Pizza Hut, KFC and Taco Bell sales bounce back as restrictions ease

Profit at the company that runs Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and KFC restaurants more than tripled during the first quarter and same-store sales surged as coronavirus restrictions began to lift this year.

Yum Brands earned 326 million dollars (£234 million) for the period ending March 31, which last year was marked by exploding Covid-19 infections in the US.

In that three-month stretch last year, the company’s profit fell to 83 million dollars (£60 million), compared with 262 million dollars (£188 million) in the same three months in 2019.

So the bounceback for the company’s restaurants was better than pre-pandemic levels.

Revenue jumped 18% to 1.49 billion dollars (£1.07 billion), beating expectations.

Sales at stores open at least a year, a key gauge of a restaurant operator’s health, climbed 9%.

KFC’s same-store sales increased 14% in the US, while Pizza Hut’s grew 16%. Those results were double its performances overseas.