Photo Credit: https://www.kfc.com/menu/meals/big-box-meals
Aside from the fact that I personally love their chicken, I am also overwhelmed with the story behind KFC that’s why I choose to write about this amazing American Fast Food Chain Restaurant, and like Jollibee, they also specializes in fried chicken. Click here to know more about my previous related blog.
KFC is astonishingly 87 years old now and still growing with branches worldwide. It was founded in 1930 by Harland Sanders, one incredible man too who had a very remarkable story. It is because of that inspiring story that made me curious and interested to know more about his story so I could share it to others. Read on to know more about him.
Photo Credit: http://www.chicagotribune.com
What is KFC?
KFC, until 1991 known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, is an American fast food restaurant chain that specializes in fried chicken. Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, it is the world's second-largest restaurant chain (as measured by sales) after McDonald's, with almost 20,000 locations globally in 123 countries and territories as of December 2015. The chain is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, a restaurant company that also owns the Pizza Hutand Taco Bell chains. – Wikipedia
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The story of Harland Sanders – Founder of KFC
Harland Sanders who was born in Henryville, Indiana on September 9, 1890 is best known for creating a fried chicken recipe that become the world's fast-food chicken chain, the Kentucky Fried Chicken or KFC.
Photo Credit: http://topstories.pk
Who would have thought that someone like Harland Sanders whose father died when he was 6 years old will become the founder of the second renowned food chain in the world? In 2013, there were more than 18,000 KFC outlets in 118 countries and territories around the world.
Photo Credit: https://kfc.com.my/promotions/bucket-berbaloi
When his father died he was responsible of his younger brother and sister and as young as 10 he already held down numerous jobs. His mother was the one who taught her how to cook since he need to feed his siblings while his mother is out for work. Before he was able to acquire a service station in Kentucky, he became a farmer, railroad fireman, insurance agent and streetcar conductor first. We can just imagine what a hard life he has during that time.
Harland Sanders continued to visit the KFC restaurants around the world in his later years. He died of leukemia at the age of 90, in Louisville, Kentucky.
Photo Credit: https://www.kfc.com
The birth of Kentucky Fried Chicken
Maybe because of his hard work, he was able to run a roadside restaurant in Corbin, Kentucky at the age of 40. He first offered his recipes that he had learned as a child to hungry travelers, which include fried chicken as well as steaks and county ham. It took him four years before he was able to buy the larger filling station on the other side of the road and this time he already had six tables and featured fried chicken. His restaurant became so popular that he was designated by the governor of Kentucky as Kentucky Colonel.
Are you wondering what a Kentucky Colonel means?
Photo Credit: Google Photo via www.youtube.com
Kentucky colonel is actually the highest title of honor bestowed by the Commonwealth of Kentucky given by the Governor and the secretary of the state to anyone as appreciation of his remarkable accomplishments and service to the community.
Harland Sanders was lucky to have been given such a prestigious recognition and I think that incident mark the birth of Kentucky Fried chicken.
Photo Credit: http://www.latimes.com
Franchise
It was in 1952 when Harland Sanders started to market his recipe for franchising. He started with cooking batches of chicken from restaurant to another and get paid for every chicken the restaurant sold. He keep on traveling from one place to another and his first franchise sale went to Pete Harman in Salt Lake City in September 24, 1952. He made more than 600 franchised outlets after 12 years.
However, the company's rapid expansion flabbergasted the aging Sanders and he sold it to a group of investors for 2 million dollars in 1964, the group of investors was led by John Y. Brown Jr. and Jack C. Massey. The contract included a lifetime salary for Sanders and the agreement that he would be the company's quality controller and trademark.
Photo Credit: Google Photo via http://www.hotel-r.net
EXPANSION
KFC was one of the first American fast food chains to expand internationally, opening outlets in Canada, the United Kingdom, Mexico, and Jamaica by the mid-1960s. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, it experienced mixed fortunes domestically, as it went through a series of changes in corporate ownership with little or no experience in the restaurant business. In the early 1970s, KFC was sold to the spirits distributor Heublein, which was taken over by the R.J. Reynolds food and tobacco conglomerate; that company sold the chain to PepsiCo. The chain continued to expand overseas, however, and in 1987, it became the first Western restaurant chain to open in China. It has since expanded rapidly in China, which is now the company's single largest market. PepsiCo spun off its restaurants division as Tricon Global Restaurants, which later changed its name to Yum! Brands. - Wikipedia
The company went on to become the world's largest fast-food chicken chain, Kentucky Fried Chicken, although as of this time only second to McDonalds.
According to Wikipedia, by December 2013, there were 18,875 KFC outlets in 118 countries and territories around the world. There are 4,563 outlets in China, 4,491 in the United States, and 9,821 across the rest of the world. Outlets are owned by franchisees or directly by the company. Eleven percent of outlets are company owned, with the rest operated by franchise holders. Although capital intensive, company ownership allows for faster expansion of the chain.
Enjoy watching this video I'm sure this will make you hungry and crave for more KFC fried chicken.
Video Credit: PrankBros TV via www.youtube.com
PRODUCTS
Since the early 1990s, KFC has expanded its menu to offer other chicken products such as chicken fillet burgers and wraps, as well as salads and side dishes, such as French fries and coleslaw, desserts, and soft drinks, the latter often supplied by PepsiCo. KFC is known for its slogans "Finger Lickin' Good", "Nobody does chicken like KFC" and "So good". - Wikipedia
The original product of KFC is pressure fried chicken pieces, seasoned with 11 herbs and spices. This time they are offering a wide range of products and personally find them all delicious and yummy. Here in KSA, I used to buy the 4 pieces chicken with French fries and coleslaw plus soft drinks.
Photo Credit: http://www.independent.co.uk
ISSUES
It was in the year 2012 when KFC faced allegations on issues like using antiviral drugs and growth hormones to their chickens, aside from the accusation that some of their suppliers provided expired meat which is a violation under food safety regulations. I even remember a video scattered over the internet regarding their brutal way of slaughtering chickens. Truly, those issues made a significant decline in their sales but were able to recover it after few months. Perhaps people really love the recipe introduced by Harland Sanders many years ago.
So how about you? Do you like Kentucky Fried Chicken?
Video Credit: KFC via www.youtube.com
The story of KFC is so huge that I cannot cover it all here, maybe in my next blog. Meanwhile try to participate in the Querlo survey chat below:
Querlo Survey Chat - Restaurants
By: TRB - A father of 5, an Overseas Filipino Worker and willing to be part of the worldwide campaign against poverty, climate change, and inequality.
