KFC

KFC founder Harland Sanders, known as “the Colonel,” was born on September 9, 1890, on a farm near Henryville, Indiana. After serving in the U.S. Army, he worked as a firefighter, streetcar operator, and insurance salesperson, among other jobs, before running service stations in Nicholasville and Corbin, Kentucky, where he began serving fried chicken to interstate travelers. In 1930, at age 40, Sanders bought a roadside motel in Corbin and served southern-style chicken there.⁠[1][1][1][1][1]

In 1939, Sanders perfected his secret blend of 11 herbs and spices and his pressure-cooker method of frying chicken; the recipe is still used today and remains secret. From 1950 on, he wore his trademark white suit whenever he was in public.⁠[2][1][1]

In 1952, Sanders signed up his first franchisee, and the first Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise opened near Salt Lake City, Utah; Sanders is regarded as one of the pioneers of the restaurant franchise concept. In 1956, he sold his Corbin restaurant and went on the road to sign up new franchisees, and in 1957 the original KFC bucket was introduced.⁠[2][1][2][1][1]

In 1964, as the franchise network grew across the United States, Sanders sold the company to investors. John Y. Brown Jr., who later became governor of Kentucky, was a co-owner of Kentucky Fried Chicken, Inc. who helped build KFC into an internationally known fast-food company before selling his interest in 1971.⁠[1][3][3]

In 1976, an independent survey named Sanders the second most recognizable celebrity in the world. Sanders died in 1980 at the age of 90; the company logo has changed over the years but has always kept his face.⁠[1][1][1]

When KFC was acquired by PepsiCo in 1986, its system had nearly 6,600 restaurants in 55 countries.⁠[4]

In 1987, KFC opened its first restaurant in mainland China, in Beijing, becoming the first major global restaurant brand to enter China.⁠[5][5]

In 1997, PepsiCo spun off its restaurant businesses as Tricon Global Restaurants (renamed Yum! Brands in 2002), and KFC became one of its brands. As of fiscal 1997, KFC had more than 5,100 units in the United States and more than 5,100 in 78 countries and territories outside the United States; about 36% of the U.S. units and 31% of the non-U.S. units were operated by the company or by joint ventures in which it participated.⁠[6][6][4]

In late December 2012, adverse publicity over a poultry supply situation caused KFC China’s same-store sales to turn sharply negative during the last two weeks of the month; Yum! Brands expected that restoring consumer confidence would take time.⁠[7][7]

On July 20, 2014, an undercover report televised in China showed improper food handling practices at supplier Shanghai Husi, a division of OSI; the Shanghai food and drug regulator then launched an investigation, alleging illegal activity by OSI. On learning of the events, Yum! Brands ended its relationship with OSI globally; although OSI was a minor supplier, KFC and Pizza HutPizza HutPizza Hut is a pizza restaurant chain founded in 1958 by brothers Dan Carney and Frank Carney in Wichita, Kansas, known for pizzas such as the Original Pan and Original Stuffed Crust; at the end of 2025 it had nearly 20,000 restaurants in 108 countries and territories. PepsiCo acquired it in 1977, and in 1997 it went with PepsiCo’s restaurant spin-off into the company that became Yum! Brands. In 2026 Yum! Brands sold it in two transactions for $2.7 billion in the aggregate: the Mainland China business to Yum China and the rest to the private equity firm LongRange Capital.Open the full entry sales and profits in China were significantly hit.⁠[8][8][8][8]

After Yum! Brands spun off its China business on October 31, 2016, Yum China became, under a master license agreement, the exclusive licensee of KFC and the other brands in mainland China. As of December 31, 2025, there were 12,997 KFC restaurants in more than 2,500 cities in China; in addition to Original Recipe chicken and other chicken products, KFC’s menu in China includes beef burgers, pork, seafood, rice dishes, and congee, and it sells coffee through KCOFFEE Cafes, which grew from about 50 in 2023 to about 2,200 in 2025, with a target of more than 5,000 by 2029.⁠[9][5][5][5]

From January 2022 to February 2025, Sabir Sami served as chief executive officer of the KFC Division, reporting directly to the Yum! Brands chief executive officer. Since March 2025, Scott Mezvinsky, previously president of Taco BellTaco BellTaco Bell is a Mexican-inspired quick-service restaurant brand within Yum! Brands, founded by Glen Bell in Downey, California, in 1962 and headquartered in Irvine. It serves tacos, burritos and other customizable food through franchised and company-owned restaurants. Sean Tresvant has served as division CEO since 2024.Open the full entry North America and International, has served as chief executive officer of the KFC Division.⁠[10][2]

As of December 31, 2025, the KFC Division had 33,897 units in 149 countries and territories, 90% of them outside the United States and 99% operated by franchisees; system sales (including company-owned and franchised restaurants) were $36.434 billion in 2025. That year, Yum! Brands moved the KFC U.S. corporate office into the KFC Global headquarters in Plano, Texas.⁠[2][2][2][2]

On June 15, 2026, KFC announced the global launch of its “next chapter”: a menu centered on boneless chicken, a global sauce pantry of more than 20 sauces with “Dipped” and “Dunked” lines, the move of the KWENCH by KFC beverage platform from pilot to permanent menu, and a refreshed brand identity and restaurant design, starting in the UK and Ireland before expanding to Australia and the United States. KFC Global chief executive officer Scott Mezvinsky said that in an increasingly crowded category KFC had a clear opportunity to set the standard for modern chicken in quick-service restaurants. At the time, a new KFC restaurant opened somewhere in the world every 3.5 hours on average.⁠[11][11][11][11][11][11][11]

On August 7, 2026, as it completed the sale of the Pizza Hut business in mainland China to Yum China, Yum! Brands amended its master license agreement to give Yum China the opportunity to earn incentives over the next 12 years based on achieving KFC system sales growth targets.⁠[12]

KFC restaurants offer fried and non-fried chicken products, including sandwiches, chicken strips, and chicken-on-the-bone, marketed under different names in different markets.⁠[2]

KFC: Official website: https://global.kfc.com/ (opens in a new window).⁠[13]

LinkedInLinkedInLinkedIn is a social networking platform for professionals. It was founded in 2002 by Reid Hoffman and others, launched in 2003, and listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2011; after Microsoft acquired it for approximately $26.2 billion in 2016, it became a wholly owned Microsoft subsidiary. Its revenue comes from membership subscriptions, advertising, and recruitment solutions.Open the full entry: Public profile: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kfc/ (opens in a new window)⁠[13]