?Niren Chaudhary quits Yum Brands and joins Krispy Kreme

Yum! Brands has announced the expansion of Voice AI technology across Taco Bell drive-thru locations in the U.S., targeting hundreds of stores by the end of 2024. 

The Company aspires to implement Voice AI technology in drive-thrus at its brands globally in the future.

“Yum! Brands is integrating digital and technology into all aspects of our business with exciting new capabilities, and AI is a core piece of that strategy,” said Lawrence Kim, Chief Innovation Officer, Yum! Brands by adding that they are expanding and accelerating their AI capabilities like Voice AI to deliver leading-edge technologies to their franchisees and to enhance the consumer and team member experience. 

“With over two years of fine tuning and testing the drive-thru Voice AI technology, we’re confident in its effectiveness in optimizing operations and enhancing customer satisfaction,” he added.

The rollout of Voice AI technology in Taco Bell, currently in more than 100 Taco Bell U.S. drive-thrus across 13 states, is designed to enhance back-of-house operations for team members and elevate the order experience for consumers. Benefits include easing task load for team members, improving order accuracy, providing a consistent, friendly experience, and reducing wait times, while driving profitable growth for Taco Bell, Yum! Brands and their franchisees. 

Yum! Brands and Taco Bell have collaborated closely, including incorporating input from Taco Bell franchisees, so that Voice AI benefits both team members and consumers. 

This technology takes advantage of Taco Bell’s strong drive-thru customer experience ecosystem, which is powered by digital menu boards, Yum! Brands’ propriety Poseidon POS system and the next generation of the Taco Bell Rewards loyalty program which the brand is excited to integrate later this year. 

The Voice AI technology uses a holistic approach that leverages feedback, data, and insights to enhance consumer relationships with an emphasis on intuitive, user-friendly technology to create a seamless ordering experience.

“Innovation is ingrained in our DNA at Taco Bell, and we view Voice AI as a means to improve the team member and consumer experiences,” said Dane Mathews, Chief Digital & Technology Officer, Taco Bell. 

In addition to the expansion of Voice AI across Taco Bell U.S. drive-thrus, five KFC restaurants in Australia are simultaneously testing Voice AI technology in drive-thrus, which is also being positively received by consumers and restaurant team members. 

Owners and operators of Taco Bell, KFC and Pizza Hut, Yum Restaurants India is planning to exit quick service restaurant giant Devyani International by selling a 4.4 per cent interest in a block sale on Wednesday, shared reports.

According to the reports, with this, Yum Restaurants expects to raise around Rs 815 crore from the deal.

The floor price for the sale has been set at Rs 153.5 per share, which represents an almost 8 per cent reduction to the current pricing.

Devyani International’s shares closed 0.6 per cent higher at Rs 166.20 on the National Stock Exchange.

As of 31 December, Yum Restaurants owned more than 5 crore shares in Devyani International. Yum Restaurants acquired 4.41 per cent of Devyani International in September 2021.

Devyani International’s stock has risen by more than 7 per cent during the last year.

Devyani International, which manages the KFC and Pizza Hut restaurant franchises in India, announced disappointing results for the December quarter, with consolidated earnings falling 87 per cent to Rs 9.6 crore. The company’s sales increased by barely 7 per cent YoY to Rs 843 crore.

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Yum! Brands Inc has appointed Brett Biggs, former Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Walmart Inc., and Susan Doniz, Chief Information Officer and Senior Vice President of Information Technology & Data Analytics of The Boeing Company, to its Board of Directors, effective August 10, 2023.

“Brett and Susan bring deep leadership experience and proven track records driving performance and innovation for well-known customer-oriented and technology-centric companies, making them outstanding additions to the Yum! Brands Board,” said Brian Cornell, Chairman of the Yum! Brands Board of Directors and Chairman and CEO of Target Corporation. 

“Brett’s impressive background leading global finance, corporate strategy and mergers and acquisitions at one of the world’s most iconic and customer-focused retailers positions him perfectly to contribute to the Yum! Board and help shape our future growth and performance,” said David Gibbs, Chief Executive Officer, Yum! Brands. 

Yum! will also benefit from Brett’s experience in global operations and digital transformation as we continue to prioritize initiatives that strengthen operational execution, accelerate digital sales and provide great experiences for their customers and restaurant team members.

Gibbs continued, “Susan has strong expertise in adopting new, cutting-edge technologies and leveraging agile digital solutions and data analytics capabilities to drive business growth and support customer needs. Her wealth of knowledge will be invaluable as we pursue our bold goal of powering 100 percent of our sales by digital and investing in technologies that enable easy experiences for customers, easy operations in restaurants and easy insights to accelerate profitable growth for Yum! and our franchisees.”
 

Yum! Brands, Inc. has announced the latest step in the Company’s strategy to enhance the digital experiences of customers by selecting Treasure Data™ as its Customer Data Platform provider to help drive customer acquisition, growth and retention.

Many Quick Service Restaurants (QSRs) have unknown diners in their customer base, and being able to personalize marketing to them is important in order to increase brand loyalty and frequency. Treasure Data’s advanced AI and machine learning capabilities can provide rich, actionable insights that deliver engaging, personalized content to customers.

The Treasure Data Customer Data Cloud is designed to unify all first-, second- and third-party data, creating a single view of a customer across multiple brands. The data unification and enrichment are designed to help discover unknown audiences and will assist in achieving a centralized view of customer data across the Yum! Brands concepts.

“This is the latest advancement in our strategy to drive toward enhanced digital experiences and deliver exceptional value to our customers, as the company remains focused on our vision to have 100% of sales powered by digital,” said Cameron Davies, Chief Data Officer, Yum! Brands by adding that treasure data’s state-of-the-art CDP solution brings unparalleled capabilities to unify, manage and activate customer data across our four brands and third-party platforms, empowering our ability to gain deep insights into customer behavior and preferences.

Powered by its global scale, Yum! Brands is investing in technologies that enable easy experiences for customers, easy operations for restaurant teams and easy insights to drive outsized growth. The company’s strategy is to build in-house, acquire or partner on technologies that provide a strategic advantage. While Yum! is focused on owning the majority of its tech solutions, it does partner with select third-party tech providers like Treasure Data.

“Yum! has built some of the most loved and trusted brands in the world, and they know the importance of understanding customer needs,” added Kazuki Ohta, CEO and co-founder, Treasure Data.

Yum! Brands, Inc. has announced the promotion of Sean Tresvant to Taco Bell Division Chief Executive Officer, reporting to Yum! Brands Chief Executive Officer David Gibbs, effective January 1, 2024.

Tresvant, who currently serves as Global Chief Brand and Strategy Officer of Taco Bell, will succeed Mark King, who has announced his decision to retire at the end of 2023.

As CEO, Tresvant will assume global responsibility for driving Taco Bell’s growth strategies, franchise operations and overall performance.

“Sean is a visionary business leader and best-in-class brand builder who is driving transformative R.E.D. (relevant, easy, distinctive) sales-powering efforts, from omni-channel initiatives to digital customer touchpoints, to accelerate growth and further elevate and differentiate the Taco Bell fan and team member experience,” said Gibbs.

Tresvant joined Taco Bell in January 2022 as Global Chief Brand Officer. He was promoted to an expanded role as Global Chief Brand and Strategy Officer earlier this year, focused on developing perspective and ambition for long-term global growth.

As Global Chief Brand and Strategy Officer of Taco Bell, Tresvant has overseen the brand’s Strategy, Food Innovation, Architecture and Design and Global Communications functions as well as the Taco Bell International business. During his time with Taco Bell, Tresvant has set a powerful strategic framework that has created iconic moments within culture and driven massive awareness and buzz for the brand, including several high-profile celebrity partnerships and the return of the fan favorite Mexican Pizza. Prior to joining Taco Bell, Tresvant spent more than 15 years in leadership roles at Nike including Chief Marketing Officer of the Jordan Brand.

