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Joan Bowling, president of the family-owned-and-operated Dunn & Bowling franchisee, said her company wanted to open the store before Christmas, and beat that deadline by four days.
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“The first day was Dec. 21,”Bowling said. “Since it was a rush to open, we will do the big grand opening Jan. 19.
The new KFC is a prototype/next-generation design that seats 52 and employs 35 to 40, Bowling has said.
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A KFC restaurant that had operated on Wilmington Pike at Whipp Road until it shut down in early 2016 was owned by a different franchise owner.
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“We think that’s a great area,” Bowling told this news outlet last year, when she confirmed the new location. “I’m astonished at the growth of businesses and homes. We live in Bellbrook, and we’ve seen that area has just exploded.”
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The chicken-restaurant market has become intensely competitive in the Dayton area, which has added more than a dozen new restaurants from national chains, regional start-ups and local, independent operators in the last five years. Bowling is confident her franchise KFC restaurants will succeed despite the surge in competition.
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“Our sales have been up substantially,” Bowling said. “We have great people working for us, including managers that have been with us for 20 years. It’s all about treating customers right and serving a great product.”
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