What Company Owns KFC?

Have you ever wondered who actually owns Kentucky Fried Chicken? You might think the company owns itself, or that Harland Sanders, the man behind its famed mascot Colonel Sanders, is the owner — but neither is true. Many popular fast-food eateries and sit-down restaurant chains are owned by larger conglomerates. KFC is no different. Louisville, Kentucky-based Yum! is the parent company that oversees the popular chicken brand. 

Yum! hasn't always owned KFC, the international fast-food restaurant where you can indulge in comforting foods like fried chicken and mashed potatoes. The aforementioned Harland Sanders once owned the company, but the untold truth of KFC reveals quite a colorful history of ownership. In 1997, Yum! acquired the rights to KFC through PepsiCo, which was the owner of the eatery beforehand (more about that later). Since those executive changes, Yum! has been the owner of what might be your favorite fried chicken chain, although it wasn't technically called Yum! when the company separated from PepsiCo.

The company that diverged from PepsiCo back in 1997 was actually called Tricon Global Restaurants. Then, in May 2002, Tricon rebranded and became Yum! Brands, Inc., the name it still goes by today. As of August 2025, Yum! owns over 4,000 KFC restaurants throughout the United States and its territories. And that doesn't count all of the KFC locations around the globe. Plus, KFC isn't the only popular chain restaurant that Yum! owns. 

Pizza Hut and Taco Bell have also been owned and operated by the company since 1997. Additionally, Yum! owns Habit Burger and Grill, perhaps the lesser-known of the four chains. Yum! almost exclusively consists of franchised restaurants, so you can open your own franchise of KFC to get in on the ownership action. If you'd prefer to simply enjoy some food from the chain, check out our ranking of popular KFC menu items before your visit. You might be surprised by the item that took the number one spot.