KFC to open two restaurants on Italian ski slopes in the Dolomites, drawing fierce criticism

Where and when the outlets open

KFC will open two restaurants on Italian ski slopes on 5 December, timed to the start of the winter season. The first sits at 1,700 metres in the Piana di Nambino area of Madonna di Campiglio, next to the Meraviglioso Campiglio venue. The second is planned at 2,123 metres in the Monte Faloria-Cristallo area of Cortina d'Ampezzo, inside the Faloria Mountain Club. Both will run until the end of the ski season, from 12:00 to 17:00 Monday to Thursday and from 12:00 to 19:30 at weekends. Il Sole 24 ORE describes them as the first two quick service restaurants in Italy located directly on ski slopes, and the project is run with Super G as partner.

Madonna di Campiglio1,700

Cortina d'Ampezzo2,123

Madonna di Campiglio

1700 m

Cortina d'Ampezzo

2123 m

Data from the article text

Backlash from a Faloria shareholder

Alberico Zardini, majority shareholder of Faloria SpA, which manages the infrastructure on Mount Faloria, has written to the company's board and management. Il Messaggero reports that he sent the letter from Dubai, where he is working, and that he will take legal action against the board and the director unless Faloria steps back. He also pointed to a luxury lodge planned on an upper floor of the Faloria Mountain Club and asked whether fried chicken would be sold beneath it. He said he was 100% against the plan and would not simply stand by.

“It's absurd and shameful to imagine a fast-food joint in the most beautiful spot in Cortina.”

Voices from the mountains and food world

Former ski champion Kristian Ghedina, a Cortina native, accepted the chain's wish to reach younger customers but said visitors ask for pastin and local cheese, not fried chicken. He argued that the mountain "deserves respect" and that a fast-food outlet at 2,000 metres is not the answer for protecting the area. Eataly founder Oscar Farinetti, speaking to Radio Veneto 24, took a sharper line on the product itself.

“I cannot say they are not good; they simply offer a product that has nothing to do with our history and our culture.”

Farinetti also said Italian bureaucracy makes running a small inn feel like missionary work, while large American multinationals manage costs well. Fanpage reports that municipal administrations have responded very critically, along with environmental groups, who fear the mountain setting will be altered at its core.

Refuge funding and the wider debate

Carlo Alberto Zanella, president of Cai Alto Adige, said he had nothing against fried chicken but pointed to large numbers of Chinese, Korean and Japanese tourists in the Dolomites. He said the area was now waiting for a sushi-style pseudo refuge to open. Zanella argued the debate should extend beyond Madonna di Campiglio and Cortina to facilities with indoor pools, saunas, starred restaurants and in-room jacuzzis that charge 300 to 400 euros a night. Such places should be treated as resorts, restaurants or luxury hotels, he said, and should not receive the public contributions meant for refuges.

“A refuge should act like a refuge, otherwise it should act like a restaurant.”

Marketing aims and open questions

KFC Italia's chief marketing officer, Marzia Farè, said the outlets are meant to reach a broader market beyond the chain's Gen Z base, including young families and mountain lovers. She told brandnews.it that the project reflects the brand's wish to keep surprising people while staying true to what makes it distinctive. The outlets are scheduled to open on 5 December. Zardini's threatened lawsuit has not been filed according to the reporting, and none of the sources report a response from the Faloria board.