Yum! Brands Throws Down a Challenge to McDonald's and Burger King
Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM) has traditionally operated restaurants seen as an alternative to the more traditional burgers and fries establishments offered by McDonald's (NYSE: MCD) and Restaurants Brands International's (NYSE: QSR) Burger King. The company owns Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and KFC -- three non-burger chains that greatly expanded the fast-food market.
These days, McDonald's and Burger King face all sorts of burger-focused challengers. A number of companies have launched or expanded higher-end fast-casual burger chains that put pricing and quality pressure on the established burger-based players.
After focusing on being the alternative for so long, Yum! has decided to jump on that burger-based trend and take on the big players more directly by buying the Habit Burger Grill (NASDAQ: HABT) chain for $14 per share, or approximately $375 million.
Source Fool.com