Why KFC Is Relocating To Texas And How It's Teaming Up With Pizza Hut
Known for its buckets of chicken seasoned with a proprietary spice blend, as well as its famously delicious coleslaw, KFC has been a part of Kentucky since the 1930s when The Colonel, Harland Sanders, opened the doors to his first restaurant in Corbin, Kentucky. Since then, the brand has spread around the globe, but its headquarters have remained in Kentucky -- until now.
On February 18, 2025, Yum! Brands announced in a press release that it will be shifting its headquarters to Plano, Texas where it also houses its sister brand Pizza Hut. The company, which also owns Habit Burger & Grill and Taco Bell (both headquartered in Irvine, California), hopes that bringing together the pizza chain and the fast food chicken giant will spark collaboration between the two. "Ultimately, bringing more of our people together on a consistent basis will maximize our unrivaled culture and talent as a competitive advantage," said David Gibbs, Yum! Brands Chief Executive Officer. "I'm confident this is another important step in growing our iconic restaurant brands globally."
At the same time, the company is having any remote-work employees relocate and start going into the office where they officially work. This will impact nearly 200 employees between the next six and 18 months.
Read more: Ranking Fast Food Burgers From Worst To Best, According To Reddit
When Yum! Brands was looking to boost sales at Pizza Hut as it was struggling to survive against competitors, the leadership team looked to its strategies with KFC in order to propel the brand back to success. Consumers had identified with the rich history of KFC, and Yum! Brands employed that same sort of play on nostalgia with Pizza Hut, bringing back customer favorites. Ultimately, the company also expanded on them as well, with options like a Detroit-style pizza, and plant-based options. It also more recently rolled out a hit to keep up with the "swicy" trend with its Hot Honey Pepperoni Pizza and brought together two of America's favorites with a Cheeseburger Melt.
Additionally, in 2020 the two brands married their concepts with a fried chicken and pizza mashup. The KFC Popcorn Chicken Pizza brought together a gravy-slathered pizza with toppings of mozzarella, sweet corn, and popcorn chicken, which could be brought straight to your home using Pizza Hut Delivery. And, to further solidify the collaboration, the two brands also joined forces in a mobile game called Pizza Hut x KFC Popcorn Chicken, which encouraged teamwork to build and bake said pizza for a chance to win coupons to either of the chains.
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