KFC Is Leaving Kentucky — Here's Where the Restaurant Chain Is Moving

KFC, formerly known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, is leaving its birthplace of Kentucky and finding a new home in Texas. 

The chicken chain’s parent company, Yum! Brands, announced on Tuesday, Feb. 18, that it will be moving its headquarters to Plano, a suburb of Dallas, to join the brand’s sister company Pizza Hut Global. 

The relocation plans are part of Yum! Brands’ larger execution to centralize their U.S. headquarters for their restaurant portfolio, which includes Taco Bell and Habit Burger & Grill alongside the aforementioned, to two locations: Irvine, California and Plano. 

Yum! Brands CEO David Gibbs said in a news release, “These changes position us for sustainable growth and will help us better serve our customers, employees, franchisees, and shareholders.”

The announcement immediately garnered responses from Kentucky political leaders. “I am disappointed by this decision and believe the company’s founder [Colonel Harland Sanders] would be, too,” Governor Andy Beshear said in a statement to the Associated Press. “This company’s name starts with Kentucky, and it has marketed our state’s heritage and culture in the sale of its product.” 

The mayor of Lousiville, Kentucky Craig Greenberg also expressed disapproval of the move, affirming that KFC “was born here and is synonymous with Kentucky.” 

Yum! Brands notes that about 100 Louisville-based corporate employees and another 90 remote-based workers are expected to relocate to the Texas campus within the next 18 months and will receive support for their relocation. 

While the chain’s main headquarters is shifting to a Texas address, KFC is not leaving Kentucky completely. Corporate offices will remain in Louisville in addition to the brand building a “first-of-its-kind flagship restaurant.” 

“I’ve asked to meet with the Yum! CEO soon and am heartened Yum! will retain its corporate headquarters and 560 employees here,” said Gibbs. “I will work tirelessly with Yum’s leadership to continue growing its presence in Louisville.”

KFC currently heads nearly 30,000 restaurant locations across 145 countries, a far cry from its humble origins in 1930 as a service station stop in Corbin, Kentucky.