Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) is set to relocate its US corporate office from Louisville, Kentucky, to Plano, Texas, under a significant restructuring by its parent company, Yum Brands, which also manages Taco Bell and Pizza Hut. About 100 KFC corporate staff will transition over the next six months. This announcement prompted immediate criticism from Kentucky’s political leaders, including Governor Andy Beshear, who expressed disappointment and highlighted the brand’s deep-rooted ties to Kentucky. Beshear hopes Yum might reconsider this decision, emphasising that KFC’s name reflects its Kentucky heritage.
Louisville’s mayor, Craig Greenberg, echoed these sentiments, lamenting that the brand, iconic to Kentucky, will no longer have its headquarters there. Despite the relocation, Yum Brands confirmed that a corporate office with 560 employees will remain in Louisville, which the mayor finds encouraging.
Yum’s strategic shift aims to create two main brand headquarters in the US to enhance collaboration among its entities, with KFC and Pizza Hut in Plano, while Taco Bell maintains its base in Irvine, California. Yum also pledged a US$1 million endowment to the University of Louisville’s College of Business for scholarships and plans to establish a flagship KFC restaurant in Louisville, preserving the brand’s legacy nearly a century after its founding.