KFC's design chief says brands are too obsessed with Gen Z

Every brand wants Gen Z to think it's cool. KFC's design chief thinks that's the wrong goal.

"It's all about Gen Z, Gen Z, Gen Z," Christophe Poirier, KFC's global chief concept officer, told Business Insider.

As KFC rolls out a sweeping global overhaul spanning new menu items, drinks, restaurant designs, and branding, Poirier said the fried chicken chain isn't trying to become a Gen Z brand.

"Gen Z won't stay Gen Z forever," he said, "At some point, the Gen Zs will be like me."

Instead, the goal is to stay relevant across generations. "We need to be in constant evolution to be forever young," Poirier said.

The philosophy comes at a pivotal moment for the brand. KFC has spent the past year trying to regain momentum in the US after years of pressure from rivals, including Chick-fil-A, Raising Cane's, and Wingstop.

Recent visit trends suggest some progress: KFC has posted positive year-over-year visits-per-location growth nearly every month since August 2025, according to Placer.ai, which attributed gains to menu innovation, value offers, and the return of nostalgic favorites like potato wedges.

The approach runs counter to a broader trend in retail and restaurants, where companies increasingly build products, marketing campaigns, and loyalty programs around younger consumers. Poirier argues brands can become too focused on chasing a specific demographic. Instead, KFC's new strategy aims to adapt to changing consumer habits without abandoning the identity that made it successful in the first place.

The company is betting heavily on specialty beverages. Its new global drink platform, Kwench by KFC, includes boba refreshers, sparkling lemonades, iced coffees, and shakes designed to attract customers outside traditional meal occasions.

"People drink more and more often than they eat," Poirier said.

KFC has also spent years trying to improve how customers perceive the brand. According to Forrest Morgeson, associate professor of marketing at Michigan State University and director of research emeritus at the American Customer Satisfaction Index, KFC significantly narrowed its customer-satisfaction gap with Chick-fil-A between 2015 and 2024 before slipping in 2025 as competition intensified from newer chicken chains.

The strategy appears to align with broader industry trends. Nik Allen, Euromonitor's global insight manager for consumer foodservice, said younger consumers increasingly seek customization, novelty, and "allowable indulgences" from restaurant brands.

Poirier's goal isn't necessarily to win over Gen Z. It's to make sure KFC remains relevant long after Gen Z stops being the industry's favorite consumer cohort.

Poirier pointed to Pixar as a model: movies that work for children while still giving adults something to enjoy. KFC, he said, needs to do the same.

"If a 7-year-old kid goes to KFC with the 77-year-old grandparent, the grandparent should still find what he wants," Poirier said.