Other outlets are due to open soon in Tehran and other cities all around the country, a group claiming to be franchise holders announced last week.
But the American owners of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) denounced it as a lie. They said they have granted no franchises in Iran.
The CEO of the claimed franchise, Amir-Hossain Ali-zadeh, made a point at a news conference of saying that the restaurant is not in any way American, despite his sitting in front of the familiar KFC logo and claiming that he holds a KFC franchise, the website Qanoononline reported.
“The name of our restaurant is KFC,” he said. “But we’re not an American brand. We’re not an American company.”
In a franchise arrangement, the foreign company owning the franchise is indeed not American. But the whole point of having the franchise is to market an American product to the standards set by that American company. The very term “franchise” means the shop is locked tightly to the parent company.
Alizadeh said it had taken him five years to get both the franchise agreement with KFC and a license from the government of Iran to open outlets in Iran.
He said, “With the purchase of the rights from the mother company, Iranian KFC—and not American KFC—has been inaugurated.”
But a spokesperson for Yum! Restaurants International, the owner of KFC and other fast-food chains, told the Iran Times, “We have no plans to open KFC restaurants in Iran. We have filed a legal action against the company and individuals claiming to have rights to open KFC restaurants in Iran.”
Kentucky Fried Chicken outlets were common in Iran before the revolution. Afterward, many of the fast-food shops continued to operate on their own without a link to KFC in the United States. Many food shops in Iran have also lifted the logos and designs of other famous American and European businesses. For example, the golden arches can easily be found in Tehran, though they are usually taller or squatter than the design familiar in North America and they have no connection to the McDonald’s company.
Under US sanctions, it is illegal for Yum! Restaurants to sell any franchises for restaurant operations in Iran.
Alizadeh insisted his claimed franchise would fully adhere to all KFC standards, but would also offer a menu of 32 other dishes of Iranian cuisine.