Profit at the company that runs Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and KFC restaurants more than tripled during the first quarter and same-store sales surged as coronavirus restrictions began to lift this year.
Yum Brands earned $326 million (€269 million) for the period ending March 31st, which last year was marked by exploding Covid-19 infections in the US.
In that three-month stretch last year, the company’s profit fell to $83 million, compared with $262 million in the same three months in 2019.
![Taco Bell restaurant](https://img.resized.co/breaking-news/eyJkYXRhIjoie1widXJsXCI6XCJodHRwczpcXFwvXFxcL2ltYWdlLmFzc2V0cy5wcmVzc2Fzc29jaWF0aW9uLmlvXFxcL3YyXFxcL2ltYWdlXFxcL3Byb2R1Y3Rpb25cXFwvYmViN2RlYTA1MDEwMGQ3N2MxOGI0MGU0NjMwMTdjNDVZMjl1ZEdWdWRITmxZWEpqYUdGd2FTd3hOakU1TnpBME9EQTFcXFwvMi41NDIxMDEwMy5qcGc_dz02NDBcIixcIndpZHRoXCI6bnVsbCxcImhlaWdodFwiOjYwMCxcImRlZmF1bHRcIjpcImh0dHBzOlxcXC9cXFwvd3d3LmJyZWFraW5nbmV3cy5pZVxcXC9pbWFnZXNcXFwvbm8taW1hZ2UucG5nXCIsXCJvcHRpb25zXCI6e1wib3V0cHV0XCI6XCJ3ZWJwXCJ9fSIsImhhc2giOiI4MDAyMDNhODY4NzgwMjE0NWU2ZTAyN2M5ODlhMzQwMzI5MWMzZmEyIn0=/pizza-hut-kfc-and-taco-bell-sales-bounce-back-in-us-as-restrictions-ease.jpg?w=640)
So the bounceback for the company’s restaurants was better than pre-pandemic levels.
Revenue jumped 18 per cent to $1.49 billion, beating expectations.
Sales at stores open at least a year, a key gauge of a restaurant operator’s health, climbed 9 per cent.
KFC’s same-store sales increased 14 per cent in the US, while Pizza Hut’s grew 16 per cent. Those results were double its performances overseas.