Have you ever wondered where that delicious bucket of crispy fried chicken first appeared on the American landscape? I sure have! As a die-hard KFC fan, I’ve spent waaay too much time researching the fascinating history behind Colonel Sanders’ famous recipe. So grab a drumstick and get comfy – I’m about to take you on a journey to discover where the very first Kentucky Fried Chicken was born!
The Colonel’s Early Days: From Humble Beginnings to Fried Chicken Fame
Before KFC became the global empire we know today, there was just a man with a dream and a secret recipe. Colonel Harland Sanders wasn’t always the white-suited chicken mogul we recognize. Born on September 9, 1890, on a farm near Henryville, Indiana, Sanders learned to cook at a surprisingly young age – just 7 years old! When his father died in 1895, his mother had to work at a canning plant, leaving young Harland to care for his siblings and handle the cooking.
Life wasn’t easy for Sanders. Before finding his calling in the fried chicken biz, he tried his hand at a bunch of different careers:
- Railroad worker
- Insurance salesman
- Firefighter
- Streetcar operator
- And several others with mixed success
The Birthplace: Corbin, Kentucky – Where It All Started
So where exactly WAS the first Kentucky Fried Chicken?
The answer North Corbin, Kentucky!
In 1930, at the age of 40, Sanders took over a Shell filling station on U.S. Route 25 just outside North Corbin, a small city on the edge of the Appalachian Mountains. By June of that year, he had converted a small storeroom into a dining area using his own dining table. He started serving hungry travelers meals like steaks and country ham.
In 1934, Sanders saw a better opportunity and took over the lease of the Pure Oil filling station across the road due to its greater visibility for motorists It was here that he began selling his now-famous fried chicken!
As his website proudly proclaims: “IT ALL STARTED IN CORBIN” – this location, now known as the Sanders Cafe & Museum, has been carefully restored and placed on the National Register of Historical Places. Visitors can see it as it appeared in the 1940s and even eat KFC in the Colonel’s original dining room!
The Secret Recipe and Pressure Frying Innovation
Sanders wasn’t satisfied with traditional chicken cooking methods. In 1939, he made a breakthrough that would change fast food forever!
The problem? Traditional pan-fried chicken took 35 minutes to prepare – way too long for a quick service restaurant. But Sanders didn’t want to deep fry his chicken because he felt it produced dry, crusty, unevenly cooked meat.
His solution came in 1939 when the first commercial pressure cookers hit the market. Sanders bought one and modified it into a pressure fryer! This genius innovation reduced cooking time dramatically while maintaining what Sanders believed was superior quality compared to deep-fried chicken.
That same year, 1939, he perfected his famous “Secret Recipe” of 11 herbs and spices – a formula that remains top secret to this day! As the Colonel himself admitted, the ingredients “stand on everybody’s shelf,” but the exact combination remains a mystery.
The First Official KFC Franchise: Salt Lake City, Utah
While Sanders’ Corbin restaurant was the birthplace of his chicken recipe and cooking method, it wasn’t technically a “Kentucky Fried Chicken” restaurant yet. The actual FIRST Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise opened in 1952 in South Salt Lake, Utah!
This franchise was owned by Pete Harman, who’s been described as the “virtual co-founder” of the chain. Harman played a crucial role in KFC’s early development:
- He coined the name “Kentucky Fried Chicken” to distinguish it from regular Southern fried chicken
- He trademarked the slogan “It’s finger lickin’ good”
- In 1957, he created the iconic bucket packaging (containing 14 pieces of chicken, 5 bread rolls and a pint of gravy for $3.50)
Fun fact: The bucket packaging was initially tested as a favor to Sanders, who had called on behalf of a Denver franchisee who didn’t know what to do with 500 cardboard buckets he’d bought from a traveling salesman!
The KFC Expansion Begins
After the success of the first franchise, KFC began to grow rapidly. By 1956, Sanders had six or eight franchisees, including Dave Thomas (who later founded Wendy’s). Thomas made significant contributions to KFC:
- Developed the rotating red bucket sign
- Was an early advocate of the take-out concept
- Introduced an important bookkeeping form used across the entire chain
In 1956, Sanders moved company headquarters from Corbin to Shelbyville, Kentucky for better transportation links to distribute his:
- Spices
- Pressure cookers
- Take-out cartons
- Advertising materials
By 1960, the company had about 200 franchised restaurants. By 1963, this exploded to over 600 locations, making it the largest fast food operation in the United States at that time!
