KFC opens on Dolomites slopes, minister calls it anti-Italian

KFC is opening two seasonal outlets on the ski slopes of Cortina d'Ampezzo and Madonna di Campiglio this winter, and Italy's agriculture minister has called the move "anti-Italian." Francesco Lollobrigida said he has nothing against innovation, but argued that mountain settings and what tourists seek there sit at odds with fast-food culture.

"Nulla è più lontano dalla serenità delle vette che abbuffarsi velocemente di un prodotto standardizzato e omologante," he said: nothing is further from the calm of the peaks than quickly gorging on a standardized, homogenizing product. He called on local institutions to adopt protective rules for mountain restaurants, and said competition there should focus on quality that stays affordable, without lowering standards. He stopped short of proposing a ban.

Mountain restaurants in the Dolomites have faced years of criticism over high prices for simple dishes, a point Lollobrigida referenced when he said competition should lower nothing but cost. Standardised fast food, cheaper than most on-slope canteens, could undercut that complaint even as it fuels a different one.

Nothing is further from the calm of the peaks than standardized fast food.

Fried chicken at 2,000 metres

The outlets will sit directly on the slopes, serving fried chicken at altitudes of roughly 2,000 metres in two of the Dolomites' best-known resorts. Neither KFC nor the resorts had responded publicly to the minister's comments at the time of writing.

Cortina d'Ampezzo and Madonna di Campiglio anchor two of the Dolomites' most visited ski areas, both built up ahead of the venues used for the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics nearby. The resorts already mix high-altitude fine dining with cafeteria-style self-service, the segment KFC is entering, not far from the Tre Bicchieri-rated wineries of neighbouring Veneto.

A pattern beyond one minister's objection

Fast-food chains have expanded into European ski resorts before, usually with little lasting controversy once the novelty fades, as Domino's own steady expansion shows elsewhere. What makes this case different is the direct political reaction: a sitting minister naming the brand and calling its presence a threat to regional identity, not just a business decision.

Italy's mountain restaurant sector already competes with quick-service formats on price, and Lollobrigida's remarks frame that competition as cultural rather than purely commercial. Whether local councils follow his call for protective rules, or whether skiers simply decide with their wallets, will say more about the outcome than any ministerial statement.