KFC

KFC Corporation, based in Louisville, Kentucky, is one of the few brands in America that can boast a rich, decades-long history of success and innovation. It all started with one cook who created a soon-to-be world famous recipe more than 70 years ago, a list of secret herbs and spices scratched out on the back of the door to his kitchen. That cook was Colonel Harland Sanders of course, and now KFC is the world’s most popular chicken restaurant chain, specializing in that same Original Recipe®, along with Extra Crispy™ chicken, home-style sides and buttermilk biscuits. There are more than 15,000 KFC outlets in 105 countries and territories around the world. And you know what? There’s still a cook in a kitchen in every last one of them, freshly preparing delicious, complete family meals at affordable prices.

Sept 9, 1890

Harland Sanders is born in Henryville, Indiana.

Some say his first word was ‘chicken’, but it was more likely ‘ma’ and/ or ‘pa’. Until they crack time travel, we’ll never really know for sure.

1920ish-1929ish

No university for Harland. It wasn’t that kind of world anyway.

Instead, he lives a life of country song, working his way round the southern states as a steamboat pilot, railroad fireman and farmer.

He may have owned a hound dog, but he definitely got a taste for southern style chicken.

1930

Harland is 40. 

He buys a roadside motel and cafe in Corbin, Kentucky. Always an avid cook, he puts his talents to use and starts to serve his take on southern fried chicken to the public.

But what about his unique blend of 11 herbs and spices? For now, it’s just a thought…

1935

The restaurant is doing well. 

So well that State Governor, Ruby Laffoon commissions Harland as ”Kentucky Colonel” for outstanding achievement in the community.

So the Colonel really was a colonel.

1939

Finally, Harland perfects his blend of 11 Herbs and Spices. 

We can’t say what they are, it’s top secret. Only a handful of people have ever known the full recipe. Some believe this group included Evel Kinevel, the rock band KISS and Dolly Parton. Sorry, not true.

They all asked, but we held our tongues

1950

Colonel Sanders dons his dapper white suit for the first time. 

From now on, he never appears in public wearing anything else. In winter, he favours a heavy wool number, switching to light cotton for the
summer months.

But always white and always double breasted.

1955

Disaster strikes: Interstate 75 opens up and sucks away trade.

The restaurant closes and at 65 Harland has to start again from scratch.

Down, but not out, he takes his first social security check, pressure fryer and recipe, and sets out to sell the idea of southern fried chicken the
Colonel way

1964

A growing network of franchisees across the US. 

Nine years later and with a growing network of franchisees across the US, Harland feels it’s time to slow down. He is 74 after all. So he sells the Kentucky Fried Chicken Company to a group ofinvestors for $2 million. But he keeps his hand in, making sure quality is still high and lending his image to the brand.

1980

December 16, 1980 

At 90, Colonel Harland Sanders passes away, but the KFC brand continues to grow, with restaurants now all over the world.

2006

November 2006 

It’s time to refresh our image with a new logo.

To celebrate we make a version so big you can see it from space. It took around 24 days to assemble the 87,000 square foot image deep in the
Mojave Desert.

Right Now

223 KFCs in India. 

We now have 223 restaurants across 35 cities and will have 500 restaurants across 75 cities by 2015.