The controversial KFC outlet at Bulli may not be opening 24 hours a day.
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The issue of opening hours was raised after it was revealed a traffic report on the development did not study the effects on morning peak hour because the store would not be open then.
This conflicted with the development application lodged with Wollongong City Council, which referred to “operating 24 x 7”.
However a spokeswoman from Woolworths, whose in-house corporate property division Fabcot lodged the development application, said the around-the-clock operation wasn’t a certainty for the Bulli outlet.
“It is not uncommon for a retail outlet like KFC to operate within standard trading hours rather than those approved as part of the development consent,” the spokeswoman said.
"Fabcot understands from KFC that the Bulli outlet is not intended to operate 24 hours a day when it first opens for trade.”
... the Bulli outlet is not intended to operate 24 hours a day when it first opens for trade.
- Woolworths spokeswoman
The spokeswoman said that a store such as KFC needed to be able to change business operations “in response to changing customer demands”.
“Such changes may involve extended trading hours,” she said.
“Currently, KFC restaurants in general operate within standard trading hours and do not open prior to 10am, which is what is reflected in the traffic report.”
The possibility of a KFC franchise in the northern suburbs has sparked a lot of comments on the Mercury’s Facebook page – and most of it is in favour.
As Matty Huuskes put it, “it's going to be frickin awesome.”
Alasair Smith is also keen for the store get the green light from council.
“If you live in the northern suburbs you have to drive all the way to Fairy Meadow for the Colonel's goodness,” Mr Smith wrote.
For Gina Holland, it’s simply a matter of progress.
“We would never had thought we would have a Woolworths at Bulli and now we do,” she wrote.
“The KFC will only be 24/7 if the demand asks for it.”
But there some of those commenting are against Colonel Sanders setting up in Bulli.
“I think a KFC in Bulli is a terrible idea,” wrote Nikki Stuart, “and will be detrimental in many ways and Bulli is not just a suburb on a highway it is a pristine beachside town.”