Fast-food giant KFC leaves Kentucky home for Texas

KFC's headquarters is being moved from its ancestral home in Kentucky to Texas as part of a wider shakeup at its parent company

KFC, the fast-food restaurant chain formerly known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, is moving its corporate headquarters in the US from Kentucky to Texas, its owner has announced.

Yum Brands said it will shift the office from Louisville to Plano though KFC will keep some operations in Kentucky, including its KFC Foundation.

However, Andy Beshear, governor of the state of Kentucky, said: "I am disappointed by this decision and believe the company's founder would be, too.

In recent years, many companies have relocated to Texas attracted by the state's lower taxes and business-friendly policies.

The decision by Yum Brands is part of a plan to have two headquarters for its main brands. KFC and Pizza Hut will be in Plano while Taco Bell and Habit Burger & Grill will remain in Irvine, California.

Yum Brands' chief executive David Gibbs, said: "These changes position us for sustainable growth and will help us better serve our customers, employees, franchisees and shareholders."

But Beshear said: "This company's name starts with Kentucky, and it has marketed our state's heritage and culture in the sale of its product."

KFC's history in the state dates back to the 1930s, when its founder Colonel Harland Sanders began selling fried chicken at a service station in Corbin.

Today, Sanders' face is emblazoned on the shop fronts of more than 24,000 KFC restaurants in over 145 countries and territories around the world.

Since the pandemic, many US companies have moved their headquarters.

According to a report by real estate services firm CBRE, Austin and other Texan cities have been particularly successful due to the state's business-friendly environment.