where was kfc founded
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where was kfc founded?
Kentucky Fried Chicken, known today as KFC, was incorporated in 1955 by Col. Harland Sanders in Corbin, Kentucky., but the story begins in 1890 when Harland Sanders was born. He was the eldest child of his family and suffered a lot through his childhood since his father passed away when he was only five.
Consequently, he had to help his mother at work and take care of his younger siblings too. But this responsibility was optimistic as he learned to cook in the duration. Finally, he started working and left home in 1903.
Throughout his life, he worked many odd jobs and tried his best to earn money. But while everything was alright, he did not achieve great success in any field. So he acquired a Shell Filling Station and began his cooking journey from there.
That initially started as a steak place, and the traveler seems to like his cooking. So he acquired another station across the road and started making multiple dishes there. It is when he began selling chicken, and yet, it wasn’t the legendary chicken we eat today.
who is founder of KFC?
The founder of KFC is the one who is among the entrepreneurs, and who had begun late in life and had a very inspiring life. At the age of 62 when people generally start considering their retirement, Colonel Harland Sanders founded KFC. He was born on 9 September 1890 in Henryville, Indiana, U.S. and at the age of 90, on 16 December 1980, he died in Louisville, Kentucky.
When he was 5 years old, his father passed away. He had the responsibility of feeding his family. His mother taught him how to cook at the early age of seven. So, he did several small jobs to make a living. However, when he was around forty he ran a restaurant in Kentucky. He had a special self-made recipe of fried chicken that was loved by people. He wanted to make it an internationally known recipe.
Finally, at the age of 62, he started his journey with very little money in his pocket. He would go door to door with his chicken recipe. He was rejected several times before he got his first franchise. So, this is the small journey of Harland Sanders towards this huge franchise KFC. Also, Pete Harman who was an American businessman was known for having struck a pact with Colonel Harland Sanders to open the first KFC franchise.
How is KFC using tech to future-proof their business?
KFC isn’t a brand that has rested on its laurels throughout its history. From its early beginnings, the latest tech has been sought to keep them ahead of the game.
Recently, KFC has announced that they are trialing plant-based “chicken” to add to their repertoire of meal options in Atlanta, Georgia. By working with Beyond Meat, a plant-based protein company, customers will be given the option on a free sample basis to seek their feedback.
They have also experimented with cryptocurrency in recent years. KFC Canada has allowed, since January of last year, customers to buy “The Bitcoin Bucket” via KFC’s website.
KFC’s success is not just about the great quality and flavor of their food. Marketing has been one of their ace cards since the early days of the 1950s. Back in 2017 in a fantastic piece of PR, KFC announced that they’re launching a Chicken Sandwich into space.
But their embrace of technology has also been extended to the training of its staff. Tech like voice-activated devices, social media, and VR codes are helping them improve their workforce’s skills.
In China, franchises are also experimenting with facial-recognition to help create “smart restaurants”. The idea is to remember a customer’s previous choices and create personalized options for them when they next visit.
Sanders’ First Franchise in 1952
However, in 1952 the Colonel signed on his first franchise to Pete Harman, who owned a hamburger restaurant in Salt Lake City, Utah. Throughout the next four years, he convinced several other restaurant owners to add his Kentucky Fried Chicken to their menus.
Therefore, rather than struggle to live on his savings and Social Security, in 1955 Sanders incorporated and the following year took his chicken recipe to the road, doing demonstrations on-site to sell his method. Clad in a white suit, white shirt, and black string tie, sporting a white mustache and goatee, and carrying a cane, Sanders dressed in a way that expressed his energy and enthusiasm. In 1956 Sanders moved the business to Shelbyville, Kentucky, 30 miles east of Louisville, to more easily ship his spices, pressure cookers, carryout cartons, and advertising material. And by 1963 Sanders’s recipe was franchised to more than 600 outlets in the United States and Canada. Sanders had 17 employees and travelled more than 200,000 miles in one year promoting Kentucky Fried Chicken. He was clearing $300,000 before taxes, and the business was getting too large for Sanders to handle.
Kentucky Fried Chicken went public in 1966 and was listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1969. More than 3,500 franchised and company-owned restaurants were in worldwide operation when Heublein Inc. acquired KFC Corporation in 1971 for $285 million. KFC became a subsidiary of R.J. Reynolds Industries, Inc. (now RJR Nabisco, Inc.), when Heublein Inc. was acquired by Reynolds in 1982. KFC was acquired in October 1986 from RJR Nabisco, Inc. by PepsiCo, Inc., for approximately $840 million.
KFC Acquisition By PepsiCo in 1986
By 1970, the number of outlets increased to 3000 in 48 different countries. In 1971, Brown sold KFC to Heublein, a food packaging and drinks company, for $285 million. Harland Sanders died in 1980. Around the time of his death, there were 6000 outlets of KFC in 48 different countries.
R.J. Reynolds, a tobacco giant, acquired Heublein in 1982 and sold KFC to PepsiCo in 1986 for US $850 million.
After coming under PepsiCo, many new products were launched.
The name “KFC” was officially adopted in 1991.
The company kept growing and in 1997, PepsiCo spin off its restaurant chain which included KFC, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut into Tricon Global restaurant Inc. The new company rebranded itself as Yum! Brands in May 2002.
Worldwide Expansion of KFC
Under Cranor, many reformations took place, which led to major changes. Cranor wanted to make amendments to the US contract for franchises. But his terms were cruel and inconsiderate, according to some people, leading to a major controversy.
It took a few years to solve the issue and controversy, but it happened in 1996. KFC already had the first restaurant in Beijing in 1987, the first western restaurant to ever do so. And after the reform by Cranor, the worldwide growth happened fast.
With more focus on worldwide expansion and menu development across countries, the company faced many ups and downs. The differing trends in diets made the company suffer quite a lot during these years.
The company had to compete with many other chains providing healthier options of meals to the people. It was a rough time for the company, but the workers endured it well. The stores internationally continued to grow for KFC.
Current Status of the Franchise
Currently, the company is a reputed brand not only in the USA but worldwide. For most people, the US chicken dish is a representative dish loved by foreigners. Many countries have original and unique menus by the company.
However, with the rising environmental awareness and alarming health issues, KFC is still under fire. Although the whole fast food industry is a contributor, KFC was seen as a threat to people since it caused overeating and, consequently, obesity.
Obesity was and is such a big issue in the USA, especially for teens and young adults. And apart from such eating issues, there were also environmental concerns. PETA held many campaigns and protests against the company too.
The 2010s were more fruitful for KFC in terms of sales and expansion. It was somewhere there that KFC became the second largest fast-food chain in the world. From that point onward, it became stable in the industry and continues to develop products to date.
The KFC founder’s 2 rules
The string of failures did nothing to deter Sanders’ enthusiasm for hard work. He wrote in his autobiography: “I only have two rules: Do all you can, and do the best you can.” In 1927, Sanders took charge of a Standard Oil gas station in Nicholasville, Kentucky, but with the slump of the Great Depression he was forced to close in 1930.
But despite its failure, the service station business was the acorn for the KFC empire.
He opened his second service station that same year, in Corbin, Kentucky, where he started selling his homemade chicken to truck drivers for a bit of extra cash.
However, the next fracas wasn’t too far away. It was around this time Sanders got into an argument with local competitor, Matt Stewart, over a sign. Stewart shot and killed a manager from Sanders’ company, and got an 18-year prison sentence for murder.
