By Tom Latek
Kentucky Today
First, Kentucky Fried Chicken took Kentucky out of their name to become known as KFC. Now they are taking KFC out of Kentucky, as parent company Yum! Brands announced it is relocating the company headquarters from Louisville to the KFC and Pizza Hut Global headquarters in Plano, Tex.
In addition, U.S.-based remote employees will be asked to relocate to the campus where their work happens. Yum! Brands and the KFC Foundation will maintain corporate offices in Louisville, while Taco Bell and Habit Burger & Grill will remain headquartered in Irvine, Calif.
“These changes position us for sustainable growth and will help us better serve our customers, employees, franchisees and shareholders,” said David Gibbs, Yum! Brands Chief Executive Officer. “Ultimately, bringing more of our people together on a consistent basis will maximize our unrivaled culture and talent as a competitive advantage. I’m confident this is another important step in growing our iconic restaurant brands globally.”
The relocation of approximately 100 KFC U.S. corporate roles will occur over the next six months, while the relocation of 90 remote positions will take place over the next 18 months. Throughout the process, employees will receive relocation and transition support.
In what could be described as a parting gift to Louisville, Yum! Brands will be providing a $1 million endowment to the College of Business at the University of Louisville to fund Yum!-sponsored scholarships for students throughout Kentucky and further support the Yum! Center for Global Franchise Excellence. Additionally, KFC will continue its brand presence in Louisville with the ambition of building a first-of-its-kind flagship restaurant.
Yum! Brands, Inc., and its subsidiaries franchise or operate a system of over 61,000 restaurants in more than 155 countries and territories under the company’s concepts – KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and Habit Burger & Grill.
Kentuckians may not be familiar with Habit Burger and Grill, which was founded in California 56 years ago, and has around 385 locations, primarily on the East and West coasts.