KFC’s Inflatable Restaurant is NOW OPEN in Portland, Oregon

Some fast food novelty ideas are fun and interesting, like KFC/Taco-Bell combo restaurants or playplaces for restaurants.

This newest idea, however, is a bit puzzling.

KFC announced on Facebook that they would be opening up the world’s first INFLATABLE KFC. This is not a joke, as the zany concept will be opening up tomorrow in Portland’s Pioneer Square at 5 pm.

It looks like this is meant to be a holiday promotion for the fast food chain, with the holiday-themed decor of the restaurant and Pioneer Square being a central gathering point for Portland during the season with it’s “Holiday in the Mall” series. Portland is also the street food capital of the United States, and KFC’s fried chicken and on-the-go fast food definitely plays into that scene.

While inflatable restaurants aren’t entirely new, they’re not commonplace either, and KFC could be going for the punchline on the literal “pop up” restaurant with this promotion.

The inflatable idea is fun, goofy, and works for a more portable restaurant. However, there are some puzzling challenges that make us wonder if this will work.

For starters, will the inflatable restaurant be able to tolerate all of the hot oil needed to fry the chicken? That just sounds like a recipe for disaster — and what may be a fire hazard.

Additionally, everything could go wrong if one person is able to poke a hole in the restaurant — because the building would literally deflate. There’s gotta be some serious security to keep that from happening, or a protective layer to keep the restaurant from any further calamity.

It’s interesting to see how KFC will meet those challenges, and regardless of what happens, we’re in store for a very bizarre restaurant opening tomorrow.