could change what people think of when they hear “KFC drink.” The new Open House restaurant is being used as a real-world testing ground for new beverages, including boba refreshers, specialty shakes, lemonades, and iced coffee.
McKinney Is Getting a Very Different KFC
This isn’t simply a remodeled KFC, it is a place where the company is experimenting with what customers might want next.
KFC opened its Open House concept in McKinney on September 26, creating a restaurant where new food, drinks, and service ideas can be tested before the company decides what deserves a wider rollout. The 3,400-square-foot location is at 8751 El Dorado Parkway and operates from early morning until midnight, allowing KFC to test everything from breakfast to late-night visits. KFC itself described the McKinney concept as part of its broader move toward more modern restaurants and a new beverage experience.
The location is particularly interesting because KFC isn’t abandoning its familiar identity. Fried chicken is still at the center, but customers can now encounter a much broader selection around it, including drinks that feel more at home in a specialty beverage shop.
Related: KFC Brings Back Popcorn Chicken After Years Away, But Fans May Have To Hurry
The Boba Drinks Are the Big Surprise
If you walked into KFC expecting a fountain drink and walked out with a boba refresher, you’re not imagining things.
One of the biggest beverage experiments at the McKinney restaurant is the arrival of boba refreshers. Boba has become a familiar part of American drink culture, particularly among younger consumers, and KFC is now testing whether that enthusiasm can translate into a chicken restaurant. The move is connected to KFC’s global KWENCH beverage platform, which includes Boba Refreshers, Krunch Shakes, Sparkling Lemonades and Iced Coffees.
That makes the drink menu feel far more ambitious than simply adding another soda flavor. It also supports the growing idea that fast-food restaurants can become places for snacks, drinks, and afternoon treats rather than places people visit only for a full meal.
Then There Are the Krunch Shakes
KFC is also giving the milkshake a crunchy makeover, which may be the drink experiment people remember most.
The new Krunch Shakes are part of the beverage lineup being tested in McKinney, alongside lemonades and boba drinks. Instead of treating a shake as just a cold dessert beverage, KFC is playing with texture and presentation to make it feel more like a specialty indulgence. That approach mirrors the company’s broader global push toward customizable, flavor-forward food and drinks.
For customers who already enjoy turning an ordinary coffee break into a small daily ritual, this kind of menu expansion could make KFC a more interesting stop even when fried chicken isn’t the main reason for the visit.
Coffee Is Coming Along for the Ride
The most unexpected part is that KFC is also trying to make itself relevant before lunchtime.
Open House introduces breakfast in the U.S. for KFC, with coffee and iced lattes appearing alongside breakfast sandwiches, hash brown sticks and mini cronuts. That means the company is testing a completely different occasion for its restaurants rather than simply changing the drinks served with chicken. Restaurant Dive reports that KFC sees the experimental location as a way to test new dayparts, menu items, and processes before considering what could work elsewhere.
It is an interesting shift for a chain whose traditional identity has been strongly tied to lunch and dinner. Coffee gives the brand another reason to compete for customers earlier in the day, while specialty drinks potentially create another reason to return later.
Will These Drinks Escape Texas?
The real question is whether McKinney becomes the start of something much bigger.
KFC has not said that every item being tested will eventually appear across its U.S. restaurants. Open House aims to learn what customers respond to and identify ideas that could be scaled. The Associated Press reported that the restaurant is designed as a test lab for new drinks, breakfast, sauces, sides, and other concepts, meaning customers in McKinney are effectively helping KFC decide what comes next.
That makes the Texas location more than a curiosity. It is a glimpse at how a familiar fast-food brand is experimenting with the habits surrounding food—not just the food itself. And if you’re already particular about your coffee and confidence, iced lattes at a fried-chicken restaurant may be exactly the kind of unexpected combination that gets people talking.
For now, McKinney gets to try the drinks while the rest of the country waits to see which ideas survive the experiment.
If KFC brought one of these McKinney drinks to your local restaurant, would you try the boba refresher, Krunch Shake, lemonade, or iced latte first?