“The love our fans and team members have for Taco Bell is extraordinary and means we’re in a unique position to push the limits on culture and become a brand that inspires and enables the world to Live Más,” said Tresvant.

In line with their new “Your Mood, Your Pizza” campaign, Pizza Hut has once again wowed consumers by installing a one-of-its-kind AI-powered mood detector device that studies facial cues and expressions of customers and gives them recommendations for pizzas that best match their moods.

Pizza Hut becomes the first-ever QSR brand to use the power of AI to understand the mood of its consumers to help them choose what they crave for.

This device is installed in select restaurants across Delhi, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Chennai.

“At Pizza Hut, we believe that dining is more than just eating - it's about the entire experience. With our new AI-powered mood detector, we're taking that experience to the next level by offering personalized pizza recommendations based on our customers' moods. We're thrilled to bring this innovative technology to our customers and offer a new and exciting way for them to interact with our brand,” shared Aanandita Datta, CMO, Pizza Hut India.

The mood detector uses innovative technology that offers a unique and personalized ordering experience. All you need to do is stand in front of the device, look into the screen and leave it on the detector to calibrate your mood and flash its pizza recommendation before you.  The device uses a statistical model that detects facial expressions by analyzing landmarks on the face such as eye movements, smiles, frowns, etc. captured by the camera. The model compares these patterns against a database of hundreds of thousands of publicly available images.

Customers' privacy is protected because the AI only stores face patterns as numbers and does not save any images in any format.

The AI-enabled device gives pizza recommendations in both veg and non-veg variants from Pizza Hut’s new range of 10 exciting and unique flavours like Mazedar Makhni Paneer, Dhabe Da Keema, Cheezy Mushroom Magic, Mexican Fiesta, Awesome American Cheesy, and Nawabi Murg Makhni, among others. 

Quick service restaurant operator Devyani International Ltd on Thursday reported a 7.63 per cent rise in consolidated net profit to Rs 71.03 crore for the third quarter ended December 2022.

Devyani International, the biggest franchisee of Yum Brands in India that operates brands such as Pizza Hut and KFC, had a net profit of Rs 65.99 crore in the same period the previous year.

Devyani International Ltd (DIL) reported a 26.61% increase in their revenue from operations during the third quarter of the current fiscal year, reaching Rs 790.59 crore compared to the previous year's figure of Rs 624.42 crore, according to a regulatory filing.

According to DIL's earnings statement, the rise in revenue was due to a sustained strong increase in the number of store additions and growth in volume, which helped to drive the performance.

The total expenses of DIL during the latest quarter saw a year-on-year increase of 29.02%, reaching Rs 725.10 crore.

According to the company, they maintained their momentum in adding new stores by opening 81 net new stores in the third quarter of the fiscal year 2023, bringing their total number of stores to 1,177 as of December 31st, 2022.

As of December 2022, the company was operating 103 stores of Costa Coffee.

In addition to its operations in India, DIL also manages 36 KFC stores in Nigeria and a combined total of 21 KFC and Pizza Hut stores in Nepal.

“Innovation continues to play a crucial role in their growth strategy for all the brands within their portfolio” said, Ravi Jaipuria, Chairman of DIL.

He also stated that the company remains optimistic about their brands and the Indian market, despite a temporary slowdown in consumer demand. He believes that once inflation stabilizes, consumer spending will pick up, which will positively impact their businesses.

In the meantime, Jaipuria stated that the company will stay focused on improving their processes, ensuring product quality, and refining their execution abilities.

The shares of DIL ended the day at Rs 159.25 per share on BSE, which was a 0.25% increase from the previous close.

Operator of KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and Hobbit Burger globally, Yum! Brands has recorded a strong Q3 result driven by high performance at KFC and Taco Bell.

The brand also missed Wall Street’s earnings estimates and has beaten quarterly revenue expectations.

Same store sales rose at its KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell chains. Yum executives said that consumers generally haven’t been changing their behavior, and that more premium menu items in the U.S. are proving popular.

Yum! Brands overall system sales grew at 7 per cent whereas that of KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell grew at 8, 9 and 4 per cent respectively.

Same store sales at KFC and Taco Bell that performed better this quarter rise at 7 and 6 per cent respectively.

Total system sales of Yum! Brands stood at $14,543 mllion.

Third quarter also reported net-new unit growth of 644 stores.

Present in over 293 countries, Yum! Operates 53,994 restaurants across globe.

Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE: YUM) has announced an update on its ongoing process to exit the Russian market.

Yum! Brands has entered into a sale and purchase agreement to transfer ownership of its Russian KFC restaurants, operating system and master franchise rights, including the network of KFC franchised restaurants, to Smart Service Ltd., operated by one of the Company’s existing KFC franchisees in Russia, Konstantin Yurievich Kotov and Andrey Eduardovich Oskolkov.

Under the agreement, the buyer will be responsible for rebranding locations to a non-Yum! concept.

In addition, the buyer will be responsible for retaining the Company’s employees in Russia.

Completion of the transaction is subject to regulatory and governmental approvals, as well as other conditions agreed to by the parties.

Following the completion of the transaction, Yum! Brands will have ceased its corporate presence in Russia.

This builds on Yum! Brands’ prior announcement that it was transferring ownership of KFC to a local operator in Russia. In addition, the Company previously announced that it had completed the transfer of ownership of all Pizza Hut franchise assets to a local operator who initiated the process of re-branding locations to a non-Yum! concept.

Yum! Brands is suspending operations of KFC company-owned restaurants in Russia and finalizing an agreement to suspend all Pizza Hut restaurant operations in Russia, in partnership with its master franchisee.

According to the Yum! Brands website, this action builds on their decision to suspend all investment and restaurant development in Russia and redirect all profits from operations in Russia to humanitarian efforts.

“Those humanitarian efforts include a $1 million donation from the Yum! Brands Foundation to the Red Cross to support those affected by the crisis, activating the Yum! Disaster Relief Fund to support Ukrainian franchise employees, and matching donations from employees to the following charities providing relief in Ukraine: UNICEF, Red Cross, World Food Programme and International Rescue Committee. In addition, our franchisees in the surrounding regions are providing food for refugees,” shared the release.

As always, Yum! Brands remain focused on the safety of their people in the region and will continue to support their teams in Ukraine while evaluating the ways Yum! Brands can make a positive impact in the region.

Yum Brands first opened KFC in Russia in 1995 and operate close to 1,000 restaurants.

While rumors of the Mexican Pizza’s return have been swirling for months, it hasn’t been publicly confirmed, until now.

Taco Bell's Mexican Pizza is back as recording artist Doja Cat announced last weekend that the popular menu item is back on its menu, shared a release from Taco Bell.

But, Doja wasn't the only fan who played a role in bringing back the Mexican Pizza. Equally vocal with their pleas for the menu items return were 200K+ signers of a Change.Org petition, spearheaded by superfan Krish Jagirdar. Leading up to the May 19 return, fans can expect even more ways to get involved with its historical return.

“Like many Indian-Americans who grew up vegetarian, we had limited access to the ‘fun’ fast food, so Taco Bell became a bridge to belonging in American culture for many kids like me who grew up in immigrant households,” said Krish Jagirdar, super fan and organizer of the Change.Org petition.

Mexican Pizza was pulled from menus in 2020. To expedite its return, Taco Bell has been dedicated to improving its sustainability practices, including a sauce packet recycling program pilot in the US with TerraCycle as the brand tracks towards its 2025 commitment for all recyclable, compostable or reusable consumer facing packaging.

