Which company owns the KFC fried-chicken restaurant chain?

Yum! Brands owns the KFC fried-chicken restaurant chain.

KFC became part of Yum! Brands when PepsiCo separated its restaurant businesses into a new company in 1997. The new corporation also included Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, creating one of the world’s largest fast-food portfolios.

KFC itself began with Harland Sanders’s roadside restaurant business in Kentucky and expanded through franchising. Its ownership history can cause confusion because the chain was previously controlled by PepsiCo, while Yum! Brands is now the parent company responsible for the wider corporate group.

Yum! Brands does not operate every KFC location directly. Many restaurants are run by franchisees or licensees under agreements with the company. This structure explains why menus, prices, and restaurant appearance can differ between countries even though the KFC brand and core fried-chicken identity remain recognizable.