Classic fried chicken chain has shuttered over 300 locations in the US — with the most closures in California

KFC has shut down more than 40 stores in California -- the chicken chain's largest footprint of closures since last year. Adriana - stock.adobe.com They’re flying the coop. Classic American fried chicken chain KFC has permanently closed a total of 44 restaurants across California from July 2025 to July 2026, according to a new analysis from search visibility platform Local Falcon. The chain closed 312 restaurants nationwide in the same period, representing a 7.6% loss in the chain’s national footprint. To discover which locations were inactive, Local Falcon compared the numbers from the chain’s public store locator on its website from July 2025 to July 2026. Each location that produced a 404 error was cross-verified against Google Maps to confirm it was permanently closed. KFC closed 312 r