Sign outside of Yum Brands Inc. KFC Restaurant in Shelbyville, Kentucky on January 29, 2021.
Luke Charlett | Bloomberg | Getty Images
KFC leaves Kentucky.
The US headquarters of the fried chicken chain will move from Louisville, Kentucky to Plano, Texas, Owner Yam Brand I said on Tuesday.
Approximately 100 KFC US employees will need to move over the next six months.
The relocation is part of Yum’s broader plan to have two headquarters. One is in Plano and the other in Irvine, California. The global teams of KFC and Pizza Hut are already based in Plano, while the teams of Taco Bell and The Habit Burger & Grill are in Irvine.
Additionally, around 90 workers in Yum, remote U.S. workers will also be asked to move to campus, where their work is located.
However, Yam is not completely abandoning Kentucky. The company and the KFC Foundation will remain headquartered in Louisville. Additionally, KFC plans to build a new flagship restaurant in its former homeland.
Since the Covid-19 pandemic, many employers have rethinked their headquarters locations. This has spurred the move often due to the decline in changes to tax and office space needs due to hybrid or remote workforces. According to a 2023 report from CBRE, Texas has been the most popular relocation option with its business-friendly policy.
Yam’s rival in 2020 Papa Johns Head office has been moved from Louisville to Atlanta. He then cancelled plans to sell the old headquarters and chose to instead keep the building for the corporate workers who stayed in Louisville.