As an IOU, Taco Bell Rewards Members who received a mystery reward back during the Big Game will score a free Mexican Pizza when it's back May 19*, and loyalty members will get first dibs with early access to the menu item beginning May 17.

“Our menu is full of fan-favorites, but the Mexican Pizza is at the top of that list,” said Mark King, CEO of Taco Bell by adding that from its flashy introduction to menus in 1985 as ‘Pizzazz Pizza’ to its inspiration behind the creation of infamous jingles, Mexican Pizza has a long history with the brand.

For fans wishing to snag a Mexican Pizza without leaving their home, customers can enjoy the convenience of delivery exclusively through DoorDash for the first week the iconic menu item is back (May 19 – May 26), rolling out to other delivery platforms beginning on May 27.

QSR chain Taco Bell is kicking off 2022 by surpassing international milestones abroad as it opens 100th restaurant in Spain.

The taco-chain opened its first restaurant outside the states in 1973, and in just the last two years, the brand has grown its store count by more than 25%.

With growth plans as strong as ever, Taco Bell and its international franchisees have plans to operate more than 1,000 restaurants internationally.

"Our international franchise partners and team members in Taco Bell restaurants around the world fuel the fire of our brand and are a huge testament to what we are building together," said Julie Felss Masino, President, Taco Bell International by adding that with the partnership of people like Spain master franchisee, Ignacio Mora-Figueroa, their international expansion to 1,000 restaurants outside the U.S. allows them a bigger footprint to create more fans around the world.

As one of Taco Bell’s fastest growing markets outside the U.S., Spain has now opened the doors to its 100th restaurant.

Upon completion of this year’s Spain restaurant openings alone, the brand expects to contribute over 2,000 jobs to the local economy, and even more indirect jobs through expanded supply chain and vendor needs.

Later this year, restaurant doors will continue to open in major cities across India, Australia and the UK. These three additional international markets are accelerating quickly, reaching growth milestones of their own.

The brand’s leading digital innovation has only accelerated international expansion milestones like these.

Taco Bell’s digital sales are the highest of all Yum! Brands international businesses, surpassing 50% growth year over year. Taco Bell UK now drives 60% of its business through digital -- the highest of any international market.

Yum! Brands Inc, the University of Louisville and Howard University has partnered to launch Yum! Franchise Accelerator, a one-of-a-kind MBA elective opportunity supporting underrepresented people of color and women interested in the franchise restaurant industry.

Ten second-year MBA students from the two universities were selected to participate in the intensive five-month fellowship where two participants will have the opportunity to become future franchisees of Yum! Brands, the owner of KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and The Habit Burger Grill.

The debut of the Yum! Franchise Accelerator follows last year’s launch of the Yum! Center for Global Franchise Excellence, at the University of Louisville College of Business.

“Yum! Brands is proud to work with both the University of Louisville and Howard University on this groundbreaking partnership to train and advance underrepresented people of color and women entrepreneurs interested in building a career in the franchise restaurant industry,” said Scott Catlett, Chief Legal and Franchise Officer, Yum! Brands.

The participants – six MBA students from Howard University and four from the University of Louisville – receive scholarships; extensive education on the franchise business model through the Yum! Center for Global Franchise Excellence’s franchising curriculum; one-of-a-kind mentorship from some of Yum! Brands’ top franchisees in the U.S.; in-restaurant training; a sponsored trip to Yum! Brands’ Louisville Restaurant Support Center; and a number of unique curated franchising professional experiences during the semester.

Since June, more than 200 students have participated in programs at the Yum! Center for Global Franchise Excellence, including more than 100 undergraduate students, 55 graduate students and more than 75 participants in the executive-level Franchise Management Certificate program.

The franchising model is strong in the U.S. and globally and makes business ownership accessible to many individuals. As per International Franchise Association, the franchising industry will have increased to more than 780,000 outlets employing 8.4 million people in the U.S. alone.

Yum China Holdings, Inc, has announced that the Top Employers Institute has certified the company as a Top Employer China for the fourth consecutive year, with Yum China the only restaurant company named among the top 20 employers.

In 2021, as the challenges of COVID-19 continued, Yum China adhered firmly to its "People First" philosophy, further upgrading employee benefits and striving to support sustainable career development for over 400,000 employees.

"We are proud to be named as a Top Employer China for the fourth consecutive year, a recognition of our continuous efforts to create an industry leading sustainable workplace," said Joey Wat, CEO of Yum China by adding that he is grateful to his employees for the diligence and resilience they have shown in their day-to-day work.

Despite the challenges brought by the resurgences of COVID-19 outbreaks in 2021, Yum China continued to place top priority on the health and safety of employees and further upgraded employee benefits. This included upgrading medical insurance coverage for its approximately 10,000 Restaurant General Managers ("RGMs") and upgrading its "Family Care Fund" plan for the restaurant management team (RMT) and restaurant service team leaders, helping eligible employees and their families mitigate the financial risks brought by critical illness.

To further protect the health and safety of employees and customers, Yum China encourages and rewards employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19. As of the end of December 2021, over 90% of all Yum China employees were fully vaccinated.

"People is one of the three pillars of Yum China's sustainability strategy. The cmpany is committed to accelerating employee growth guided by our principle of Fair, Care and Pride," added Aiken Yuen, Chief People Officer of Yum China.

As of the end of September 2021, Yum China operated 11,415 restaurants and over 400,000 employees in over 1,600 cities across the country.

The Top Employers Institute program certifies organizations based on the participation and results of their HR Best Practices Survey. The survey covers six HR domains consisting of 20 topics including People Strategy, Work Environment, Talent Acquisition, Learning, Well-being and Diversity & Inclusion and more.

In an effort to break down potential barriers and further diversify its franchise system, Taco Bell has announced that it is rolling out Taco Bell Business School in partnership with University of Louisville.

This will be a first-of-its-kind franchise training program to elevate restaurant leaders as entrepreneurs and break down barriers to franchise ownership.

Taco Bell Business School will be supported through the Yum! Center for Global Franchise Excellence in partnership with the University of Louisville.

Yum!, Taco Bell’s parent company, launched the Center with University of Louisville’s College of Business in 2021 to unlock opportunities for underrepresented communities through education on the business of franchising.

The Taco Bell pilot program will leverage this partnership to create pathways for restaurant leaders to advance in their careers while helping the brand build a more diverse franchise system.

“We know that fast food jobs are often seen as stepping stones to other careers,” said Mark King, Chief Executive Officer of Taco Bell. “And we’re trying to change that. Through the Taco Bell Business School, we want to show our ambitious restaurant leaders how their careers could flourish at Taco Bell and see opportunities they may not have previously considered.”

The six-week business boot-camp will teach top-performing restaurant leaders the fundamentals of franchise ownership, leveraging existing curriculum from the Yum! Center for Global Franchise Excellence, infused with a Taco Bell twist.

The classes will provide accredited education and training on critical business and entrepreneurial skills, from financing, growth and development to marketing and HR.

The first class of Taco Bell Business School students will start the boot-camp in February 2022.

“I believe that businesses and educational institutions have a responsibility to work together to break down barriers and create opportunities for those who wouldn’t otherwise have them,” said Kathy Gosser, Director of the Yum! Center for Global Franchise Excellence.

Taco Bell has appointed Sean Tresvant as its Global Chief Brand Officer, effective January 10, 2022.

Tresvant will lead Taco Bell into a new age of transformative global marketing, spearheading boundary-pushing, multi-dimensional efforts that drive culture, initiate change and create impact.

From strategic omni channel initiatives to digital customer touchpoints, he will further elevate and differentiate the Taco Bell fan experience as the brand continues redefining innovation in its industry.

