“In today’s economic and credit environment, any step you can take to assist franchisees with meeting their growth plans is vitally important,” said Scott Haner, KFC director of franchising. “We want to give our franchisees every possible edge in securing financing for new restaurants, and KFC being added to the S.B.A. Registry is a big advantage for them.”
The Franchise Registry is a national listing of approved franchise systems whose franchisees receive expedited loan processing when applying for financial assistance from the U.S. Small Business Administration by centralizing the review process. The registry allows the S.B.A. to make consistent eligibility decisions regarding franchise systems, to cut red tape in the system, and to speed access to S.B.A. financial assistance.
There are more than 5,000 KFC restaurants in the U.S., and more than 80% of them are operated by KFC franchisees. Less than 30% of all franchise systems qualify to be listed on the Franchise Registry.
KFC Corporation calls itself the world’s most popular chicken restaurant chain. There are more than 15,000 KFC outlets operating in 109 countries and territories around the world serving some 12 million customers each day. KFC Corporation is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands Inc.