Saucy! by KFC concept coming to PDQ restaurant location in Naples

A new chicken tender restaurant concept will be introduced soon in Southwest Florida. Ironically, it’s replacing a location of another chicken tender concept. 

The PDQ restaurant at 5088 Airport-Pulling Road in Naples is one of 13 PDQ locations in Florida that will be converted to the new Saucy! by KFC, a fast-casual spinoff of Kentucky Fried Chicken. The last day for PDQ in Naples will be Nov. 18 with Saucy! targeted to open there in early 2026. 

KFC Corp., a subsidiary of Yum! Brands Inc., launched Saucy! last December with a real estate deal that saw the conversion of a PDQ restaurant in Orlando. The move aimed to usher in “a new era of finger lickin’ good,” according to its website. KFC acquired the leases of six PDQ locations on the west coast of Florida, four in Central Florida and three in North Florida. 

“Employees at locations affected by the transaction have been notified by PDQ management. They will be offered the opportunity to apply for a role at the new restaurants as the transition occurs over the coming months,” according to Yum! Brands. 

Online ads recently posted on Indeed and Glassdoor, show job opportunities in Naples for a Saucy! experience director and experience manager, the titles for the restaurant’s general manager and assistant manager, respectively. “Join the movement that’s shaking up the industry,” the ads tempt. “At Saucy! by KFC, we’re rewriting the rules of chicken with a bold new concept under the Yum! Brands family.” 

Yum! Brands include KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and Habit Burger & Grill. Saucy! will enter the regional market competition with similar quick-service newcomers, such as Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers and Huey Magoo’s Chicken Tenders. Raising Cane’s plans a south Fort Myers location, while Huey Magoo’s opened this year in Cape Coral and is building another location in East Naples. 

“Saucy is unlike anything else in the market, and the experience it provides is in a class of its own,” said KFC Chief New Concept Officer Christophe Poirier in a news release. “Being sauce-focused allows us to be as creative as we want.” 

The menu for Saucy! focuses on boneless chicken "tendies," but the secret is in its sauces, as the restaurant’s name implies. Its dozen sauce options include Chimichurri Ranch, Creole Honey Mustard, Korean Sweet Heat, Spicy Mango Chutney and Thai Sweet 'N Spicy. Other chicken tender menu items include bowls and salads, as well as burritos, sandwiches and tacos — promoted as grand’itos, sammies and chick’itos. 

Florida-based PDQ has operated since August 2020 in the Carillon Place outparcel near the southeastern corner of Airport-Pulling and Pine Ridge roads that previously was the site of Boston Market for nearly 20 years. PDQ still operates two Lee County locations in south Fort Myers and at Gulf Coast Town Center. 

KFC Corp. plans extensive interior and exterior renovations — including bright, hot, bold colors — to PDQ’s freestanding building in Naples. Plans filed in August with Collier County government show that all interior walls that are not load-bearing will be removed within the 3,279-square-foot space and new equipment and sinks will be installed.