Yum! Brands Outperformed QSR Category in Q2
Meanwhile, Placer.ai said that McDonald’s saw traffic decline in the quarter.
Jul 30, 2026 | 2 min read
Yum! Brands outperformed the greater QSR category in Q2 2026, according to research from foot traffic research firm Placer.ai. Yum! saw visits dip 0.5% YoY against the category's 3.0% decline, and visits per location were up 1.0%.
“All three of Yum's QSR brands outperformed the category on average visits per location. Most intriguingly, Pizza Hut—the brand Yum! agreed in June to sell for $2.7 billion—posted the portfolio’s strongest per-location growth, at 4.4% YoY. The Habit Burger & Grill also stood out, with overall visits rising 4.3%—well ahead of the fast-casual category’s 1.7% gain,” Placer.ai wrote.
At Taco Bell, the QSR entered Q2 with “strong momentum,” having posted 8% same-store sales growth in Q1. Yet visit growth was moderate in Q2, turning modestly negative in May and June. Placer.ai said heading into the second half of the year, it is unclear how the QSR’s July recall, which began just after the quarter ended, will weigh on visits.
Over at KFC, same-store visits trended slightly negative in April, May and June, while total visits fell 3.5% YoY, with Placer.ai suggesting that some demand from shuttered stores may have shifted to competitors in the crowded chicken category.
“Yum! Brands closed the first half of 2026 ahead of its respective segments on per-location traffic, even as Taco Bell—the primary engine of its recent outperformance—lost momentum,” Placer.ai concluded.
Meanwhile at competitor McDonald’s, traffic declined throughout the second quarter, “likely reflecting greater exposure to lower-income consumers facing higher gas prices and food costs,” Placer.ai said in a different report.
The research firm noted that McDonald's softer Q2 traffic warrants monitoring and suggests the slowdown should be viewed in the context of an unusually challenging environment for lower-income consumers.
In January, Fox Business reported that McDonald’s has plans to open more than 8,000 new locations globally by the end of 2026, which is part of a larger goal to reach at least 50,000 locations by 2027.
QSR
