We know KFC has a bunch of changes in the works to turn the page into its “next chapter.” The company recently outlined many of those changes, including more menu innovation, modernized restaurants, and refreshed branding.
During Bank of America’s recent NYSE European Investor Conference, KFC CEO Scott Mezvinsky said that now is a critical time for such modernization efforts.
“The category is going towards chicken; it's the fastest growing protein all over the world, every continent, and out of QSR. That gets me excited as someone that is leading a chicken-centric brand,” he told BofA Analyst Sara Senatore last week. “We’re the kings of chicken, and so our priority is to set the standard for the modern chicken QSR. How do we make sure that we're as modern and relevant as we need to be to meet the consumer where the consumer is going?”
The consumer is going toward boneless formats and flavors, and so KFC is focused on providing bigger, crispier tenders and more sauces.
“You’ll also see us going into beverages in a bigger way,” Mezvinsky said.
Indeed, there are a lot of updates planned for a 74-year-old brand with a legacy defined by bone-in chicken. Much of this work will be facilitated by leveraging its giant global system of nearly 34,000 restaurants in nearly 150 countries and territories, as well as pulling learnings from its wildly successful Yum Brands sibling chain Taco Bell.
One of Mezvinsky’s first priorities since coming into the role in early 2025 was to ensure such global ideation and cross-brand collaboration. The KFC U.S. system relocated from Louisville, Kentucky, to Plano, Texas, for example, to share a space with the global team, and opened an “innovation pantry,” or flavor exchange program. It’s worth noting that Mezvinsky served as president of Taco Bell North America and International before being named CEO of KFC Global. He’s also served in various roles throughout the world for both brands.
In other words, there is no one better suited to facilitate such collaboration, which is well underway. For instance, the brand recently spotlighted a pickle promotion that began in Canada and performed well enough to make the leap to the United Kingdom, where it performed even better. The UK was also the first market to launch the Kwench beverage platform, which is now rolling out to other systems.
Mezvinsky added that the UK is setting the pace for how the brand can modernize. It is the most competitive chicken market outside of the United States, and KFC has about 1,000 locations there.
“I don't think there's any other of our competitors that are anywhere close to that. So, we have the brand strength, the brand love, and the distribution, having been there 60 years, to really take advantage of the opportunities and the trends in chicken,” he said.
This is why the UK is a launching pad for some of the brand’s new features, like Kwench, seven new sauces, and a new sandwich that’s “fully sauced.” Boneless products make up about 70% of the chain’s UK market’s sales mix, which is also a compass for KFC’s current journey.
“We go where the consumer is going. What we won’t do is fight the consumer,” Mezvinsky said.
KFC UK experienced 7% same-store sales growth in its most recent quarter. Of course, it’s not the only market providing insights for the broader system. He calls Australia a “lighthouse” market for technology, for example.
KFC is also leaning on its younger sibling Taco Bell for more direction as well, and for good reason. Taco Bell has significantly outpaced the QSR segment for at least the past five years and has written the playbook on menu innovation and loyalty. Loyalty in particular is an area Mezvinsky is focused on, adding that KFC is “way behind.”
“(Taco Bell) is relevant to culture. They're very innovative from a product perspective. A lot of the things they do well are things that we're trying to do as well with KFC, especially outside the U.S.,” Mezvinsky said. “How do we connect culturally? How do we lean into innovation, provide more excitement and flavor for our consumers? Because that's a winning formula.”
Mezvinsky said Taco Bell is not only best-in-class in product innovation, but also value. And so KFC’s $6, $8, and $10 Feast Boxes launched earlier this year were pulled directly from Taco Bell’s $5, $7, $9 Luxe Boxes.
“The $5 Box has historically been very strong for them. When everyone else went towards the $5 price point, they came out with a Luxe Box at $7, which was a way to say, ‘just for a couple dollars more, you get what you really want and not have to compromise to get it cost engineered,” Mezvinsky said. “They've really hit value well and consistently.”
He said KFC is also taking inspiration from Taco Bell on the digital side of the business, which is important as the chicken chain looks to grow its loyalty program. When he joined KFC last year, over half of the chain’s top 20 markets didn’t have a loyalty program. This year, all 20 will have one.
“That’s a great thing about being part of Yum (Brands). We can learn from each other, we can be inspired from each other, we can connect and talk about these things collectively,” he said. “So, it’s how do we take advantage of two powerhouse brands — one that is really strong in the U.S., one really strong outside the U.S. — and grow and learn from each other?”
Contact Alicia Kelso at Alicia.Kelso@informa.com
Follow her on TikTok: @aliciakelso
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