"I've known about Sean for many years, always admiring his best-in-class marketing from afar. His team at the Jordan Brand will tell you that Sean has always been a great friend, colleague and compassionate leader. We're excited for him to be part of our Taco Bell family and look forward to his leadership and Restless Creativity as we continue to grow our brand and impact on our people, fans and the world,” said Mark King, CEO, Taco Bell.

Tresvant brings more than a decade of marketing success from his time with Nike as the Chief Marketing Officer of the Jordan Brand. He was responsible for defining the Jordan Brand voice across the globe.

"When I think of Taco Bell, I think of a marketing powerhouse of trailblazers," said Tresvant.

Additional career highlights for Tresvant include leading an Emmy Award-winning Last Dance Documentary for Jordan Brand and developing and facilitating a Fortnite activation with Epic Games. Prior to Nike, Tresvant held roles at Pepsi and Time Inc. – Sports Illustrated in New York.

Californian quick-service restaurant chain Taco Bell is taking its latest campaign called ‘See A Six, Catch A Taco’ a notch-higher by collaborating with renowned cricketers and cricket commentators.

The brand has just launched a unique nation-wide campaign called ‘See A Six, Catch a Taco’ spreading joy to taco-lovers and cricket fans.

Every time the Indian cricket team hits a six, consumers can get a free taco on any order by sending a taco emoji on WhatsApp.

As a part of this campaign, the very first collaboration kick-started with the legendary commentator, Harsha Bhogle, who lent his voice for the brand film which will be going live across platforms such as Hotstar, PayTM, ESPN Cricinfo, Amazon Firestick, social media platforms and Gaming apps in addition to Out of Home visibility across metro cities.

The brand is also collaborating with women cricketers for the first time- Mithali Raj, Captain of the women’s Indian cricket team and the young and enthusiastic batter Harleen Deol, who will be creating fun loving and amusing content on social media to encourage their followers to participate in this unique campaign by watching out for the sixes hit by the Indian cricket team. Adding to the cricket fervor, Taco Bell is also partnering with Indian cricketer and commentator, Dinesh Karthik.

“We will be cheering on team India and celebrating every six by giving away free tacos to all our fans. We are delighted to partner with cricketing stars Dinesh Karthik, Mithali Raj & Harleen Deol, and commentary legend Harsha Bhogle,” shared Ankush Tuli, Managing Director, Asia Pacific & Middle East, YUM! Brands.

Commenting on the amplification, Gaurav Burman, Director, Burman Hospitality Private Limited, Taco Bell’s exclusive franchise partner in India, said, “We are proud to be collaborating with renowned cricketing icons for our latest campaign ‘See a Six, Catch a Taco’.  We shall be celebrating every six hit by team India by offering free tacos in a fun and unique way.”

This unique campaign kicked off on October 24, when India played their first match. One can avail this offer through a WhatsApp QR Code or URL created just for this campaign. The offer will be applicable on all India matches, semi-finals and the final.

Consumers can avail the free taco offer in any Taco Bell restaurant across the country or order online through the Taco Bell app to receive their free veg or non-veg Crunchy Taco, with a minimum of one item purchase.

Yum! Brands yesterday announced the promotion of Sabir Sami, to KFC Division Chief Executive Officer.

Sabir will be reporting to Yum! Brands Chief Executive Officer David Gibbs, effective January 1, 2022.

Sami, a 12-year veteran of the Company, who currently serves as KFC Division Chief Operating Officer and Managing Director of KFC Asia, will succeed Tony Lowings, who is stepping down as CEO at the end of 2021 in advance of his retirement in early 2022.

In this role, Sami will assume global responsibility for driving the brand strategy and performance of KFC.

“Sabir is an exceptional leader with deep expertise and knowledge of our business and has a strong, proven track record of growing KFC’s physical and brand presence in markets around the world,” said Gibbs by adding that as a highly-respected strategic brand builder, operations expert and heart-led leader, Sabir is a natural choice to continue successfully executing KFC’s long-term global growth strategies in close partnership with franchisees and further elevate KFC as a relevant, easy and distinctive (R.E.D.) brand.

In addition to overseeing operational strategy for all KFC markets, Sami dually serves as Managing Director of KFC Asia, a high-growth region for the brand representing 17 markets, excluding China, and comprising more than 15 percent of all KFC Division restaurants.

Prior to this, Sami was Managing Director for the Middle East, North Africa, Pakistan and Turkey markets, where he was instrumental in growing the business and establishing KFC as one of the region’s most R.E.D. brands.

Prior to Yum!, Sami served in various leadership roles at Procter & Gamble, the Coca-Cola Company and Reckitt Benckiser.

“I’m incredibly privileged and excited to continue working with our talented and dedicated KFC leaders and amazing franchise partners around the world to keep strengthening and accelerating the development of our powerful, iconic brand,” said Sami.

Dyke Shipp, 55, who currently serves as KFC Division Chief Development Officer and Chief People Officer, is being promoted to KFC Division President, reporting to Sami, effective January 1, 2022.

Lowings remains KFC Division CEO through the end of 2021 to ensure a smooth and seamless transition. He will remain with the Company in another capacity supporting transition needs into the first quarter of 2022.

KFC is the global leader in the chicken category and Yum!’s largest brand with more than 25,000 restaurants in over 145 countries and territories and more than $26 billion in system sales as of year-end 2020.

Yum! Brands Inc on Tuesday announced the completion of its acquisition of Dragontail Systems Limited (Dragontail), an innovative provider of technology solutions for the food industry, following the successful implementation of the previously announced share scheme of arrangement in accordance with Australian corporations law.

Yum! Brands acquired all of the issued and outstanding common shares of Dragontail for A$0.235 per share in cash or a total of approximately $93.5 million.

With today’s announcement, following the approval by the Australian Federal Court and by Dragontail shareholders and certain other regulatory waivers and rulings, Dragontail is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc.

Also Read: Yum! Brands to acquire kitchen order management and delivery technology platform Dragontail Systems

Yum! Brands estimates that this all-cash acquisition will have an immaterial impact on its 2021 financial results.

“A key growth driver for our business and our teams is the continued acceleration of our digital and technology strategy, including how we leverage our global scale with investments in technology initiatives that enhance the customer and employee experience, strengthen restaurant unit economics and provide a competitive advantage for our franchisees,” said David Gibbs, Chief Executive Officer, Yum! Brands who is excited to welcome Dragontail and look forward to deploying its AI kitchen order management, delivery and other technologies globally to their brands and franchisees over time.

Dragontail’s platform is focused on optimizing and managing the entire food preparation process from order through delivery. Its connected, intelligent, end-to-end AI-based solution automates the kitchen flow combined with the process of dispatching drivers. It helps restaurants sequence and time each order, while planning optimal delivery routes and combining delivery orders by location. The technology also offers consumer-facing capabilities that enable customers to track their order en route. In addition, it can operate with outside food delivery partners.

Delivery, which Yum! Brands offers in over 39,000 restaurants, is a key part of the company’s strategy, driven by a combination of expanded aggregator partnerships and continued investment in its own branded channels.

“Dragontail’s cutting-edge restaurant technology allows us to tap into the power of AI to optimize the end-to-end food preparation process and accelerate and further enhance our delivery technology capabilities,” added Chris Turner, Chief Financial Officer, Yum! Brands.

Dragontail’s kitchen order management and delivery technology is deployed across nearly 1,500 Pizza Hut restaurants in over 10 countries. Many Pizza Hut restaurants leveraging Dragontail’s platform have already seen a positive impact on sales, order fulfillment and customer satisfaction scores, including product freshness and delivery time.

