Operations of KFC by country
[1] KFC is incorporated under Delaware General Corporation Law,[2] and has its headquarters at 1441 Gardiner Lane, Louisville, Kentucky, in a three-story colonial style building known colloquially as the "White House" due to its resemblance to the US president's home.
[10] Units include express concessions and kiosks which feature a limited menu and operate in non-traditional locations such as filling stations, convenience stores, stadia, theme parks and colleges, where a full scale outlet would not be practical.
[16][17] The company is slowly expanding across the African continent, opening 70 outlets, but progress has been hampered by sourcing issues, such as a lack of quality suppliers.
[26][27] KFC operates 46 outlets across twelve cities — 33 in Dhaka, 3 in Chittagong, and one each in Cox's Bazar, Narayanganj, Bogra, Khulna, Gazipur, Sylhet,[28] Mymensingh, Barisal, Rajshahi and Comilla.
[37][38] In December 2012, the chain faced allegations that some of its suppliers injected antiviral drugs and growth hormones into poultry in ways that violated food safety regulations.
[41] In July 2014, Chinese authorities closed down the Shanghai operations of the OSI Group amidst allegations that it had supplied KFC with expired meat.
The other investors are CX Partners, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and a fourth fund, said a top executive at the local arm of the American food company.
[50] Bangalore housed the headquarters of the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha, one of the most influential, vocal and anti-foreign investment farmers' associations in the country.
[51] The outlet was closed on September 13, 1995, by local authorities, who claimed the company used illegally high amounts of monosodium glutamate (MSG) in its food.
[54] Rural activist M. D. Nanjundaswamy claimed KFC would adversely affect the health of the impoverished by diverting grain from poor people to make the more profitable animal feed.
[55] A second outlet opened in Delhi but was closed by the authorities throughout November, purportedly for health reasons, but more likely to avoid a repetition of the Bangalore incident.
It introduced a vegetarian menu that included rice meals, wraps and side dishes and, like McDonald's, served eggless mayonnaise and sauces.
[59] In 2014, KFC launched the "So Veg, So Good" menu as part of an India-specific promotional strategy focused on enhancing their vegetarian range.
[64] The chain has grown to hold an estimated 32 percent market share and menu items include spaghetti, wraps and chicken porridge.
Being one of its largest overseas markets, the Malaysian KFC traces its origin from January 1, 1973, from its first outlet in Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman, Kuala Lumpur.
By 2018, the restaurant has established a strong presence in the country, estimated to serve almost an equal proportion with the total population of Malaysia, with 25 million customers every month by its 14,000 employees.
[78][79] Furthermore, being a predominantly Muslim country, all meats are slaughtered in accord to the Halal-method under the supervision of the Shariah Advisory Council and the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia.
[80] The KFC business design in Malaysia is generally offering a mid-range dining option to cater the predominantly middle-class Malaysian population.
The premise is typically large in area and able to accommodate the dining culture commonly practiced among the Malaysian society, a contrast to the primarily take-out model seen in the American market.
The chain has been witnessed rapid expansion since the opening of its 250th Malaysian outlet on May 8, 1998, located in the Petronas Twin Towers, the 500th branch in Subang launched on January 15, 2011, and the 700th restaurant in Seremban on September 18, 2018.
[83][75] Additionally, QSR Brands is also in change on handling over 500 Pizza Hut outlets in Malaysia and Singapore;[84] similar to some international developments, many of these restaurants are being traditionally combined with a KFC premise.
KFC operates in the region certified halal outlets, including the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
[102] England had the first overseas branch of KFC which opened in Preston, Lancashire in May 1965 and was the first American fast food restaurant chain in the country, pre-dating the arrival of McDonald's, Burger King and Pizza Hut by almost a decade.
[121] KFC is planning on opening three more restaurants in Finland, two in Espoo (in the Sello and Iso Omena shopping centres) and one in central Turku.
[123] In 1957, Colonel Harland Sanders gave an interview to CBC Radio[124][a] detailing his experience with Canadian food that led to the opening of one of his restaurants in Canada.
[125] The matter was ultimately resolved in 1990 when KFC, then under the ownership of PepsiCo, refused to extend the franchise and Jarvis and Rae instead sold their remaining dual-branded restaurants to them.
In Quebec, KFC is known as "PFK" (derived from Poulet Frit Kentucky), due to provisions of the provincial government's Charter of the French Language that restrict use of English on signs and in business names.
[130] The basic model for KFC in the United States, not necessarily duplicated elsewhere, is a focus on low prices, a limited menu (29 items on average) and an emphasis on takeout.
[139] In 2010 KFC announced a turnaround plan that included improving restaurant operations, introducing value items and providing healthier menu options.
[142] KFC was described in 2012 by Bloomberg Businessweek as a "muscular player" in developing regions, specifically Africa, China, and India while noting its falling market share in the US to rivals such as Chick-fil-A and Popeyes.
