LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Citing the importance of customer and employee health, restaurant leaders KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) and Pizza Hut both announced they will enact a No Smoking Policy for all company-owned restaurants. KFC and Pizza Hut are divisions of Louisville, Ky.-based Yum! Brands.
Beginning this week and on a phased basis, "No Smoking" signs will be placed in all 1,200 KFC and 1,675 Pizza Hut restaurants owned by the company in the United States. The companies will also actively encourage their respective franchise operators to participate [image-nocss] in this effort. There are 4,200 KFC franchised restaurants and 4,600 Pizza Hut franchised restaurants in the United States.
The move is in response to the growing concern and heightened awareness of second-hand smoke, lung-cancer illness and recent lung-cancer deaths. In a joint statement, Gregg Dedrick, president of KFC, and Peter Hearl, president of Pizza Hut said, "KFC and Pizza Hut are concerned about our customers' and employees' health regarding the dangers of second-hand smoke. We are taking this action today to help heighten awareness of second-hand smoke issues raised by the U.S. Surgeon General, Richard Carmona, who has indicated second-hand smoke may be harmful and hazardous to the health of the general public. This is a critical issue. In our opinion, going smoke-free is simply the right thing to do."
John L. Kirkwood, president and CEO of the American Lung Association, applauded the restaurant chains' efforts. This shows that they are concerned about the health of their employees and customers, he said. Our experience is that the public embraces smoke-free environments. We hope that others follow their lead."
Yum! Brands Inc. is the world's largest restaurant company in terms of system restaurants with nearly 34,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries and territories. With today's announcement, all company-owned KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Long John Silver's and A&W All-American Foods Restaurants will be smoke-free in the United States and in many markets around the globe.
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