KFC drops Pepsi for Coca Cola in US restaurants

Grab a bucket of chicken and check the fountain machine next year. KFC just announced it is ditching PepsiCo beverages and switching to Coca-Cola across all of its United States restaurants by the end of the first quarter of 2027. It is the first time the fried chicken chain has changed its drink supplier in decades. Catherine Tan-Gillespie, the president of KFC U.S., wrote in a memo to employees that the swap is a critical step to win back diners who have walked away to rivals like Chick-fil-A and Popeyes. For the parent company Yum Brands, the split ends a loyalty that began when Pepsi bought KFC back in 1986 and made the chicken chain a Pepsi-only house. Even after Pepsi spun off KFC and its sister chains into Yum Brands, the soda partnership stayed locked in place until now. Sister chains like Taco Bell will keep serving their Pepsi drinks like Mountain Dew Baja Blast, but KFC locations are clearing out the coolers. "This decision is a critical step in the Kentucky Fried Comeback," Tan-Gillespie wrote in her memo. Beverage contracts in the fast-food world are massive prizes, and the giants constantly battle to pour their syrup into your cup. Just recently, Pepsi poached Subway from Coca-Cola, while Coke has been winning over chains like Arby's and Panda Express. For you, the change means your lunch order will taste a little different the next time you pull up to the drive-thru window. At least nobody has to give up the biscuits.