Yum! Brands’ purchase of Dragontail also brings in house other Dragontail emerging technologies, including its QT AI camera quality control system

The addition of Dragontail to the Yum! portfolio marks the Company’s third technology acquisition in 2021. In March, Yum! Brands acquired the business of Kvantum, Inc., an AI-based consumer insights and marketing performance analytics company with a proven track record of adding significant value in enabling data-driven decisions to drive return on advertising dollars and increase sales. That same month, Yum! Brands also acquired Tictuk Technologies, a leading omnichannel ordering and marketing platform company offering more ways for consumers globally to access and order its brands through text, social media and other conversational channels.

Yum! Brands, Inc has announced an update to its policy on cage-free eggs, as part of the company’s ongoing efforts to improve animal welfare throughout its supply chain.

In the updated policy, Yum! Brands pledges to transition to 100% cage-free eggs for the majority of restaurants by 2026, including the U.S., Western Europe and other leading markets, across all brands and for all menu items and ingredients.

This commitment accelerates its aspiration to move its global system to cage-free eggs and more than doubles the number of restaurants sourcing cage-free eggs by 2026.

The expansion of Yum! Brands cage-free egg policy builds upon previous moves as part of its ongoing animal welfare efforts.

Taco Bell, the Company’s brand that serves breakfast in the U.S., moved to 100% cage-free eggs in 2016 in the U.S. In addition, Yum! Brands currently sources 100% cage-free eggs in other markets including KFC Western Europe, Pizza Hut U.K. and Taco Bell Canada.

Yum! Brands will continue the process of collecting data and working with suppliers and partners to make progress across the global egg supply chain, and will share annual updates as part of its Recipe for Good report.

The brand has also announced Aaron Powell, former President of Kimberly-Clark Corporation’s Asia-Pacific Consumer Business, to join the Company as global Pizza Hut Division Chief Executive Officer, reporting to Yum! Chief Executive Officer David Gibbs, effective September 20.

In this role, Powell will assume global responsibility for driving Pizza Hut Division’s growth strategies, franchise operations and performance.

“We couldn’t be happier to welcome Aaron to the Yum! Brands and Pizza Hut family and believe this global brand division leadership structure will enable the Pizza Hut U.S. and international teams to further implement best practices worldwide and continue their growth trajectory for franchisees and shareholders,” said Gibbs. “Aaron brings more than 25 years of deep experience in the business-to-business and consumer packaged goods sectors and is known for driving break-through innovation and delivering strong performance for iconic household name brands operating in complex environments around the world.”

In other latest news, Yum! Brands franchisee for Indian subcontinent Sapphire Foods that operates KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell chain of restaurants in West and parts of south India, Maldives and Srilanka has filed papers with SEBI to raise IPO.

This comes at a time when its largest competitor and Yum!Brands another franchisee Devyani International is all set to go public after launching its public offerings last week.

Also Read: Yum! Brands franchisee Sapphire Foods bags Rs 1,150 cr from Creador, others

The issue comprises a pure offer for sale (OFS) of 17.57 million shares by existing shareholders and promoters. The OFS will see up to 8.50 lakh shares being sold by QSR Management Trust, up to 5.57 million shares by Sapphire Foods Mauritius Ltd, up to 4.85 million shares by WWD Ruby Ltd, among others.

At present, Sapphire Foods Mauritius holds 46.53% stake, QSR Management Trust has 5.96% stake, WWD Ruby holds 18.79%, Amethyst Pvt Ltd has 6.67%, AAJV Investment Trust 0.14%, Edelweiss Crossover Opportunities Fund 6.83%.

Sapphire Foods is backed by marquee investors such as Samara Capital, Goldman Sachs, CX Partners and Edelweiss. It operates 204 KFC restaurants in India and the Maldives, 231 Pizza Hut restaurants in India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives, and two Taco Bell restaurants in Sri Lanka.

JM Financial, Bofa Securities, ICICI Securities, and IIFL Securities are the lead managers to the issue.

On Monday, Sapphire Foods has raised Rs 1,150 crore funds from private equity funds led by Creador, NewQuest Capital Partners and TR Capital.

One of the largest franchisee of Yum! Brands in Indian subcontinent Sapphire Foods has raised Rs 1,150 crore funds from private equity funds led by Creador, NewQuest Capital Partners and TR Capital.

The Samara Capital-promoted brand operates close to 435 stores of KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell restaurants across India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

In addition, Sapphire Foods has also raised a direct round of growth capital from Creador and the new money is a mix of primary and secondary rounds, Sapphire said on Monday without disclosing the equity dilution.

The investment is flowing into its holding company, Sapphire Foods Mauritius, an entity promoted by Samara Capital, the statement said.

"The money will be used to fund the new store expansion as we feel the business has a strong foundation and is on an inflection point, apart from providing partial exit for a few investors," shared Sanjay Purohit, CEO, Sapphire Foods without disclosing the name of investors who have partially cashed out.

Avendus Capital acted as exclusive financial advisor to Sapphire and UBS Investment Bank acted as exclusive financial advisor to Samara Capital.

“The QSR chain segment, largely represented by global brands, is the fastest growing segment within the organised food services market in the country. Sapphire Foods, by leveraging customer loyalty to the KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell brands is well-positioned to capture further opportunities and expand into other product lines or markets,” added Sumeet Narang, Founder and MD, Samara India Advisors.

Founded in 2007, Samara Capital, is a mid-market private equity firm and its investors include high quality institutional investors and family offices from around the globe. Sapphire Foods is backed by marquee investors such as Samara Capital, Goldman Sachs, CX Partners and Edelweiss.

American fast casual restaurant and bakery chain Au Bon Pain has been purchased by Yum Brands and 7- Eleven franchisee, Ampex Brands.

Panera Bread bought Au Bon Pain back in 2017, shortly after it was taken private by JAB Holdings and has now sold the company again to Ampex Brands that operates over 400 restaurants and convenience store in US.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the acquisition will increase Ampex’s revenue by 10% a year. Au Bon Pain has 171 locations.

“We see a solid future for both Au Bon Pain and our broader portfolio,” shared Tabbassum Mumtaz, CEO, Ampex Brands in a statement by adding that the company’s qsr brands performed extraordinarily well throughout the pandemic allowing the company to diversify and jump on a great opportunity to reposition a legacy brand.

Au Bon Pain’s US system sales fell by nearly a third last year, reported Technomic earlier. But sales had been struggling before then, too. Global system sales at the chain have declined by an average of 11% the past five years, reported Restaurant Business Online.

Ampex Brands operates Pizza Hut, KFC, Taco Bell, Long John Silver’s and 7-Eleven locations as a franchisee.

Ericka Garza, who has worked with both QSR and convenience stores, most recently with Pizza Hut as the senior franchise growth leader, will become Au Bon Pain’s brand president. Brian Bacica, who spent 18 years in food and beverage leadership roles with Disneyland, Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Orlando Parks, will be the chief operating officer. And Beth Collins will serve as Ampex Brands’ first global chief marketing officer, overseeing brand responsibilities for both Au Bon Pain and Ampex. She is a 20-year c-level marketing executive who worked with Raising Cane’s, Texas Land & Cattle and Twin Peaks.

Yum! Brands Inc and Dragontail Systems Limited, an innovative provider of technology solutions for the food industry, have entered into a binding agreement under which Yum! Brands would acquire Dragontail by way of a share scheme of arrangement in accordance with Australian corporations law (referred to as the Scheme).

If the Scheme is successfully implemented, the addition of Dragontail to Yum! Brands’ growing technology portfolio is intended to give Yum! Brands the ability to scale Dragontail’s artificial intelligence (AI) kitchen order management and delivery technology globally.

Australia-based Dragontail’s platform is focused on optimizing and managing the entire food preparation process from order through delivery. Its AI-based solution automates the kitchen flow combined with the process of dispatching drivers. The technology can also operate with outside food delivery partners. In addition, Dragontail’s platform offers consumer-facing capabilities that enable customers to track their order.

