KFC

About KFC

American fast food restaurant chain headquartered in Kentucky that specialises in fried chicken, KFC is the world's second-largest restaurant chain (measured by sales) after McDonald’s with more than 24,000 locations in over 150 countries. The chain is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, which also owns the Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and WingStreet chains.

Founded in 1930 by Colonel Harland Sanders, the company opened its first franchise, in Utah, in 1952. Sanders sold his company in 1964, and it expanded internationally to the UK in the 1960s before going through a series of changes in corporate ownership in the 1970s and 1980s. It was finally acquired in 1986 by PepsiCo, which in 1997 hived off its restaurants division as Tricon Global Restaurants, which in 2002 changed its name to Yum! Brands.

In February 2022, KFC opened its 1,000th UK site and revealed plans to open 300 more over the next five years. In November 2023, KFC franchisee Gastronomy Restaurants opened the brand’s first box concept “little drive-thru” in the UK, at the Beacon Business Park in Weston Road, Stafford.

That same month, KFC agreed a deal to acquire 218 restaurants from EG Group, its largest franchisee in the UK and Ireland, for an undisclosed sum. KFC said the transaction represents a “significant opportunity to accelerate KFC's growth strategy in the large and growing UK and Ireland chicken market, with high average unit volumes and robust margins”. Once completed, all of EG's KFC UK and Ireland business - more than half of which is made up of drive-thrus - and 7,800 team members will come under KFC UK and Ireland management.

Chris Turner, Yum! Brands chief financial officer, said: “This is an exciting opportunity for us to purchase restaurants with average unit volumes above $2m and healthy store level cash margins in a market where we have an exceptional local management team that runs our existing KFC UK equity store base.”

KFC launched its first lunchtime meal deal offer in March 2024, while the following month saw the deal with EG Group complete. In September 2024, KFC UK managing director Meg Farren said after years of trying to stabilise and recover the foundations of the business, it is really “thinking about step change growth”. The company hopes to add 500 new stores by the end of 2030 and Farren said it saw opportunities across all its formats.

She said: “We’ve grown a lot in the small box format over the last three to five years,” she said. “We think there’s a big opportunity in some of the more captive-type markets, like transport hubs, and then there’s geographic regions where we’re simply under penetrated - for example, Ireland. The big focus now is making sure we’ve got the right format and proposition in that format for the consumer occasion.”

In December 2024, KFC launched a new concept in the US called ‘Saucy’, where guests can “play with flavour” and “order sauces individually or in a flight of four with their choice of tenders”. In May 2025, KFC said it plans to invest £1.49bn towards growing its 1,000-strong estate and upgrading many of its existing restaurants over the next five years, and is looking to secure 50-plus new stores in the UK this year as part of this investment.

KFC said it will spend £466m on expanding the number of restaurants it operates in the UK and Ireland by a further 500 over the next decade - focusing on building sites and drive-thrus in key locations such as Ireland and the north west - and invest in upgrading more than 200 existing restaurants, which make up 20% of its estate.

In October 2025, KFC said it will see out 2025 by opening 13 new stores in as many weeks. Julian Reilly, KFC’s franchise and expansion leader, said: “The Colonel’s Christmas countdown is on - 13 new KFCs in 13 weeks - big finish to 2025 incoming.”

KFC launched its first UK Kwench bar in November 2025, at a new site in Liverpool, and two months later, said it would be launching the concept nationwide in a £38m investment. In February 2025, Rob Swain, KFC UK & Ireland general manager, said 2025 had been “a fantastic year for KFC in the UK & Ireland” with “strong sales growth in challenging conditions” and “sustained growth in transactions”.

In June 2026, KFC said it is to test a new concept called Open House, which will feature table service, a drive-thru, new menu items alongside signature offerings and a new restaurant design. The company plans to open the test location this summer in McKinney, Texas, and said Open House will initially be company-owned, but a KFC franchisee has already agreed to develop one as well.

That same month, KFC unveiled its "next chapter" of innovation, including new menu offerings, a refreshed brand identity and modernised restaurants. The updated positioning will begin in the UK and Ireland before expanding across Australia and the US. KFC chief executive Scott Mezvinsky said: “In an increasingly crowded category, we have a clear opportunity to set the standard for modern chicken in quick service restaurants.”

At the same time, Rob Swain, KFC UK & Ireland general manager, said: “We’re seeing incredible momentum across KFC in the UK and Ireland right now. That’s why this week marks an important moment for KFC UK and Ireland as we begin rolling out a fresh new look. Already taking shape in our restaurants, our refreshed visual identity is bolder, more contemporary and designed to help us stay culturally relevant, while remaining rooted in the quality, heritage and flavour that have made KFC one of the world’s most iconic brands.”

Why franchise with KFC

• ✓KFC says it is not looking for franchises in the UK right now but would like to hear anyone who thinks they “have the right stuff as a business or individual”. A list of live target locations in the UK and Ireland can be found at https://www.kfc.co.uk/developments/target-locations, with other location suggestions also welcomed.
• ✓Potential franchisees must have £5m of assets and £2m liquid capital, as well as previous hospitality and operating knowledge. An allocation process will determine if the site is operated by KFC (GB) or a franchise partner. No parent company guarantees are given as “franchise partners are well proven and established organisations and don't need our financial support”.
• ✓Approximately 95% of UK KFCs are franchised and 5% operated by KFC GB. KFC we can run the planning application process if it's a freehold site, or assist on a leasehold basis, and is flexible on design, although it has ideal asset designs. Drive-thru sites are preferable, but other facility types will be considered in exceptional circumstances.
• ✓Finders’ fees of up to £20,000 can be paid for introducing a site, and KFC will take either freehold, long leasehold or leasehold sites. Training, support and financial assistance are all available. Both royalty and advertising fees are 5% of gross revenue.