Yum! Brands announced Tuesday that it will fully leave Russia, as the invasion of Ukraine continues.

In June, the company transferred ownership of all Pizza Hut franchise assets to a local operator that will rebrand the stores. Yum! is also in advanced talks to transfer ownership of its KFC restaurants, operating system, and master franchise rights. Once that transaction is complete, the company will fully exit Russia.

In March, Yum! suspended operations of all corporately owned restaurants and halted investment and development efforts. Russia is home to roughly 1,000 KFC and 50 Pizza Hut units, most of which are under license or franchise agreements with independent owners. At that time, the company redirected all profits from Russia to humanitarian efforts and donated $1 million to the Red Cross. Yum! also used its disaster relief fund to support Ukrainian franchise employees and matched worker donations to UNICEF, Red Cross, World Food Programme, and International Rescue Committee.

Taco Bell and Cheez-It have come together for the ultimate Test Kitchen test: the Big Cheez-It Tostada. The Big Cheez-It Tostada features the eye-catching Cheez-It square topped with seasoned beef, reduced-fat sour cream, fresh diced tomatoes, crisp lettuce and shredded cheddar cheese.

But that’s not all. A crunchier, exclusive surprise awaits for users of the Taco Bell website and mobile app: the Big Cheez-It Crunchwrap Supreme. This version includes seasoned beef, nacho cheese sauce, lettuce, reduced-fat sour cream and diced tomatoes, but the typical tostada shell is swapped for the oversized Cheez-It cracker before being wrapped inside a tortilla that’s grilled to go. This is the first time Taco Bell has offered a digital exclusive as part of a one-restaurant test.

The Big Cheez-It Tostada ($2.49) and the Big Cheez-It Crunchwrap Supreme ($4.29) are both currently testing at only one Taco Bell location in Irvine, CA for two weeks.

Taco Bell’s most innovative restaurant will have a four-lane drive-thru.  Nicknamed “Taco Bell Defy”, the new prototype opens in Minnesota in June.  Three of the four drive-thru lanes are specifically mobile orders and third-party delivery, while the fourth is a traditional lane with speaker box and menu board. After customers complete their order in the drive-thru, a Team Member places the meal in a vertical lift system that transports the order to guests.

KFC is continuing its partnership with rapper (and Kentucky native) Jack Harlow.  KFC announced the new “Jack Harlow Meal,” which will drop at KFC locations nationwide beginning June 6.

The combo meal, hand-selected by Harlow himself, includes the brand’s spicy chicken sandwich, mac & cheese, secret recipe fries, a side of ranch, and a lemonade.

“From releasing ‘Come Home the Kids Miss You’ and now launching my own meal at KFC, I’m having a super blessed summer,” Harlow said in a press release.

He added that the meal brings together his childhood favorites from growing up in Louisville (like the brand’s classic mac & cheese) to newer menu items such as the spicy chicken sandwich (released in 2021) and secret recipe fries (first introduced in 2020.)

Thursday, May 19 is the first day the pizza is officially available to order, but Taco Bell Rewards members have early access Tuesday and Wednesday when ordering on the mobile app for in-store or drive-thru orders. Loyalty members who joined by the Super Bowl also will have a reward to get the pizza for free, redeemable through June 1. As an IOU, Taco Bell Rewards Members who received a mystery reward back during the Big Game will score a free Mexican Pizza when it’s back May 19, and loyalty members will get first dibs with early access to the menu item beginning May 17.  The free pizza reward is valid from 5/19 through 6/1 and redeemable only via the Taco Bell mobile app for in-store/drive-thru pickup orders.

Dolly Parton is starring in a TikTok musical about Taco Bell’s Mexican Pizza. The musical will premiere live on TikTok on May 26th. The country music icon shared the news about her leading role in “Mexican Pizza: The Musical” on social media. “I’m making #MexicanPizzaTheMusical with @TacoBell,” Parton wrote in an Instagram post, which contained a photo of the screenplay. The satirical musical is “based on the true story of the Internet losing its mind” after the fast-food chain removed the product from its menu in late 2020, according to the screenplay shared on Parton’s Instagram post.

“They used to make a little … Mexican Pizza,” Parton said of Taco Bell, “which is also good. I love that.”

***UPDATE 5/27/22***

“Mexican Pizza: The Musical” has been postponed.  The event will likely be rescheduled to a later date.

This Mother’s Day, KFC and Proflowers are helping you celebrate mom like never before – introducing the Kentucky Fried Buckquet, a DIY floral arrangement that, once  assembled, can be part fried chicken, part fresh flowers and altogether amazing.

Order a KFC Sides Lovers Meal for Mother’s Day via the KFC mobile app or kfc.com (offer online only, not available in restaurants) between May 1-3 and receive a promo code to redeem your very own free Kentucky Fried Buckquet kit from Proflowers. The Kentucky Fried Buckquet kit from Proflowers will include 12 colorful and vibrant roses, a glass vase, a KFC vase applique, eight skewers (for KFC’s world famous fried chicken separately purchased and not included in kit) and a card to tell mom just how much you love her (as if the Buckquet didn’t do so already!).

Following a two year absence, the Mexican Pizza is coming back!

After the decision back in 2020 to remove the popular Mexican Pizza from the menu, fans have been clamoring for its return. The effort led to a Change.org petition signed by more than 200,000 frustrated customers. After nearly two years of outcry on social media, Taco Bell announced it’s bringing the fan-favorite back: “I’m glad we could give fans what they crave and bring our classic Mexican Pizza back home where it belongs,” said CEO Mark King. The return of the pizza will be rolled out on May 19th, but will “only be available through DoorDash for the first week of its re-release.”

LVE is excited to announce the grand opening of the newest Taco Bell in North Carolina!  Located in Gateway Commons minutes from the Heritage and Traditions communities in Wake Forest. This new location is our First with Double Drive-Thru!

We are proud to join the community and further build the brand!  Congratulations to the LVE Development team led by Mario Flores, Area Coach Desmond Toon, and General Manager Asmar Wilson!

951 Gateway Commons Circle, Wake Forest, NC