2 popular fast food restaurants closed neighboring locations in Raleigh. What we know
A building that formerly housed two fast food chains known for creative menus and iconic branding is now lifeless.
KFC and Taco Bell used to have locations at the building, located at the busy Raleigh intersection at Six Forks and Millbrook. Both restaurants closed.
All signs have been removed from the facade, tan paper covers the windows and the drive thru menu board is empty.
Even the posters that direct would-be customers to a nearby Taco Bell location (8801 Six Forks Road) lack the companies’ names. The closest they come is the abbreviation “TB.” None of the signs mention KFC.
KFC’s website does not seem to have been updated. As of publication, it still shows that the location at 5434 Six Forks Road is open.
Why did the restaurants close?
KFC and Taco Bell did not immediately respond to The News & Observer’s requests for more information about this story, including the reason for the locations’ closure.
However, people on Reddit have complained that they often waited long periods to receive their orders at the Six Forks location. (It’s unclear whether customers visited KFC or Taco Bell.) When the orders were ready, the Reddit users wrote, they were incorrect.
Where are other nearby Taco Bell and KFC restaurants?
Excluding the closed KFC on Six Forks Road, the fried chicken restaurant has two locations in Raleigh city limits.
- One is on Capital Boulevard, adjacent to a Taco Bell location.
- The other is at 3408 Poole Road.
Taco Bell’s website shows 10 restaurants in Raleigh, though the location at 6405 Falls of Neuse Road is temporarily closed for a renovation.
How are KFC and Taco Bell doing overall?
The fried chicken and Mexican-inspired food chains share a parent company, Yum! Brands, which also owns Pizza Hut and Habit Burger & Grill.
Company leaders were optimistic at the end of last year, which was “marked with exceptional core operating profit growth given the complex consumer environment,” Yum! Brands CEO David Gibbs said in a statement.
Taco Bell had a “momentum-filled 2024,” the company wrote in a news release. It recorded $1 billion in profit for the first time and opened nearly 350 locations across 25 countries last year.
KFC had nearly 32,000 stores globally at the end of 2024, an increase from 29,900 at the end of 2023.
Both Taco Bell and KFC have recently debuted new concepts.
- KFC has Saucy, which opened in Orlando in December. It offers 11 sauces that can be paired with chicken tenders or sandwiches, alongside fries, coleslaw or Hawaiian rolls.
- In San Diego, Taco Bell has Live Más Café, a beverage-focused restaurant with 30 drinks including “Churro Chillers,” aguas frescas and specialty coffees.
This story was originally published March 13, 2025 at 1:08 PM with the headline "2 popular fast food restaurants closed neighboring locations in Raleigh. What we know."
