KFC announced it’s leaving Kentucky

Kentucky Fried Chicken is being uprooted from its ancestral home state in a shake-up announced Tuesday by its parent company that will relocate the chain’s U.S. corporate office to Texas.

The food chain now known as KFC—launched by Colonel Harland Sanders and his secret blend of 11 herbs and spices—will be based in Plano, Texas, and about 100 KFC corporate employees will be relocated in the next six months, said Yum Brands, which owns KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut.

The relocation of KFC’s corporate office from Louisville brought a quick response from political leaders in Kentucky.

“I am disappointed by this decision and believe the company’s founder would be, too,” Gov. Andy Beshear said in a statement. “This company’s name starts with Kentucky, and it has marketed our state’s heritage and culture in the sale of its product.”

Beshear, a Democrat, said he hopes Yum rethinks moving KFC employees out of Kentucky. Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg also expressed disappointment with the corporate reshuffling of workers to Texas, noting that the brand “was born here and is synonymous with Kentucky.”

Yum said the move is part of its broader plans to designate two brand headquarters in the U.S.—in Plano and Irvine, California. KFC and Pizza Hut will be headquartered in Plano, while Taco Bell and Habit Burger & Grill will remain based in Irvine, the company said. Yum added that 90 U.S.-based employees who have worked remotely will be asked to eventually relocate to the campus where their work occurs.

Yum and the KFC Foundation will maintain corporate offices in Louisville, the company said. The governor and mayor said they were grateful those jobs are being retained in Kentucky’s largest city.

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

Employees being shifted will receive relocation and transition support, the company said.

Yum said that designating two brand headquarters is meant to foster greater collaboration among its brands and employees.

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

Yum also announced it would provide a $1 million endowment to the University of Louisville’s College of Business to fund Yum-sponsored scholarships. And the company said KFC will continue its brand presence in Louisville with the goal of building a first-of-its-kind flagship restaurant.

KFC’s ties to Kentucky run nearly a century deep. In 1930, at a service station in Corbin, Kentucky, Sanders began feeding travelers and spent the next nine years perfecting his blend of herbs and spices, as well as the basic cooking technique, KFC’s website says.

And the goateed entrepreneur’s likeness is known globally, having been stamped on KFC restaurant signs and chicken buckets. There are now over 24,000 KFC outlets in more than 145 countries and territories around the world, the brand’s website says.

—Bruce Schreiner, Associated Press

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