Dragontail's Managing Director, Ido Levanon, commented, “Yum! Brands and Dragontail have been working in a fruitful collaboration for years. Dragontail's Board of Directors fully supports this transaction, which it considers to be an attractive opportunity for its shareholders. It will also provide Yum! Brands with innovative technology. The activities of Dragontail and Yum! Brands are complementary, the synergy is natural and we bless the completion of the acquisition.”

Dragontail’s platform is currently deployed across nearly 1,500 Pizza Hut restaurants in over 10 countries. If the Scheme is successfully implemented, Yum! Brands intends to scale and offer Dragontail’s platform to its brands around the world over time.

In addition to its kitchen order management and delivery technology, Yum! Brands’ purchase of Dragontail would also bring in house other Dragontail emerging technologies.

Completion of the acquisition of Dragontail under the transaction documents will mark Yum! Brands’ third technology acquisition in 2021. In March, Yum! Brands acquired the business of Kvantum, Inc., an AI-based consumer insights and marketing performance analytics company with a proven track record of adding significant value in enabling data-driven decisions to drive return on advertising dollars and increase sales. That same month, Yum! Brands also acquired Tictuk Technologies, a leading omnichannel ordering and marketing platform company offering more ways for consumers globally to access and order KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and The Habit Burger Grill through text, social media and other conversational channels.

Under terms of the transaction documents, Yum! Brands has agreed to pay A$93.5 million in cash for all of the issued share capital in Dragontail (on a fully diluted basis). Yum! Brands expects the acquisition of Dragontail to close by the end of the third quarter of 2021.

Parent company of KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and The Habit Burger Grill restaurants, Yum Brands has announced that it will decrease its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 46% by 2030 in partnership with its franchisees, suppliers and producers as part of its broader strategy to address climate change.

Additionally, Yum! pledged to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. The science-based targets (SBTs) are consistent with reductions required to keep warming to 1.5°C and have been approved by the Science Based Targets initiative.

“Climate change is one of the top priorities of our Recipe for Good strategy, and we’re investing significantly in sustainable growth to address this issue by working closely with our brands, franchisees and suppliers,” said David Gibbs, Yum! Brands CEO.

Yum!’s climate change strategy will focus primarily on emission reductions at its more than 50,000 corporate and franchise restaurants and throughout its supply chain.

By 2030, Yum! will cut GHG emissions generated by its corporate restaurants and offices, defined as Scope 1 and 2, 46% below 2019 levels. Working alongside franchisees, suppliers and producers, defined as Scope 3 or its value chain, Yum! will also reduce emissions 46% below 2019 levels during that same timeframe on a per-restaurant basis for franchisees and a per-metric ton basis for beef, poultry, dairy and packaging.

“Building resilient and trusted brands is at the core of Yum!’s citizenship and sustainability strategy, and this includes the work we do around the sustainable stewardship of our planet,” added Jerilan Greene, Yum! global chief communications and public affairs officer and chairman and CEO of the Yum! Foundation.

Yum! set its first energy conservation goal in 2006, and since 2017 it has reduced its GHG emissions an estimated 18% on a per-restaurant average. Sustainable restaurant development has also been a key element of Yum!’s sustainability strategy, building its first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-certified green restaurant in 2009 and totaling 45 LEED-certified green restaurants globally to date. Key learnings and best practices from these restaurants have been implemented in thousands of locations around the world.

Despite the blow of pandemic restrictions in 2020, Yum Brands’ earnings for the year topped analysts’ estimates.

The company’s Q4 2020 revenue grew by 3% year-over-year (YoY) to $1.74 billion, higher than the expected $1.72 billion. For the full year, digital sales rose by 45% to $17 billion, according to the research data analyzed and published by Stock Apps,

Based on an NPD Group report, restaurant digital orders in the US shot up by 145% YoY in December 2020. By the end of the year, carry-out accounted for 46% of off-premises orders and drive-thrus got 44%.

US Digital Restaurant Market Sales Rose by 124% in 2020 to $45 Billion

Yum Brands launched a series of initiatives to speed up its digitalization process in 2020. For KFC, a new eCommerce ecosystem streamlined off-premises order handling. As a result, transaction times at the window reduced by 16 seconds in Q4 2020 compared to Q4 2019.

The Habit added curbside pickup, which accounted for 10% of all sales and 50% of mobile sales. Through its Go Mobile ecosystem, Taco Bell saw drive-thru transaction times drop below four minutes. Thanks to these investments, Pizza Hut saw an 18% growth in same-store sales from off-premise channels. Taco Bell reported a 12% digital sales mix while The Habit had a 40% sales mix from its digital platform.

McDonald's also benefitted from a shift to digital, generating $10 billion from online sales across its top six markets in 2020. They accounted for 20% of the company’s total annual sales. Chipotle also posted a 177.2% YoY increase in digital sales during Q4 2020, reaching $781.4 million.

According to eMarketer, digital restaurant market sales in the US rose by 123.8% in 2020 to $44.94 billion. In 2021, it is projected to increase by 22.3% to $54.97 billion and in 2022, by16.3% to $63.93 billion.

Owner of Pizza Hut, KFC and Taco Bell, Yum Brands Inc. has appointed its former chief transformation and people officer, Tracy Skeans, to COO, shared media release.

Tracy has served in the previous role for five years.

Yum Brands said the promotion formalizes the expanded role she was already playing to drive cross-brand collaboration on operational execution, people capability and customer experience imperatives to fuel sales and unit growth.

Also Read: KFC focuses on contactless ordering, unveils new restaurant designs

Also, she will retain her current chief people officer responsibilities along with the responsibilities of the chief operating officer's job.

"Tracy and I share a people-first vision and passion for elevating the customer and employee experience, which makes her the perfect choice for chief operating officer in our next phase of growth," said David Gibbs, CEO, Yum by adding that Tracy has been an invaluable strategic partner to him and their global leadership team as the brand navigated through some of the most pivotal milestones in history, including their transformation to a pure play franchisor in 2019 and more recently the COVID-19 pandemic.

Skeans joined the company in 2000, and have expertise driving results at the powerful intersection of talent, culture, finance and strategy, added the release.

In 2016, Skeans played a central leadership role in the Yum China spinoff and Yum Brands' multi-year transformation strategy to accelerate the company's growth by moving to a heavily franchised business model that the company said is more profitable. That process was complete in 2019.

May Interest: Yum! Brands to sue Grubhub regarding contract breach

"Yum's future growth and social impact rely on our ability to collaborate and execute strategies and ideas at scale across our iconic brands and global franchisee base," added Skeans.

Based in Louisville, Kentucky, Yum Brands has over 50,000 restaurants in more than 150 countries and territories. Its QSR brands include KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco, as well as the fast casual brand, The Habit Burger Grill.

Yum! Brands, the parent company of KFC, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut, has signed a definitive agreement to buy a fast-casual concept operator, The Habit Burger Grill. This agreement will make Habit Burger Grill the first fast-casual chain in Yum Brands' fast-food-centric portfolio.

The transaction will likely get completed by the end of the second quarter of 2020. It is valued at approximately $375 million. Under the deal, Yum! Brands will acquire Habit Burger for $14 per share in cash.

With this acquisition, Yum! Brands will significantly increase its international portfolio. It will further enable the brand to diversify its portfolio beyond Taco Bell, KFC and Pizza Hut brands.

David Gibbs, CEO of Yum! Brands, said, “As a fast-casual concept with strong unit economics, The Habit Burger Grill is a fantastic addition to the Yum! family and has significant untapped growth potential in the U.S. and internationally.”

