Saucy by KFC is the latest salvo in the local chicken wars

Saucy by KFC opens Tampa locations

If you haven't noticed, some of the local Kentucy Fried Chicken locations are changing to something called Saucy by KFC. 

TAMPA - If you haven't noticed, some of the local Kentucy Fried Chicken locations are changing to something called Saucy by KFC. 

The new restaurants are the latest shots fired in the chicken wars locally. Saucy takes the base of KFC chicken tenders and creates a menu around that protein with more than a dozen sauces to dip or smother the chicken within a basket, a rice bowl or in a taco or sandwich.

What they're saying:

"The menu starts with, what we would like to think is, the best chicken tendy you can get. Hot, fresh, every time," Saucy by KFC General Manager Andrew Grosshans said. "The food itself really encourages flavor exploration."

Grosshans described the menu as an adventure with a foundation based on the fried chicken. After that, it is up to the customer to consider all the sauce options that are available.

As for the sauces, Grosshans said, "We can take what are very familiar ideas, like a ranch, and find ways to really try and push the boundaries of how we can explore flavors. Smoky bacon ranch, for example, is one of those examples. The Chimichurri ranch is an example of how we’ve done that."

Sauces

There are also different ways to have the chicken prepared. Saucy offers bowls, wraps and even chicken tacos for whatever flavor the customer wants to pursue.

"Do you want to eat it with a fork in a bowl with rice and teriyaki rice bowl, which is just incredible? It has brussels sprouts in it," Grosshans said. "We also, if you don’t just want a chicken tendy and sauce, you can get that as a burrito, as a taco, in a bowl. And so it really allows you, all around that one meat block, to explore."

Saucy

They don't just offer main meal items; there's a version of fried doughnuts that are also available; and they are similarly sized for dipping.

We have a phenomenal dessert. We call them puffies," Grosshans said. "They’re little beignets, that same concept with the chicken tendies, you can dip them in any of our different sauces: a raspberry sauce, caramel sauce, chocolate sauce. (They) are just a phenomenal way to finish your meal."

READ: Guy Fieri inspired restaurant opens in Wesley Chapel: Chicken Guy

Why you should care:

The first battle in the chicken wars is for the hearts and minds of the customers, and Grosshans thinks that they have that covered with the new re-imagined restaurant spaces.

"You’ll notice the energy. It’s not a place that you want to quickly grab your food and run out of. You want to stay here. The music’s loud, the lights are bright, the team members are just incredibly high energy and hospitable," Grosshans said. "If you come at 8:30, the lights have been drawn down low, the music is up, and it’s not quite a club, but it feels like you’re getting ready to go to a club."

The target audience of the chain is a younger audience more interested in coming in and hanging out while enjoying some great food. 

"Tampa is one of the fastest-growing markets in the United States. It has a very large, young population of 25 to 44-year-olds that are digital-first, convenience-oriented, which exactly lines up with what we are trying to be," Grosshans said. "When you walk through the door, we’ve got team members that are happy to greet you. And it’s impossible, we would like to think, for you to leave here not feeling better about your day than when you came."

READ: New competition entering Tampa Bay's 'fried chicken wars'

What's next:

You can learn more about Saucy by KFC by visiting one of their locations here in Tampa. Two are open at 5706 West Waters Ave. and 8730 West Linebaugh Ave. More are planned for Fowler Avenue, Kennedy Boulevard and Dale Mabry Highway. 

You can find the one closest to you by visiting their website here.