The Kentucky Fried Chicken menu that many Bermudians know so well and love won't be the only thing to undergo improvement this week. In addition to the introduction of exciting new pizza and pasta meals, the very face of KFC's Queen Street restaurant will be altered to accommodate the new products.

Designed by Ms Elizabeth Caulfield of Marshall Bernardo Architects and Engineers, a new service and dining area has been built to the right of the current store and will eventually be joined to it to create a new two-storey facility that can accommodate up to 230 diners. KFC on Queen Street currently seats as many as 80. "The two sites won't look like separate places,'' KFC franchise president, Mr. Ian Paton says.

He explains that stage three of the three-stage project will consist of refurbishing the entire facade of the Queen Street site to create a single KFC superstructure.

But before that can happen, stages one and two of the KFC blueprint will have seen the creation of a new kitchen and service area and the connection of the current dining sections to the new teal, peach and yellow coloured ones.

Eventually, Mr. Paton says, the sit-down area will fuse into a cohesive whole.

He adds that the current upstairs dining room will ultimately be used for children's parties and other special functions.

Over in the new two-level kitchen area, meanwhile, a variety of special equipment has been installed to provide each of KFC's new and familiar products in a quick and efficient manner.

Out of customer view, for example, is a specially fitted dumbwaiter to transport KFC's new pizzas from the preparation area on the top level to the lower-level oven and service area.

A conveyer belt will carry the pizzas through the oven in a six-and-a-half-to-seven-minute cooking process.

Out front, moreover, six cash registers and a pick-up area will ensure that orders are pro cessed as promptly and orderly as possible.

Four delivery stations have been set up in the back of the restaurant to oversee that aspect of the new pizza initiative.

New kitchen, dining and service area completed Fitzsimmons, "it won't interfere with the service area.'' Stage one of the project will have been completed with the opening of the new addition this week, while stage two -- the renovation of the old KFC site and its linkage to the new -- begins next month. Stage three -- the refurbishment of the outer facade -- will be kicked off by the end of February, Mr. Paton says. Of course, both management and staff have undergone training to deal with the changes and handle the new equipment. In some cases, additional staff have also been hired. "We're cross-training everyone,'' says Mr. Paton. Naturally, new services and facilities will mean a change in the hours of KFC operations.

The restaurant will now be open from 11.00 a.m. to 11.00 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and 11.00 a.m. to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. Changes will also be made in January to the Burnaby Street location, which at the moment is slated to provide personal deep-pan pizzas only. PHOTO QUEEN STREET EXPANSION -- Designed by Ms Elizabeth Caulfield of Marshall Bernardo Architects & Engineers, a new service and dining area has been built beside the existing KFC. Eventually the two lots will be joined to create a new facility accommodating up to 230 people.

FAMILY DINING -- Pictured here is the upstairs section of the current restaurant, which has been joined to the new KFC building.