[arista]

[KFC is leaving Kentucky.

The fast food giant, once known as
Kentucky Fried Chicken, is relocating
its corporate office to Texas in a
shake-up announced earlier this week.
Started by Colonel Harland Sanders,
KFC will be based in Plano, Texas,
moving forward.

Around 100 corporate employees will be
relocated in the next six months,
Yum Brands, KFC's parent company
which also owns Taco Bell and
Pizza Hut, said.
In recent years, other companies have
also relocated to Texas,
a popular destination thanks to
its low-tax and business-friendly policies,
according to a 2023 report by
the CBRE investment firm.

Governor of Kentucky Andy Beshear
was quick to respond to the news.
He said: "I am disappointed by this
decision and believe the company's
founder would be, too.

"This company's name starts with
Kentucky, and it has marketed our
state's heritage and culture in the sale
of its product."]


https://news.sky.com/story/kfc-to-tf...texas-13312968

Makes sense to move to Texas.
Saving Money.

[user104658]

I hope TFC's popcorn chicken is more consistent.

[Maru]

In balance, we've lost other franchises that were traditionally owned and located here either closing down or relocating out the state (Whataburger comes to mind). This means they eventually will lose what we loved about them and while it's bittersweet to see some of the changes, it's all part of life.

We do love us some chicken, though.

What's not being mentioned in these articles regarding low taxes and being "business friendly" is that it's questionable if our power grid can even handle all this growth. There's projections we might not be able to outpace demand in 2026 if it keeps up. It may not come to be, but we've been paying much higher rates over a period of time as a result because some of the generation is put to the side to be added in when we have weather events... all very common. That said our insurance market is starting to look rough...

S:
Texas’ energy demand may exceed supply in 2026, but experts caution against panic
https://apnews.com/us-news/texas-gen...b3eacb20e9bd6f
Texas electricity demand could nearly double in six years, grid operator predicts
https://www.texastribune.org/2024/06...orecast-ercot/

[arista]

[questionable if our power grid can even handle all this growth.]

Yes, they will have to Enlarge
the Power for Texas.

Many California Companies
are moving to Texas.


I went to Houston, Texas
some time back,
Nice and clean place.

[Maru]

Originally Posted by arista

[questionable if our power grid can even handle all this growth.]

Yes, they will have to Enlarge
the Power for Texas.

Many California Companies
are moving to Texas.


I went to Houston, Texas
some time back,
Nice and clean place.

Houston is a concrete forest for sure and so many people won't agree with that last statement , but yes parts of it are coming up and modernizing quite nicely.

Though husband just showed me an article saying we are #1 for the "most" financially distressed right next to Atlanta, which is considered a sister city... I can't connect that to first hand experience except maybe if you look at average salary, you can still find zips where it's very low. And yet our cost of living is accessible so it's very easy to get into trouble here with a cheaper living, I think... it's not always easy to see how real life translates to paper. Many Americans are massively in debt and yet seem to be OK with maintaining it as a status quo, even though it's not impossible to get out of it...

Anyway, back to the grid, historically our power had been really cheap. After Winter Storm Uri and the Texas Blackout, they made changes to make sure there was enough generation set aside so it could be made available during a dangerous change in frequency. Supposedly that's not actually the case it's been said, but we put a significant amount of supply towards that which meant rates jumped... And yes, our rates went up 20-25% after Uri. Also didn't help it was the same year Biden had been elected. I made a profitable gamble that year on a 3 year plan and we paid what used to be normal rates for 3 years when it was really bad and rates were at 14-15c/kW avg. Depending on the time of the year ,it's still that expensive, but for a while we were still paying 9c/kW. It worked out because I was definitely not conservative with the thermostat during both pregnancy and then nursing... since then we've installed an eco friendly thermostat with multiple sensors so that it can turn off when the house averages out to an ideal temp and we set it conservatively.

Whether they add generation or not, we still will be fighting high rates. I know the average across the country is up as well. Allegedly Trump can supposedly address this. But what he can't address is that people are not willing to approve reliable forms of generation that could meet demand (nuclear, etc) and so they're falling back on batteries, etc... and it isn't helped either that now the govt says they will invest in AI... Part of the reason we are having trouble with demand is because of growth in tech and so time will if our infrastructure can hold with the booming changes in the tech industry... Elon also moved Tesla production here and I've seen more Cyber Trucks than I thought I'd ever see here with us being such a hub for oil.

[Ninastar]

KFC is better than Chic fila

I will die on this hill

[user104658]

Originally Posted by Maru

I made a profitable gamble that year on a 3 year plan and we paid what used to be normal rates for 3 years when it was really bad and rates were at 14-15c/kW avg. Depending on the time of the year ,it's still that expensive, but for a while we were still paying 9c/kW.

Can I just take this opportunity to let you know that average rates (in US cents) in the UK are currently around 32c/kW . ... and during the "energy crisis" peaked at something like 45c/kW.

[Maru]

Originally Posted by Ninastar

KFC is better than Chic fila

I will die on this hill