KFC's Twister blows through KC lunchtime market

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- It's a fact of American life. While we're driving, we like to do a lot of other things -- including munching fast food.

Seizing on that idea, KFC is testing a new product in the Kansas City area called a Chicken Twister, designed to be eaten on the run.

It's not a new notion. "Wraps," as they're known in the fast-food industry, started popping up at independent restaurants last year on the West Coast. That's no surprise, given that folks in Los Angeles are legendary for the hours they spend driving each day. But Midwesterners love their autos, too, making this part of the country equally attractive for testing the concept. Kansas City is one of only two metropolitan areas in the nation where the Twister is being tested. Tom Peters, a KFC marketing manager, said the chicken chain's driving motivation behind the Twister is to get more lunch-time business. "It's a fact -- lunch is a time-sensitive part of the day," Peters said. "People don't have time to wait in line, sit down, eat and lallygag around." Presently, about 20 percent to 25 percent of KFC's sales come at lunchtime. The chain would like to pump up its midday business starting with the Chicken Twister. "We're known for our dinners," Peters said. "Now, we want more lunchtime eaters." Rather than go with something like a hamburger -- or a "meat block" sandwich, as it's called in the industry -- KFC pursued something more offbeat. It's about as far removed from the Colonel Sanders era as the Macarena is from the twist. The sandwich is built from chilled chunks of skinless chicken breast, bacon bits, iceberg lettuce, tomato morsels, shredded cheddar cheese and ranch dressing, all tightly rolled in a piece of pita bread. The sandwich is then wrapped in special wax-paper packaging that allows people to twist off the wrapper as they eat the sandwich.Thus the name -- Twister. Area police departments aren't crazy about the idea. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in Washington, 6.1 percent of all auto accidents in 1994 involving a fatality were attributed to inattention, including eating while driving. "I think we would discourage anyone from doing anything that takes their attention away from driving," said Sgt. Allen Kunz of the Overland Park, Kan., Police Department. However, as another officer put it, "I guess if they're going to be driving and eating -- and they are -- better that it be something designed for that." KFC has realized later than most that food and driving go hand in hand in this country. The evidence is everywhere -- from new-car design to the latest drive-through concepts thought up by fast-food behemoth McDonald's. Vehicle manufacturers, particularly the makers of family-friendly minivans, each year incorporate more features to help people eat while on the road. Dodge now has a minivan with adjustable cup holders to fit all sizes of drinks -- from big-gulp cups to those small metal juice cans. Some Dodge minivans even feature a back seat that flips over and becomes a table complete with two cup holders. "We fully realize people are on the go," said Rick Deneau, minivan public relations manager for Dodge. "We even have a guy here we call the doctor of cupology....All he does is study and design cup holders." McDonald's has decided to forgo in-store dining altogether at some locations. It now features drive-through-only units. Drive-in chain Sonic has a different take on the concept of in-car dining. "All of Sonic's products are designed to be eaten in the car," said Lynna Adams of Barkley & Evergreen, Sonic's advertising agency. For instance, while most fast-food drive-throughs are designed to funnel customers out of the parking lot as soon as they're handed their food, Sonics are designed for people to have some control over their eating experience. "You order when you want, there's no one honking at you, you can eat it there and feel safe, or you can take it with you," Adams said. "Plus, all of the packaging is designed for in-car eating...for instance, the hamburgers, which instead of being wrapped in paper, are wrapped in heavy foil." KFC hopes the Chicken Twister is successful enough in Kansas City to justify a national rollout. "We think it's a winner," Peters said. "But only the testing will tell."

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