For almost 40 years, a soft drink at KFC in the United States has meant Pepsi, and that is about to change. KFC said its restaurants will move to Coca-Cola products, with the transition starting in January 2027, according to Nation’s Restaurant News.
The announcement came on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, and Coca-Cola products are expected to be served in all U.S. KFC restaurants by spring 2027. The Takeout recapped the move on Nov. 10 in a roundup of changes coming to chains in 2027.
What KFC and Coca-Cola Said
Nation’s Restaurant News quotes KFC U.S. President Catherine Tan-Gillespie from the company’s statement describing KFC and Coca-Cola as “two originals, with deep consumer love.” She described the partnership as more than what is in the cup and as another step in evolving KFC and giving customers a more relevant experience.
Dagmar Boggs, Coca-Cola’s president of foodservice and on-premise for North America, said in the same release that the partnership brings Coca-Cola and KFC together across the U.S. for the first time, according to NRN. Atlanta News First, in a story carried by WCAX, reported that Boggs also described a chance to pair KFC’s food and flavors with Coca-Cola’s beverage portfolio and innovation capabilities. On drinks at home, Frenz Hub has a post titled Single Cup or Full Pot? Keurig K-Express vs Ninja Fresh Brew for Fall Mornings and Holiday Guests.
Atlanta News First notes that Coca-Cola is Atlanta-based and counts KFC’s U.S. locations in the thousands. The company statement, as carried by that report, described the change as part of KFC’s effort to refresh its menu and beverage platform and create more reasons for customers to visit. On beverages at home, Frenz Hub has a post titled Breakfast Station: Top Picks for 2026.
A Pepsi Partnership That Began in 1986
NRN reports that PepsiCo bought KFC in 1986 and made Pepsi the exclusive beverage partner for U.S. locations. Wikipedia’s entry on KFC says the sale was announced in July 1986 and completed that October. On seasonal food, craftingyourhome.com has a post titled 10 Christmas Cookies Families Bake Every December.
The ties outlasted the ownership. NRN says that even after PepsiCo spun off its restaurants into Yum Brands in 1997, the beverage partnership continued. Wikipedia’s page on PepsiCo lists KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell among the restaurant brands the company divested in that period. The 1986 deal dates to the decade covered in Frenz Hub’s post titled 8 Little Rituals From the ’80s and ’90s That Disappeared Without Much Notice.
What Stays With Pepsi
The change applies to KFC in the U.S. NRN says PepsiCo will remain a beverage partner for KFC in international markets.
The Takeout, in a Nov. 10 piece by Joe Hoeffner, adds that the other Yum! brands stay on the Pepsi side. Its article names Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and KFC as the best-known Pepsi chains and says Taco Bell and Pizza Hut will keep serving Pepsi after the change. It lists McDonald’s, Burger King and Wendy’s as the better-known Coca-Cola chains. With Thanksgiving on Nov. 26, craftingyourhome.com has a post titled 9 Pies That Show Up on Thanksgiving Tables Across America.
The Takeout also says KFC will continue to sell Pepsi products internationally, which matches NRN’s account.
Part of a Bigger KFC Refresh
NRN places the switch inside what it calls a “comeback plan” that KFC put in place last year, shortly after Tan-Gillespie took on her role. The trade publication says the plan followed years of market share erosion and has included refreshed marketing, new value offerings and the return of favorites such as potato wedges and popcorn chicken. NRN quotes Tan-Gillespie as describing the brand as “loved but latent.”
The drinks menu is also changing in other ways. NRN says KFC’s new Open House prototype in McKinney, Texas has a Sips lineup that includes lemonades, boba refreshers and Krunch shakes. Atlanta News First’s report describes the Open House drink lineup as including iced coffee, boba and shakes.
NRN adds that the announcement comes as KFC continues to evolve its beverage platform through new drinks and expanded dayparts in response to what it calls significant consumer demand.
The Takeout frames the move as part of a general plan to revitalize a chain that has struggled to keep up with Chick-fil-A, Popeyes and Raising Cane’s. That is the outlet’s own assessment, offered alongside the news of the switch. Its roundup also covers three other 2027 shifts: more AI at chains such as Bojangles and Starbucks, a McDonald’s plan running through 2036 with $8.5 billion in restaurant improvements, and expansion by White Castle, Cava, Shake Shack and Chipotle.
What Is Still Open
The statements quoted by NRN and Atlanta News First say when the switch begins and when it should finish, but they do not list which Coca-Cola drinks will be offered or what any item will cost.
The timing is spelled out in two steps. Coca-Cola products begin arriving in January 2027, and NRN says they should be in all KFC restaurants across the U.S. by spring 2027. Both outlets describe it as a switch after roughly 40 years of Pepsi.
For now, the facts are short. KFC announced the move on Oct. 15, 2026. The U.S. switch from Pepsi to Coca-Cola begins in January 2027 and is expected to be complete by spring. Pepsi stays at KFC outside the U.S., and at Taco Bell and Pizza Hut.
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
Image: Willis Lam – CC BY-SA 2.0/Wikimedia Commons
