KFC Lets The Cat Out Of The Bag, Announces Chester Cheetah As Newest Colonel

LOUISVILLE, Ky., June 28, 2019 Kentucky Fried Chicken® and the fan-favorite Cheetos® brand today announced the nationwide launch of the Cheetos Sandwich with assistance from its newest Colonel, the most mischievous cat around: Chester Cheetah®.

Chester is the first brand icon and spokescheetah to portray KFC's famous founder, Colonel Harland Sanders. He will take the reins on KFC's social channels and appear on TV screens in ad spots (beginning June 30) to promote the iconic co-branded partnership and remind Cheetos and KFC lovers everywhere that the new Cheetos Sandwich is only available at KFC through the end of July.  

The Cheetos Sandwich – a juicy, hand-breaded Extra Crispy™ chicken filet drizzled with a special Cheetos sauce, layered over Cheetos and mayo, placed on a toasted bun – will satisfy all your crunchy, cheesy wishes.

"The combination of these two finger lickin' good favorites – our famous fried chicken and Cheetos – was a no brainer," said Andrea Zahumensky, chief marketing officer, KFC U.S.  "After a very popular test market we knew we had to introduce it nationwide, and a sandwich this anticipated needed a Colonel like we've never seen before. There was no one better 'suited' than Chester Cheetah himself."

"We have a massive fan base that loves experiencing the Cheetos brand in new ways, and we hope we delight our fans with our best collaboration yet," said Dena vonWerssowetz, senior director of marketing, Frito-Lay North America. "The merging of our two iconic brands is sure to be a phenomenon."

To prepare for the role, Chester donned his best white Colonel suit, posed in a digital billboard spot and even took over a New York City KFC (242 E. 14^th Street), hosting an Instagrammable and exclusive pop-up event on June 27. The party featured one-of-a-kind KFC and Cheetos mashup menu items available only at the event and an exclusive first taste of the new Cheetos Sandwich for consumers.

Chester took it upon himself to "Cheetos-fy" the entire restaurant, including a 28 feet by 12 feet long wall mural painted outside the restaurant by artist, Vizie, in what he calls "an explosion of flavor." The abstract and colorful mural is a symbolic representation to show the merging of two renowned brands, KFC and Cheetos, and is available for fans to snap a selfie in front of through the end of July.

As part of the launch, KFC will also introduce the Cheetos Lovers Box meal, which includes the Cheetos Sandwich, Popcorn Nuggets drizzled in Cheetos sauce, mac and cheese, wedges and a medium drink (prices and participation may vary).

About KFC
KFC Corporation, based in Louisville, Ky., is the world's most popular chicken restaurant chain. KFC specializes in Original Recipe®, Extra Crispy™, Kentucky Grilled Chicken® and Extra Crispy™ Tenders, Hot Wings®, KFC Famous Bowls®, Pot Pies, freshly hand prepared chicken sandwiches, biscuits and homestyle side items. There are more than 22,000 KFC restaurants in over 135 countries and territories around the world. KFC Corporation is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., Louisville, Ky. (NYSE:  YUM). For more information, visit www.kfc.com. Follow KFC on Facebook (www.facebook.com/kfc), Twitter (www.twitter.com/kfc) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/KFC).

About Cheetos
Cheetos is one of the many brands that make up Frito-Lay North America, the $16 billion convenient foods division of PepsiCo, Inc. PEP, which is headquartered in Purchase, NY. Learn more about Frito-Lay at the corporate website, http://www.fritolay.com/, the Snack Chat blog, http://www.snacks.com/ and on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/fritolay.

About PepsiCo
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $64 billion in net revenue in 2018, driven by a complementary food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker and Tropicana. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Convenient Foods and Beverages by Winning with Purpose. "Winning with Purpose" reflects our ambition to win sustainably in the marketplace and embed purpose into all aspects of the business. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com

SOURCE KFC