5 of the World’s Most Unusual KFC Locations

From KFC restaurants that have highlighted Chinese poets to massive store signs that have achieved landmark status, iterations of KFC franchise stores have taken on unique forms throughout the world. While locations continue to serve up many of the original items found on the 1952 KFC menu, a variety of settings and sights help keep customers intrigued as they pick through boneless offerings and spoon into sides.

Whether you’re exploring Egypt or find yourself on a road trip across the United States, you may want a familiar taste to keep you fueled during your adventures. We’ve rounded up a list of five KFC locations that offer some points of interest to consider while you sink your teeth into crispy chicken and refresh yourself with a cold beverage. You probably haven’t viewed KFC as an easy ticket to incredible views or a pathway to learn about somber stories from history, but you might want to reconsider after stepping foot inside one of these restaurants.

Head to the South of the United States to find a KFC that is an actual landmark. The location in Marietta, Georgia, boasts a 56-foot-tall chicken with moving parts. The steel beak and eyes of the structure move, beckoning passersby to enter the KFC restaurant below. The massive five-story signboard was commissioned and built in 1963 to advertise what was then known as Johnny Reb’s Chick-Chuck-‘N’-Shake. The large chicken became an easy local reference when giving directions, and pilots flying into Georgia even use it as a landmark.

After ownership changed hands and the restaurant became one of the first that was licensed to sell Colonel Sanders’ Kentucky Fried Chicken, some argued for removing the large chicken sign to better match the company’s branding. The indisputable popularity of the Marietta branch convinced Sanders to keep the chicken erect, however, and Sanders instead set about registering The Big Chicken as a landmark. 

The steel chicken remained standing until a storm damaged the sign in 1993, and though some suggested the structure be taken down, KFC was inundated with local correspondence demanding otherwise. KFC sunk money into reconstruction, and shrapnel pieces from the original signboard were sold as collectors’ items. A subsequent $2-million gussying up of the chicken occurred in 2017 to refresh both the sign and the store. In addition to typical KFC fare, visitors to this location can also browse a gift shop and museum after chowing down on buckets of the chain’s signature crispy chicken to purchase trinkets to take home.

Though you may not equate KFC with must-visit views, this KFC in Giza, Egypt, offers exactly that. Tourists have been known to flock to the Giza KFC specifically for the view accessible from the rooftop balcony. A terrace with tables and chairs offers prime real estate to sit down, relax, and munch on your food while gazing across the expanse surrounding the Sphinx and Great Pyramids of Giza. Instead of having to negotiate prices with taxi drivers or find a camel to ride, pulling up a chair while contentedly enjoying your order of crispy chicken might be a revolutionary travel hack for the area. 

Visiting one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World while digging into comforting KFC sides like coleslaw, fries, or potato wedges might be our next bucket list item, no pun intended. Keep in mind that the menu may be slightly different than what you’re used to seeing at home, but you can count on Zinger sandwiches, fried chicken, and sauces to fill your belly after a long day of sightseeing. 

If Egyptian pyramids don’t command your attention, a large Soviet mural surely will. More than 2 million members of Belarus’ population died in World War II, which was over 25% of the population at that time. Minsk, the capital and largest city, was battered, and many of the older architectural and cultural buildings were destroyed. Rebuilding the city fell into determined hands, and with Joseph Stalin’s orders, the Soviet Union fashioned reconstruction efforts in a modernist style. The city was named “Hero City” in 1974 and was one of only a dozen throughout the U.S.S.R. to be labeled with the honor. 

On the street named Pieramožcaŭ Avenue, which was once known as Victors’ Avenue, a huge piece of art called Solidarity rises above the street. At present, the massive piece towers above a KFC. KFC franchises began popping up throughout the nation in 2015, but the sculpture was initially carved in the 1960s. The contrast is stark, as the Soviet mural is a clear representative of a socialist time, and the Western brand beneath it an obvious symbol of capitalism. You would be pressed to find a more Soviet fast food location. Aside from the commanding sculpture, the KFC is a typical one, with the same branding and colors you’d see at any other location. 

In 2012, what became known as the world’s largest KFC opened its doors. This gargantuan version of the fried chicken chain was set in Azerbaijan’s Sabunchu Railway Station, a structure originally constructed in 1926 and modernized in the late 2010s. Though it might sound like an architectural abomination to some, the move to bring KFC to Baku was viewed by many as a strategic act of conservation. The opening affair included an orchestrated light show and music in a public spectacle that displayed the restaurant to the world.

Baku was part of the first electrified railway system established in the Soviet Union. Moorish-style pieces surrounded the restaurant, and there was space for 300 diners to sit and enjoy meals. Typical of Moorish Revival architecture, elegant ceilings that look like something out of a cathedral tower overhead, and detailed patterns provided plenty of visual stimulation to appreciate while customers worked their way through buckets of crispy chicken. Though the massive KFC has since been closed and a smaller location has been opened nearby, the Baku building still stands for visitors to marvel at its architecture. 

In Kyiv, Ukraine, there’s a double drive-thru that can accommodate as many as 200 vehicles whizzing through each hour. Appropriately situated at the National Railway Station, this KFC is the kind that is there to serve not only travelers rushing to their next destination, but those who might want to lounge on the massive patio or dine inside for a break in between appointments as well. Over 250 customers can sit inside, while up to 400 visitors can find a chair on the outdoor patio. 

The National Railway Station, known as Kyiv-Pasazhyrsky Railway Station, sees visitors traveling throughout Ukraine and to other countries such as Russia, Poland, Moldova, and Romania. This KFC is located across from the South Station entrance, so travelers can grab a meal before continuing onward. While you can expect to order the usual crispy chicken pieces seasoned with the brand’s secret blend of 11 herbs and spices, the KFC Ukraine website does note that locations are closed during raid alerts.