Zest charges up the food and drink experience

Zest, the UK’s fastest-growing investor-operator of public EV charging infrastructure, is expanding its presence across the UK’s food and drink sector, with 12 new ultra-rapid EV charging spaces opening at KFC, Costa Coffee and Burger King locations in Winsford, Nottingham and Banbury.

The latest sites form part of Zest’s growing network of charging facilities at everyday food and drink destinations, giving drivers the opportunity to charge while stopping for a meal, coffee or other refreshments.

Robin Heap, CEO at Zest, said: “Food and drink destinations are a natural fit for EV charging. Drivers already spend time at restaurants, coffee shops and drive-thrus, so putting reliable, high-powered charging in those locations makes it easier to incorporate charging into everyday journeys.

“Our growing presence in this sector shows the opportunity to bring charging to the places people already visit, while giving food and drink operators and developers another way to enhance the experience they offer customers.”

The three new locations include two KFC sites in Winsford and Nottingham, delivered through Zest’s partnership with franchise operator Gastronomy Foods. Each location features four 150kW charging spaces.

At KFC Winsford, the chargers are located at the new restaurant on Road One at Winsford Industrial Estate, while the Nuthall Road site provides ultra-rapid charging for local drivers and people travelling through Nottingham.

In Banbury, Zest has installed four 160kW charging spaces at a new Costa Coffee and Burger King drive-thru development on Southam Road, delivered in partnership with site developer Stephen James Property.

The latest additions build on Zest’s growing presence across the food, drink and retail sectors, with charging sites at brands including Starbucks and Five Guys, retailers such as Tesco, Aldi, Home Bargains and Co-op, and shopping centres including Metrocentre in Newcastle, Frenchgate in Doncaster and Merry Hill in Dudley. This approach reflects Zest’s focus on putting public charging at destinations where people already spend time, allowing drivers to charge as part of their everyday journeys.