“With its delicious burgers and fresh proteins chargrilled over an open flame, The Habit Burger Grill offers consumers a diverse, California-style menu with premium ingredients at a QSR-like value. The transaction is a win-win because it allows us to offer an exciting new investment to our franchisees and to expand an award-winning, trend-forward brand through the power of Yum!'s unmatched scale and strengths in franchising, purchasing and brand-building,” he added.

Portfolio of Habit Burger

Started in 1969, The Habit Burger Grill provides charburgers, hand-filleted and marinated chargrilled chicken sandwiches, sushi-grade chargrilled ahi tuna sandwiches, fresh salads, sides and handmade frozen treats.

The brand launched its first restaurant in Santa Barbara, California. The fast-casual concept is now operating approximately 300 company-owned and franchised restaurants across the US and China.

Russell Bendel, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Habit Burger Grill, stated, “On behalf of The Habit Burger Grill board of directors, this transaction represents an exciting new chapter to strengthen and significantly grow The Habit Burger Grill by leveraging Yum! Brands’ global scale, resources, and franchising capabilities.”

“We’re confident the agreement delivers immediate value to The Habit Burger Grill shareholders and will greatly benefit our beloved brand, team members, franchisees and loyal guests for many years to come,” Bendel further added.

Fast food restaurant chain KFC India has made an investment in Salesforce solutions to offer the much-needed choice and convenience to customers. With this investment, the brand wanted to mature its campaigns and offer customers with increasingly relevant offerings.

KFC’s move to invest in the Salesforce Data Management Platform (DMP) will help it in capturing more customer data and segment it more precisely.

Moksh Chopra, Chief Marketing Officer of KFC India, said, “The restaurant industry in India is hyper-competitive, and as our customers experiment with different outlets and new apps, we need to ensure we are able to understand individual customer needs and preferences to provide them offerings that are highly relevant.”

“To compete and win customers, KFC India has turned to Salesforce to evolve its marketing and customer experience. For KFC India, this has sparked a journey to better understand its customers and satisfy their cravings for a personalised experience,” he added.

KFC targets to know its customers with Salesforce

The QSR chain runs over 350 restaurants across India. KFC targets to drive visitors to its restaurants, and also increase orders through its website and app.

Chopra stated, “With Salesforce, we can really get to know our customers and personalise their experience even as their behavior and preferences change. The vision for KFC India is to reach every customer with 1:1 messaging and offerings that predict what they will order next. This has made data capture a priority.”

With Salesforce, KFC India is aiming at capturing information about its dine-in and delivery customers, including all transaction data like customers’ contact details, which products they are ordering and which channels they are using.

“With these insights, KFC India is starting to segment customers and personalise, to a certain extent, campaigns based on consumption and spending habits. In the past, we would send out the same communication to everyone in our database, whereas now communications are contextualised,” Chopra further said.

Utilizing multi-channel campaigns

The restaurant chain is experiencing the results of its marketing transformation. It ran a multi-channel campaign, using SMS, email and in-app notifications, during a recent cricket season, and resulted in substantial increase in CRM revenue contribution and overall ROI (return on investment).

Vipin Gupta, Head, digital, Yum Brands, stated, “If we can better understand our customers across all of the different touchpoints, including social media, we can start to predict their behavior and send them communications with the most relevant offerings that more likely to convert.”

Yum! Brands' KFC India will sell off 61 equity-owned restaurants to diversified group RJ Corp-promoted Devyani International (DIL) for an undisclosed sum. The move is in line with its global strategy to exit capital-intensive operations and focus on brand growth and development. 

Under the agreement, DIL, which is already Yum!'s biggest franchise partner in India, will be acquiring 61 additional restaurants in Karnataka, AP and Telangana.

Samir Menon, Managing Director of KFC India, said, "We continue to re-evaluate ownership strategy as part of an annual process and in line with business growth. The strategic intent is to unlock growth for the brand."

In November 2018, KFC had divested 13 restaurants to DIL for the Kerala and Goa markets.

Virag Joshi, Chief Executive Officer, DIL, stated, "KFC is one of the fastest growing brands in our portfolio. Our partnership with Yum is driven by a commitment to build the brand by expanding geographic presence and driving world-class operations."

With this latest divestment, less than 10% of KFC India's 400 outlets across more than a hundred cities are now company-operated.

Menon added, "Going forward, the company is targeting to better last year's expansion of setting up 50 additional outlets, which are predominantly expected to be through franchisees. At this point, there is no intent to set up more equity restaurants, unless the market dynamics demand."

Yum Brands Inc's KFC is planning to tap into the popularity of plant-based protein foods by launching a vegan version of its classic chicken burger at some outlets in the United Kingdom (UK).

The fast food chain is calling its new burger "The Imposter". The burger will have a fillet made from a meat substitute product, Quorn, instead of its classic chicken breast fillet.

The burger is being tested in London, Bristol and the Midlands for four weeks before the brand decides to roll it out nationally. KFC hopes to replicate the success that Greggs Plc has witnessed with its wildly popular vegan sausage rolls.

Yum Brands, an American fast food company, is planning to launch 600 outlets of Taco Bell in India and employ around 20,000 people. With this development, India will be the second largest market for Taco Bell outside the US. Yum Brands is operating Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and KFC.

Taco Bell has also named Burman Hospitality Pvt Ltd as its master franchise partner for India, which makes the New Delhi-based company the largest Taco Bell franchise globally by store count. The brand will further introduce cloud kitchens in the domestic market.

Liz Williams, President of Taco Bell International, said, "We plan to open 600 restaurants in India over a period of 10 years. Currently, there are 7,000 Taco Bell restaurants in the US alone. Rest of the 500 restaurants are located in other countries."

Gaurav Burman, Director, Burman Hospitality, stated, "The agreement of master franchise gives us the confidence to spend family money in the venture. It enables us to protect what we have built over the years such as India-specific equipment and kitchen designs we have developed for Taco Bell. The master franchise agreement with Taco Bell will allow us to grant sub-franchise agreements to third parties."

"We would first focus on building scale and we will do it on our own. Once we do that, we would look at inviting other partners," he added.

Yum! Brands, Inc. announced that David C. Novak, 63, Executive Chairman, plans to retire in May 2016 following the Company’s annual shareholder meeting and step down from the Company’s Board at that time. The Board plans to appoint a Non-Executive Chairman from among its Directors to succeed Mr. Novak and will announce that appointment at the Company's annual shareholder meeting.

Mr. Novak was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Yum! in 1999 and has served as Chairman of Yum! Brands since 2000. He transitioned to Executive Chairman on January 1, 2015, when he was succeeded as CEO by Greg Creed.

“I feel deeply privileged to have served over the years as Yum! Brands Chairman and CEO,” said Mr. Novak.

He further said, “As we target the separation of our China business by the end of 2016 and transition to two powerful, independent companies, it is a perfect time for me to complete my retirement. The two new companies will be led by strong, highly capable leaders, Greg Creed at YUM and Micky Pant at YUM China. I am completely confident both of them will take their businesses to the next level and I look forward to cheering them on and supporting them after my retirement. I truly believe these two companies present enormous growth potential in the years to come. Therefore, I plan to remain a shareholder of both companies and couldn't be more enthusiastic about these investments.”

“David Novak is a visionary leader who built Yum! Brands into a global powerhouse and one of the world’s largest restaurant companies. He is renowned for creating a recognition culture that rewards for performance, and for coaching and mentoring thousands of executives on leadership skills. During his tenure, the Company expanded its vast footprint in new emerging markets, became the category leader in China, delivered a high return on invested capital and saw its market capitalization grow from $4.6 billion to approximately $31 billion. Shareholders have been well-rewarded over this time thanks to David’s outstanding leadership," said Greg Creed, Chief Executive Officer, Yum! Brands, Inc. "On behalf of the Board, all of our employees and franchisees, I sincerely thank David for his many significant contributions to the Company, and for being such an incredible mentor, coach and friend. Thanks to his leadership and transition planning, we are extremely well-positioned as we work toward completing the separation of the China business and continue to create significant value for shareholders,” Creed added.

