People all over the world love Kentucky Fried Chicken, which is now just known as KFC. It is an iconic American fast food chain known for its delicious fried chicken. With more than 25,000 locations around the world, KFC has come a long way since its start as a small restaurant on the side of the road in Kentucky. But where was the first Kentucky Fried Chicken? How did it become the huge fried chicken chain we know today? Let’s go back in time and look at the interesting story of the first Kentucky Fried Chicken.
Colonel Harland Sanders and his Original Restaurant
Colonel Harland David Sanders is the first person in KFC’s history. Sanders was born in Henryville, Indiana, in 1890. During his early years, he had a number of odd jobs, such as working on the railroad and selling insurance. Sanders ran a gas station in Corbin, Kentucky, in 1930 and started feeding hungry travelers chicken dishes made with his own secret recipe of 11 herbs and spices.
Demand for Sanders’ chicken grew, and in 1940 he opened a restaurant across the street from his gas station called Sanders Court & Café. Here, the Colonel perfected his signature pressure frying method that revolutionized the way fried chicken was prepared. By 1952, Sanders had finalized his legendary Original Recipe and was franchising his chicken concept to restaurants across the country.
Where did the first Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant exist? Colonel Sanders’ first restaurant was right on US Route 25 in the small town of North Corbin, Kentucky. Sanders’ first experience with fried chicken was in the dining room of a gas station. The food was so popular that Sanders moved his business across the street to the bigger Sanders Court.
For nearly two decades, this iconic restaurant served weary travelers Sanders’ famous secret recipe fried chicken. It was also at this original KFC site that the Colonel pioneered his pressure frying technique and launched what would become the world’s second largest restaurant chain.
Franchising the Concept and Selling the Company
By the mid-1950s, Colonel Sanders began actively franchising his chicken concept to restaurant owners. Pete Harman of Salt Lake City became one of the first KFC franchisees, kickstarting the brand’s rapid growth. By 1964 there were over 600 KFC franchises in operation.
That same year, 73-year-old Sanders sold his company for $2 million to a group of investors led by Jack Massey and John Y. Brown Jr. Sanders retained oversight of KFC operations and quality control as part of the deal. Under new ownership, KFC accelerated its franchising efforts and expanded internationally. By the early 1970s, there were thousands of KFC outlets around the world.
Closing of the Original Restaurant But Legacy Lives On
Sadly the original Sanders Court & Café shuttered in the mid-1970s after being badly damaged by fire. However in 1990 KFC restored the historic Corbin restaurant and reopened it as the Harland Sanders Café and Museum in honor of the Colonel’s 100th birthday.
Today, visitors can dine in the original KFC dining room, view a replica of Sanders’ kitchen, see vintage advertising materials and delve into the brand’s storied history. The museum pays homage to Sanders’ pioneering vision while transporting guests back to the early days of Kentucky Fried Chicken.
KFC Continues Rapid Global Growth
From its modest roots along a rural Kentucky roadside, KFC has exploded into one of the most ubiquitous restaurant chains on earth. There are now over 25,000 KFC outlets in 125 countries, with over 4,500 locations in China alone, the brand’s largest market. Kentucky Fried Chicken has come a remarkably long way since Sanders flipped his first chicken in a small-town café.
So the next time you sink your teeth into a juicy piece of KFC’s finger lickin’ good fried chicken, remember that it all started in a little restaurant in Corbin, Kentucky where an enterprising Colonel pursued his dream of serving the world’s best fried chicken. Sanders’ enduring legacy lives on in every bucket of the Colonel’s Original Recipe – KFC’s perpetual tribute to the determined founder who launched an American fast food empire from humble beginnings.
Know Before You Go
Tour buses with passengers from all over the world routinely stop by the restaurant.
In 1952, this restaurant began selling the Colonel’s “secret” recipe.
The story of how KFC, a global fast-food chain with more than 27,000 franchised restaurants in more than 145 countries, got its start is the stuff of restaurant industry legend. in 1940, Harland Sanders, the larger-than-life character who christened himself “the Colonel,” devised his recipe for pressure-fried chicken with a proprietary blend of herbs and spices.
Sanders was from Kentucky, but it wasn’t until ten years later in Salt Lake City, Utah, that his Kentucky Fried Chicken really took off. In 1952, the Colonel franchised his recipe to Pete Harman, a local restaurateur in the city. A sign painter at Harman Café by the name of Rodney L. Anderson was smart to call the food “Kentucky-fried chicken” instead of “Southern-fried” chicken to make it stand out.
Within a matter of weeks, the restaurant was a runaway hit. Sanders and Harman remained close friends for the remainder of their lives and many credit the latter with KFCs commercial success. Although the original Harmans Café was demolished and rebuilt, the place still proudly proclaims itself to be the worlds first KFC.
Where Was The First Kentucky Fried Chicken Restaurant? – Southern Culture Collective
FAQ
Where is the original Kentucky Fried Chicken located?
“IT ALL STARTED IN CORBIN”, Colonel Sanders’ original restaurant in Corbin, Kentucky, the birthplace of Kentucky Fried Chicken®. Carefully restored and placed on the National Register of Historical Places, you will see it as it appeared in the 1940’s.
Where was Kentucky Fried Chicken originally made?
Colonel Sanders officially started KFC when he turned 40, back in 1930. He bought a roadside motel in Corbin, Kentucky, and started serving his southern style chicken.
Why is the first KFC in Utah?
Harman invited Sanders to Utah to try his restaurant, called Harman’s Cafe. Sanders cooked the special chicken for him. “Pete Harman knew that this chicken recipe would do well in Utah. He made a deal with Sanders to franchise his restaurant,” according to OnlyInYourState. com.
Where was Colonel Sanders buried?
Sanders was buried in his characteristic white suit and black western string tie in Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville.