Two brands, Kentucky and KFC: both come from the same industry, both have “Kentucky” in their name, and both are franchises with many locations in Argentina. What is the difference between them? And how have they been able to operate despite these similarities? Let’s take a look.
If you have ever walked around the City of Buenos Aires or the greater Buenos Aires metropolitan area (AMBA), you have probably noticed — or been confused by — the Kentucky and KFC restaurants operating just a few yards from each other, all the more so because they are in the same industry: food service.
Let’s clear up the picture for these two brands competing in the fast-food sector.
Kentucky
On one side is the Kentucky brand, an iconic chain of pizzerias founded in Argentina in 1942 by a group of friends who, after a losing streak at the horse races, won the Kentucky prize. With their winnings, they went all in on the restaurant business under this brand. Today the chain is part of the Desarrolladora Gastronómica holding company, which also owns the brands Sbarro, Dandy, Sunny, Chicken Chill, Punny, and Pizzería Guerrin.
KFC
On the other side is KFC, which started out as Kentucky Fried Chicken and is the largest fried chicken chain in the world. It is the second-largest chain by number of franchises, behind only McDonald’s. It was founded in 1952 by the legendary Colonel Sanders, who started frying chicken in 1929 and created his own recipe with eleven herbs and spices. That took him from anonymity to becoming the face of the brand, which today belongs to the Yum! group, whose portfolio of registered trademarks also includes Pizza Hut and Taco Bell.
Conclusion: why Kentucky and KFC can coexist
Although both have locations in other provinces, the AMBA is the only area where they overlap geographically. So how can they coexist with such similar names?
The answer is simple, and it comes from Javier Eguía, director of Eguía Marcas y Patentes. He explains that although the US chain changed its name from Kentucky Fried Chicken to the initials KFC in 2021, it was Kentucky that had registered the word as a trademark first — not to mention that today the two names are far less likely to cause confusion than they once were.
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