KFC, one of the fastest growing QSR globally, is all set to woo customers in Tibet by opening its first chain store in Tibet's capital Lhasa early 2016.

The QSR chain has signed a contract with a shopping mall in downtown Lhasa, capital of the region, to open the first restaurant in Tibet by the end of January 2016, Chen Biao, a manager with the Lhasa Shenlishidai shopping centre was quoted as saying by the state-run Xinhua news agency.

The KFC restaurant in Lhasa, which is under decoration now, is designed to cover 540 square metres including two stories.

"Before KFC chose to enter Tibet, we already had some fast food restaurants such as Dicos. The consumers in Tibet accept fried chicken and hamburgers well," Chen said.

KFC plans to build a 4.67-hectare frozen storage area in the suburbs of Lhasa to prepare for further expansion in the region.

Dicos is a Chinese fast food restaurant. There is hardly any foreign business in Tibet.

The permission for KFC came as Tibet witnessed a big surge of tourists mainly from China. In recent years there is a steady increase in foreign tourists as slowly opened the roof of the world after considerable improvement of infrastructure, which included rail, road and air connectivity to the remote regions of the Tibetan plateau.

The new KFC will also serve tourists in the city, which is a world-renowned destination, Chen said.

Tourists to Tibet's provincial capital Lhasa exceeded 10 million in the first 10 months of 2015, local government officials said.

A record of 11.59 million people from both home and abroad visited the city from January to October, up 11.71 per cent year on year.

The city's tourism sector earned 15 billion yuan (about USD 2.34 billion) in tourism revenue, up 38.16 per cent from last year. Overseas tourists reached 106,400, up 11.71 per cent from last year. Tourism is a pillar industry in Tibet, with revenue accounting for about one fifth of the region's GDP.

The region aims to attract 17 million tourists this year. China also wants to show case development in Tibet whose gross domestic product (GDP) hit 92.5 billion yuan (USD14.5 billion) in 2014, maintaining its double-digit growth since 1994, official media said.

The per capita net income of farmers and herdsmen in the region hit 7,471 yuan in 2014, up 14 per cent year on year.

The per capita disposable income of urban residents also increased 8 per cent year on year to reach 22,026 yuan. Aside from rapid economic growth, market potential and a sound investment environment have made Tibet increasingly attractive to overseas investors, it said.

Yum! Brands, Inc. announces Patrick Grismer, 53, intends to resign as Chief Financial Officer, effective February 19, 2016. Grismer will continue to serve as CFO until that time and will help finalize the Company’s 2015 Form 10-K filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. He will also present at the Company’s upcoming investor conference in Plano, Texas, on December 10, 2015.

“Pat has added tremendous value as CFO of our company and has been an excellent partner to me,” said Greg Creed, Chief Executive Officer. “I respect his personal decision to move to be geographically closer to family members, and I wish him all the best. We have a strong and seasoned team of financial executives who have the expertise and experience needed to ensure a seamless transition and to execute a smooth separation of our China business.”

Mr. Grismer said, “This was a difficult personal decision for me, as this is an exciting time for the Company as it embarks on its strategic transformation. I’m confident that both Yum! and Yum! China will capitalize on the excellent growth opportunities ahead.”

Grismer has served as CFO of YUM since 2012. Prior to that, he served in a number of senior finance and planning positions since 2002.

Taco Bell, the Mexican Chain is planning to start delivery services at around 200 outlets in three cities in the US.

The fast food chain has partnered with Palo Alto-based tech start-up DoorDash to roll out deliveries at its outlets.

Taco Bell has started the testing delivery services at around 200 outlets in Dallas, Los Angeles, Orange County, Calif., and San Francisco Bay markets.

After placing order on the Palo Alto, DoorDash will put in the order at the nearest Taco Bell, pick it up and drive it to to the preferred location.

The app will also notify Taco Bell customers when the DoorDash driver is nearing their home or office.

According to USA Today, there's no minimum order, but a $3.99 flat fee is added. However, Taco Bell officials declined to detail how much DoorDash is being compensated as part of the deal.

“During limited testing at stores in Dallas, Orange County, Palo Alto and San Jose, Calif, orders took roughly 38 minutes from when they were ordered to arriving at the customer's door,” said Tressie Lieberman, VP, Innovation and on demand, Taco Bell.

The company also mentioned that it will also promote its delivery on Periscope, Snapchat and Twitter in the coming days as delivery the number one thing demanded by the customers.

KFC, the global QSR chain which came into lime light after pathogens were found in its samples at Telangana, has refused the charge saying it was an attempt to malign its reputation, reported PTI.

"Lab tests conducted by Bala Hakkula Sangham concluded that KFC (product) is harmful. It showed that harmful substances like E Coli and Salmonella (bacteria) were present in KFC (product)," Bala Hakkula Sangham (Andhra Pradesh Child Rights Association) president Anuradha Rao said in a media release here.

But KFC dismissed the allegation, saying it was an attempt to malign its reputation.

"This alleged report is a case of false allegation. We have no knowledge of the sample being collected from any of our stores and in what condition it has been transported for this alleged test. This is a perishable food item meant for immediate consumption," added the report.

"We have not received any intimation from any authority in this regard. In any case, there is no possibility of any microbial development in our food which is freshly cooked at 170 degrees Celsius. We would urge you to verify all the facts before reporting this matter. Given this is an attempt to wrongly malign our brand reputation, we would strongly pursue this case and seek a clarification from the concerned authorities," a KFC spokesperson told.

KFC which has come under scanner for serving rat at its restaurant in California proves that the alleged rat was not ‘rat’ but chicken.

According to an independent lab test the global QSR giant has proved that the allegation made by one of the customer for serving rat was actually false.

"Recently in the US, a customer falsely claimed his KFC chicken was a rat, which received a huge amount of publicity given the unrealistic nature of his story. On Friday, the customer's lawyer finally handed the product over to KFC for testing at an independent lab, and the results officially confirmed what KFC knew all along - the product was chicken and not rat,” said a KFC Spokesperson to BBC.

California based Devorise Dixon from California, posted the photo which went viral earlier this month.

Yum Brands! which owns KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell restaurant chains, is in advanced talk with Samara Capital and CX Partners to sell franchisee right of South and West India reported a national daily.

According to the report, If the negotiations are successful, Samara Capital, CX Partners and a West Asia-based investment firm will together buy out the franchise rights from the US fast-food chain, the Dodsal Group which runs 84 Pizza Hut outlets in west and south India as a franchisee, and several other smaller franchise partners, three people familiar with the development said, requesting anonymity.

However, when contacted Yum! Brands kept themselves tight lipped, sharing that, “They continue to explore opportunities to partner with big franchise players to help us achieve the same and, in the process, create significant value for all stakeholders, for the long term.”

Meanwhile, the brand plans to more than double the number of restaurants in India to 2,000 over the next 5-7 years.

“Yum is one of the largest and fastest growing restaurant companies in India. We are extremely bullish and committed to the huge opportunity that the country offers for each of our brands. Our ambition is to more than double the number of restaurants,” shared Ankush Tuli, CFO, Yum! India.

However, Yum! Which operates more than 700 stores in the country has an equal number of Pizza Hut and KFC outlet running across the country and approximately seven Taco Bell outlets in Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru.

Not only this Yum has almost 70 per cent of the restaurants operated via franchisees with Ravi Jaipuria led Devyani International as one its largest franchisees partner in the country.