Who owns KFC (Americana)?
KFC (Americana) is operated by Americana Restaurants (the United Arab Emirates, ADX: AMR) under licence, an arrangement in place since 1973; Americana Restaurants does not own the name.[1] The KFC name is owned by Yum! Brands, Inc.
Evidence: Americana Restaurants International PLC — Annual Report 2025. Last checked .
Key facts
- Licensed to
- Americana Restaurants International PLC reported
- Since
- Headquarters
- 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi
- Origin
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Category
- Restaurants & foodservice › Quick-service restaurants › Burger & chicken chains
- Parent ticker
- ADX: AMR Tadawul: 6015
- Last verified
- · 2 sources
About KFC (Americana)
Americana Restaurants has run KFC in the Middle East since 1973, making it one of the first international chains in the region's quick service market. At the end of 2025 it operated 1,146 KFC restaurants in twelve countries, generating 1,494 million dollars, or 59.6 per cent of company revenue. It is one of Yum! Brands' largest franchisees and not the owner of the name: Yum! holds the KFC trademark and audits Americana against its brand standards.
Ownership timeline of KFC (Americana)
Where KFC (Americana) sits in Americana Restaurants
Controlling ownership as of . Brands grouped under the entity that owns them; large groups are collapsed.
Open the full Americana Restaurants ownership tree →
See the full Americana Restaurants brand portfolio (2) →
Other brands owned by Americana Restaurants
Americana Restaurants controls 3 brands on Brandtree, 3 of them in restaurants & foodservice.
Also in restaurants & foodservice
- Chicken Tikka (1972)
- Wimpy (Middle East) (1969)
Other brands in burger & chicken chains, and who owns them
The 39 brands in burger & chicken chains on Brandtree belong to 24 owners. The largest is Jollibee Group, with 5.
| Brand | Owner | Owner based in |
|---|---|---|
| Chowking | Jollibee Group | 🇵🇭 Philippines |
| Arby's | Inspire Brands | 🇺🇸 United States |
| KFC | Yum! Brands | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Chester's | CP Foods | 🇹🇭 Thailand |
| Burger King | Restaurant Brands International | 🇨🇦 Canada |
| Papa Murphy's | MTY Group | 🇨🇦 Canada |
| Steak n Shake | Biglari Holdings | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Choppies Fried Chicken | Choppies | 🇧🇼 Botswana |
About the owner: Americana Restaurants
Americana Restaurants is a publicly listed company headquartered in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, founded in 1964.
Americana Restaurants is the largest out-of-home dining and quick service restaurant operator in the Middle East, North Africa and Kazakhstan, with operations in twelve countries including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt, Qatar, Lebanon, Morocco and Iraq. The group traces its business to Americana Group, founded in Kuwait in 1964, but the listed company is an Abu Dhabi Global Market entity incorporated on 27 May 2022 and quoted on both the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange and Tadawul, with Adeptio AD Investments holding 66.03 per cent. Its 2025 annual report states that it owns exactly two of the brands it runs.
Americana Restaurants: full profile, brands and acquisition history →
🇺🇸 KFC (Americana) and other American brands
Brandtree records a controlling owner for 2,570 brands that began in the United States. 501 of them (19%) are now controlled by a company headquartered in another country, KFC (Americana) among them.
- Applebee's — Dine Brands 🇺🇸
- Arby's — Inspire Brands 🇺🇸
- Baja Fresh — MTY Group 🇨🇦
- Bonefish Grill — Bloomin' Brands 🇺🇸
- Burger King — Restaurant Brands International 🇨🇦
- Caribou Coffee — Panera Brands 🇺🇸
Frequently asked questions
Who makes KFC (Americana)?
Americana Restaurants makes and sells KFC (Americana) under a licensing agreement that has been in place since 1973.
Does Americana Restaurants own KFC (Americana)?
No. Americana Restaurants holds a licence to make and sell KFC (Americana), which is not the same as owning it.
Where did KFC (Americana) come from?
KFC (Americana) originated in the United States.
Sources (2) & corrections
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.
- [1] Americana Restaurants International PLC — Annual Report 2025 — Americana Restaurants International PLC, Annual report; retrieved 23 September 2026.
- [2] Americana Restaurants — our brands — Americana Restaurants International PLC, Official document; retrieved 23 September 2026.
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