TL;DR
Fried chicken is heading up the Dolomites. From 5 December KFC will run two restaurants on the slopes - one at 2,123 metres at Cortina, one at 1,700 metres at Madonna di Campiglio - and the polenta-and-canederli crowd has opinions. Local politicians, conservation groups and plenty of Facebook commenters are calling it a step too far, while others just want a cheaper lunch. Here’s what’s on the menu and what’s the fuss.
KFC is putting two restaurants on Italian ski slopes, and the Dolomites have thoughts.
From 5 December 2026 the American fried chicken chain will open one outlet at Cortina d’Ampezzo and another at Madonna di Campiglio, both in partnership with SUPER G, the Italian company behind a growing group of mountain clubs and après-ski venues. Italian media are describing them as the first fast-food restaurants located directly on the country’s ski slopes.
Where they are and what’s on offer
At Cortina, KFC will sit inside the Faloria Mountain Club in the Faloria-Cristallo area, at 2,123 metres (6,965 feet). At Madonna di Campiglio, it will be at Piana di Nambino, at 1,700 metres (5,577 feet), where SUPER G already runs an après-ski operation. SUPER G also has mountain clubs at Courmayeur and Cervinia, and bills itself as the first chain of its kind in the Italian Alps.
KFC will run both restaurants directly. The reported menu covers Tender Crispy chicken, spicy wings, sandwiches, sides and the full bucket. Opening hours are reported as noon to 5pm Monday to Thursday and noon to 7:30pm Friday to Sunday, with both venues scheduled to trade through to the end of the season.
What KFC and SUPER G say
KFC Italia’s chief marketing officer, Marzia Farè, has been quoted in Italian food media saying the project fits how the brand sees its evolution. She described the aim as turning up in places nobody would expect to find KFC, and pointed to Gen Z as one of its most loyal audiences. SUPER G founder Andrea Baccuini framed it as hospitality needing to reflect the range of people who visit the mountains, with a globally familiar brand now joining the offer at his company’s clubs.
Why it has gone down badly
Hospitality in the Dolomites is a big part of why people go, and a long hut lunch is as much a part of the day as the skiing itself. Plenty of locals feel a fried chicken franchise doesn’t belong in that picture. Comments on Italian news posts ran heavily negative, with readers calling it the “Americanisation of the Dolomites” and saying they’d rather have polenta and sausage, or at least the smell of canederli (bread dumplings) drifting across the terrace.
The pushback has reached the political and conservation side too. Reports say environmental and mountaineering groups lined up against the plan within a day of the announcement. Italia Nostra Trento’s president, Manuela Baldracchi, raised landscape and noise concerns about the Madonna di Campiglio site, and the issue has been taken up in the Trentino provincial council. At Cortina, mayor Gianluca Lorenzi has expressed doubts about the project, and a former mayor said turning the Faloria hut into a motorway service station tramples the identity of the place.
The other side of the argument
Not everyone is horrified. Some commenters welcomed a cheaper option, arguing that prices at existing mountain venues put a sit-down meal out of reach for many visitors. That is a fair point, and it’s the argument most likely to decide whether the restaurants work. Price, queue length and whether the chicken arrives hot at 2,123 metres will matter more than anyone’s views on Alpine heritage.
About SUPER G
SUPER G is an Italian operator of mountain clubs and après-ski venues with locations at Cortina, Madonna di Campiglio, Courmayeur and Cervinia.
About the author
Michael Fulton
Melbourne-based skier and snowboarder with 50+ resorts across 5 continents. Specialises in Australian resorts and international resort comparisons.
