The double drive-thru will be built along the Kinsale Road, should plans be approved

18:34, 10 Feb 2026Updated 20:02, 10 Feb 2026

A KFC drive-thru (stock image)(Image: Getty)

Two well-known fast-food and coffee brands are teaming up to open a new double drive-thru on a busy Cork city commuter road. KFC and Costa Coffee have lodged a planning application with Cork City Council seeking to open two new locations along the Kinsale Road.

If the application is approved, the new restaurant and takeaway spots will be built in the Turner’s Cross Retail Park – almost directly across from the existing McDonald’s at the Tramore Road junction. KFC and Costa will each occupy a separate unit on the site, and both units will have a dedicated drive-thru service.

The development will see 72 car parking spaces removed from the car park to accommodate the new buildings. Each unit will feature indoor and outdoor seating, digital menus, a wraparound drive-thru lane, and a number of accessible and EV parking spaces. The applicants, Motor Services Limited, are also seeking permission for new footpaths, landscaping and other necessary site works.

The new location is part of a major investment announced by KFC last year, in which management committed to opening 500 new locations across the UK and Ireland, creating an estimated 7,000 jobs. The fast-food chain currently operates 35 locations across Ireland – including two in Little Island and Douglas – and is investing a total of €1.7 billion into the initiative.

A Costa Coffee drive-thru in the UK(Image: Getty Images)

Dozens of jobs are expected to be created across the two locations should planning be granted, and Cork City Council is due to make a decision by March 31. The plans were lodged on February 4, and no objections or submissions have been made by local residents to date.

This planning application follows the opening of another drive-thru in Cork in recent weeks, with the expansion of Boxd Coffee in East Cork. The popular Cork-owned coffee chain opened a new location in Midleton in early January, much to the delight of locals.

The chain operates several small drive-thru cafés across Cork, with their stores along the N22 Straight Road, the Bandon Road and the link road in Ballincollig consistently busy. The distinctive bright-yellow cafés are open seven days a week from 7 am to 7 pm and are particularly popular with morning and evening commuters looking for a quick pick-me-up.

Sign up here for our Daily Newsletter to get breaking stories directly to your email inbox.

For the latest in breaking news, always think of CorkBeo.ie with the biggest stories first. You can read Cork’s latest news stories here.

Find us on social media—follow us on X and Bluesky and like us on Facebook. CorkBeo is also on Instagram. Want to get in touch? You can contact us by sending a message on our Facebook page, leave a comment below, or email us at news@corkbeo.ie.