Yum! Brands’ KFC and Taco Bell Operate First Green Restaurant

Yum! Brands has carefully studied the environmental performance of the existing KFC-Taco Bell restaurant design and through the application of an integrated approach, a green transformation has occurred.

09/03/09 Yum! Brands, Inc. the world’s largest restaurant company and parent of Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, KFC, has opened an environmentally-friendly KFC-Taco Bell restaurant in Northampton, Massachusetts. The restaurant is the Company’s first effort to pursue certification under the United States Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) program. With the assistance of some of the leading sustainability and restaurant experts, Yum! Brands has carefully studied the environmental performance of the existing KFC-Taco Bell restaurant design and through the application of an integrated approach, a green transformation has occurred.

“The Northampton KFC-Taco Bell is part of our E3 Initiative focusing on the Energy, Environment and Economics of our buildings,” said Jonathan Balas, AIA, LEED AP, KFC Project Architect, the architect who spearheaded and coordinated the project.

Highlights of the restaurant design can be categorized by several key aspects: reducing carbon footprint, water conservation and quality, and sensible building materials and resources use. The restaurant, designed to use 30 percent less energy and water than a conventional building, also cuts CO2 emissions, reduces waste going to landfills/incinerators and educates visitors and employees on sustainable design.

In order to reduce its carbon footprint, the restaurant uses solar energy to preheat fresh air coming into the building which reduces the use of natural gas. Additionally, the restaurant is using a sophisticated lighting control system that maximizes the use of natural light. LED lights, the most energy-efficient available today, were utilized where feasible both inside the restaurant, in the parking lot and on signage. Utilizing more energy efficient kitchen and building equipment, and purchasing renewable energy credits, also minimizes the restaurant’s carbon footprint.

Water conservation is a high priority in the new KFC-Taco Bell restaurant. Harvested rainwater is used for irrigation. Fixtures with lower water consumption rates, and a rain garden with filters that improve storm water quality, are in place to address conservation and water use.

Many of the materials used to build the green restaurant, such as counter tops and building insulation, contained recycled content. The wood used during construction was sustainably harvested. The restaurant composts and recycles waste, including enhanced cooking oil reclamation. The building also reduces the environmental impact of new construction and provides a testing “lab” to confirm the feasibility and green performance of new technologies.

Massachusetts is an ideal setting for this ambitious building exploration. Northampton residents have already embraced efforts to reduce society’s environmental footprint on the planet, so the restaurant was a good fit. Customers can cycle to the restaurant utilizing a bicycle path which connects to the parking lot, and patrons driving hybrid cars will enjoy the benefit of preferred parking.

Yum! Brands issued its first Corporate Responsibility Report titled “Serving the World” during the fourth quarter of 2008. The Report examines Yum! Brands' social, environmental and economic impact based on company and external stakeholder expectations, with focus on: Corporate Governance and Ethics, Public Policy and Government Affairs, Culture and People Development, Health and Nutrition, Environment, Supply Chain, and Community.