LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Yum! Brands—the parent company of Pizza Hut and KFC—plans to add hundreds of more Taco Bell locations on top of the 5,000 sites already in the United States, according to a Businessweek report.
Taco Bell already contributed about two-thirds—or roughly $451 million—of Yum’s 2013 U.S. operating profit, and executives see more promise in the chain, according to the report. Last year, 86 new Taco Bell restaurants opened domestically. The goal, Yum says, is to eventually hit 8,000 Taco Bells in the years ahead.
Currently Pizza Hut is the largest of Yum’s three chains across the United States.
Pizza Hut has roughly 7,700 U.S. locations, and while Yum expects to expand the pizza chain, too, a company spokesperson told Businessweek there isn’t a forecast for “the number of units we plan to have one day, as we have with Taco Bell.”
Taco Bell has outshone its Yum siblings in the U.S. recently, with same-store sales jumping 3% last year while Pizza Hut and KFC saw declines of 2%.
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