The KFC outlet in the making at Sakchi in Jamshedpur on Wednesday. Picture by Bhola Prasad

This news is finger-lickin’ good for Jamshedpur.

Fast food chain Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) is all set to open its first outlet in the steel city, which will be the third in Jharkhand after those in Ranchi and Dhanbad.

The quick-service joint is preparing to debut on the sprawling ground floor of a multi-storeyed commercial building in Sakchi’s SNP area.

“The 3,700sqft outlet will open shortly. We cannot give an exact date, but things will become operational in the next four months,” said Prodosh Banerjee, a senior official of Devyani International, the franchisee looking after expansion of the American food chain in eastern India.

Speaking to The Telegraph over phone from Calcutta, Banerjee said in view of the good response in the capital and the coal town, they had decided to make Jharkhand’s fried chicken chunkier with a third outlet.

On the menu are the most-sought-after fried chicken and family feast, besides crispy chicken, chicken rizo, hot wings, zinger wings and twister wings. Prices will be finalised once the inauguration date of the outlet is decided.

The yum brand had opened in Ranchi in November 2011, followed by its debut in Dhanbad in June last year.

Banerjee asserted that the Jamshedpur outlet was a part of KFC’s expansion plans in Jharkhand. “We have a good presence in eastern India. We decided Jamshedpur to be our third destination as it has great potential from the business point of view. We believe the new outlet will be a huge hit with youngsters in the city,” he added.

The official of the private franchisee said that they were also looking for a suitable location to set up India’s trusted restaurant brand Pizza Hut. “The outlet will require an area of 3,200sqft. We are looking at a suitable location on Bistupur Main Road,” he added.

This will be the second Pizza Hut outlet in Jharkhand. Last year, the chain had debut at Spring City Mall in Ranchi.

Residents of the steel city, especially GenY, are understandably waiting in eager anticipation. “A KFC outlet in Jamshedpur is like a dream come true. I gorge on fried chicken whenever I am in Calcutta. Now, I can do it here,” Amitava Chatterjee, a student of Genius Institute of Information Technology, summed up the mood of his peers.

“Whenever they show KFC ads on television, my mouth waters and I feel left out. That sad feeling will be gone soon,” chuckled Gargi Das, a second-year student of Jamshedpur Women’s College.

Vijaya Parashar, a Plus Two student of Rajendra Vidyalaya, named chicken rizo and chicken wings as favourites. “If I visit Ranchi, these are must. I will certainly be a regular at the KFC outlet in Sakchi,” she said.