Barney Wolf at QSR Magazine contacted a half-dozen "major KFC owners" to comment for his lengthy expose about CEO David Novak's global leadership of KFC parent Yum! Brands.
Not one of them agreed to talk.
Here's what Andrew Seldon, an attorney and counsel for the Association of KFC Franchisees had to say to QSR Magazine:
“They’re all terrified. [They] don’t want to get on the targeting radar."
There's always some animosity in the franchiser-franchisee relationship, but things have gotten quite heated at KFC between Novak and his minions.
Novak inherited a culture full of financial problems and animosity when he became president of KFC in 1996. After his promotion to CEO of parent Yum! Brands and some court cases involving marketing decisions and store remodelings, KFC owners have become fearful of his wrath.
Novak now has a new exec, John Cywinski, running KFC in the U.S., and so far it looks like the franchisees like his new marketing plan and willingness to reach out.