{Lexington, Kentucky}...A Great American Brand, the new owners of the Long John Silver's and A&W Restaurants, announced Thursday that it will continue to run the companies from Kentucky after the purchase from Louisville-based Yum Brands is completed later this month. Long John Silver's, which was founded in Lexington, will continue to be based in Louisville. A&W will return to Lexington, where it was based for a time before being acquired by Yum. Thursday, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority approved state tax incentives for the ownership, which estimated costs of $1.89 million to place its headquarters in Lexington. Assuming the company hires 30 people within 10 years, the tax incentive deal will allow it to keep $600,000 that it would otherwise pay in taxes. Kevin Bazner, who is leading A Great American Brand, was president and chief operating officer at the time of A&W's sale to Yum Brands in 2003. Since the sale to Yum, A&W and Long John Silver's have been overshadowed by Yum's KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell brands. A&W and Long John Silver's accounted for less than 5 percent of Yum's 37,000 restaurants worldwide when the company announced its intention earlier this year to sell the chains and focus on its core brands.
