 "Yum Brand's KFC restaurant in Mountain View, Calif. File image/ AP")
Kentucky Fried Chicken is leaving its ancestral home state in a shake-up announced Tuesday by its parent firm, which will move the chain’s U.S. corporate base to Texas.
The food brand now known as KFC, founded by Colonel Harland Sanders and his secret blend of 11 herbs and spices, will be headquartered in Plano, Texas, with around 100 KFC corporate workers relocating within the next six months, according to Yum Brands, which owns KFC, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut.
Political leaders in Kentucky reacted quickly to KFC’s decision to relocate its corporate office from Louisville.
“I am disappointed by this decision and believe the company’s founder would be, too,” Gov. Andy Beshear said in a statement. “This company’s name starts with Kentucky, and it has marketed our state’s heritage and culture in the sale of its product.”
Beshear, a Democrat, stated that he hopes Yum reconsiders transferring KFC employees out of Kentucky.
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg was similarly disappointed by the corporate reshuffling of staff to Texas, stating that the brand “was born here and is synonymous with Kentucky.”
Yum said the relocation is part of its larger strategy to establish two brand headquarters in the United States, in Plano and Irvine, California. KFC and Pizza Hut will be headquartered in Plano, while Taco Bell and Habit Burger & Grill will stay in Irvine, the firm announced. Yum also stated that 90 U.S.-based workers who have worked remotely will be requested to eventually relocate to the campus where their work takes place.
Yum and the KFC Foundation will maintain corporate offices in Louisville, the company said. The governor and mayor said they were grateful those jobs are being retained in Kentucky’s largest city.
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More Shorts“I’ve asked to meet with the Yum CEO soon and am heartened Yum will retain its corporate headquarters and 560 employees here,” Greenberg said in his statement. “I will work tirelessly with Yum’s leadership to continue growing its presence in Louisville.”
Employees being shifted will receive relocation and transition support, the company said.
Yum said that designating two brand headquarters is meant to foster greater collaboration among its brands and employees.
“These changes position us for sustainable growth and will help us better serve our customers, employees, franchisees and shareholders,” Yum CEO David Gibbs said in a news release.
Yum also announced it would provide a $1 million endowment to the University of Louisville’s College of Business to fund Yum-sponsored scholarships. And the company said KFC will continue its brand presence in Louisville with the goal of building a first-of-its-kind flagship restaurant.
KFC’s ties to Kentucky run nearly a century deep. In 1930, at a service station in Corbin, Kentucky, Sanders began feeding travelers and spent the next nine years perfecting his blend of herbs and spices, as well as the basic cooking technique, KFC’s website says.
And the goateed entrepreneur’s likeness is known globally, having been stamped on KFC restaurant signs and chicken buckets. There are now over 24,000 KFC outlets in more than 145 countries and territories around the world, the brand’s website says.