KFC

Food

A loaded 'tendy' burrito brings the late-night crowd to Saucy by KFC

Behind the Menu: Yum Brands' chicken tender concept has added several new formats and flavors to expand eating occasions and push customization in new directions. The Kitchen Sink Grand'ito is the latest.

Financing

Yum Brands puts its faith in KFC's U.S. turnaround

The fast-food chicken chain’s domestic same-store sales rose 2% last quarter, a big step for the struggling concept. Parent company Yum Brands is intent on the market’s improvement.

Joe Park, president of Byte by Yum, is leaving the fast-food chain operator while Taco Bell CEO Sean Tresvant is getting a promotion as part of a reorganization under new chief executive Chris Turner.

The Bottom Line: The company plans to open more locations of its chicken tenders concept Saucy, even as KFC’s struggles worsen. But that strategy raises some real questions.

Both fast-food restaurant chains’ same-store sales fell 5%, while Habit Burger and Grill’s sales also declined. Taco Bell’s same-store sales rose 4%.

Celebrity couples come and go, but when it comes to food pairings, chicken and sauce are lifelong partners. Popeyes and KFC are the latest to put a new spin on the duo.

The fast-food chicken chain is kicking off what it calls a “Kentucky fried comeback” with the help of Matty Matheson and by bringing back Colonel Sanders. “The Colonel would not be happy about our market share.”

The longtime executive of the fast-food restaurant chain owner will retire in the first quarter of 2026. The company will start a search process for his successor.

Yum Brands, which also owns KFC, Pizza Hut and Habit Burger, said it is collaborating with the technology company to integrate AI into the chains’ restaurants.

The Bottom Line: Brands have been moving corporate headquarters for years for a variety of reasons. But taking a struggling chicken chain out of the market it’s associated with could backfire.

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