Why Sanders Sold His Corbin Restaurant
In 1956, Colonel Sanders sold his beloved Corbin restaurant and motel. Why? Because the newly planned Interstate 75 was going to bypass Corbin, which would have dramatically reduced the number of travelers stopping at his establishment.
Rather than stay and watch his business decline, Sanders hit the road at age 66 (!) to market his chicken concept to restaurant owners across the country. Talk about a late-career pivot!
Independent restaurant owners would pay four cents (later increased to five cents) on each chicken sold as a franchise fee. In exchange, they received:
- Sanders’ “secret blend of herbs and spices”
- His recipe and cooking method
- The right to advertise using his name and likeness
The Sale of KFC and Corporate Changes
By 1964, Sanders’ franchise-led operation had grown too big for him to manage. He sold the company to a group of investors led by John Y. Brown Jr. and Jack C. Massey for $2 million (about $15 million in today’s money).
The contract included:
- A lifetime salary for Sanders
- Agreement that he would be the company’s quality controller and trademark
Over the years, KFC changed hands several times:
- Heublein purchased KFC in 1971
- R.J. Reynolds (the tobacco company) acquired Heublein in 1982
- PepsiCo bought KFC from Reynolds in 1986
- PepsiCo spun off its restaurant division (including KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell) as Tricon Global Restaurants in 1997
- Tricon was renamed Yum! Brands in 2002
Despite these corporate changes, Colonel Sanders remained closely associated with the brand until his death from pneumonia in 1980 at age 90. Even today, his image remains prominently featured in KFC advertising worldwide.
The Sanders Café & Museum Today
Today, the original Sanders Café in Corbin is both a functioning KFC restaurant AND a museum! Renovated and reopened in 1990 (which would’ve been the Colonel’s 100th birthday), visitors can:
- Tour Colonel Sanders’ office
- See the kitchen where he developed the secret formula
- View a model of the café’s original kitchen
- Check out a replica of the motel room
- Browse KFC memorabilia including vintage ads and recipe booklets
The restaurant and museum are currently owned by JRN Inc., a KFC franchise partner. In fact, JRN purchased the restaurant in 1973 and has made significant investments to preserve this important piece of American food history.
KFC’s Global Impact
From that humble beginning in Corbin, Kentucky, KFC has grown into a global phenomenon! According to recent stats, KFC now has:
- Over 30,000 restaurants
- Locations in 150 countries
- The widest global footprint of any quick-service restaurant brand
Not bad for a recipe that started in a roadside service station in Kentucky!
The Legacy Continues
What started in North Corbin, Kentucky has transformed the fast food landscape forever. KFC popularized chicken in the fast food industry, challenging the established dominance of hamburgers and diversifying the market.
The Colonel’s legacy lives on not just through the restaurants, but through charitable work as well. The KFC Foundation, inspired by Colonel Sanders’ generosity, has provided $20 million to more than 6,400 students and KFC restaurant employees.
Why KFC’s Origin Story Matters
I think there’s something truly special about KFC’s humble beginnings. In a world of corporate fast food, the story of a 40-year-old man starting a small dining room in his gas station and eventually creating a global empire feels almost mythical.
Colonel Sanders didn’t achieve success until much later in life, proving it’s never too late to pursue your passion. His persistence, innovation with the pressure fryer, and unwavering commitment to quality created a lasting legacy that continues to this day.
So next time you’re enjoying that crispy, seasoned KFC chicken, remember – it all started in a little roadside service station in North Corbin, Kentucky, where one man’s determination and a secret recipe changed fast food forever!
Key Takeaways About the First Kentucky Fried Chicken
- Original Location: Sanders first served his chicken at his Shell filling station in North Corbin, Kentucky in the 1930s
- First Official KFC Franchise: Opened in South Salt Lake, Utah in 1952
- The Secret Recipe: Perfected in 1939 and still used today
- Cooking Innovation: Sanders modified a pressure cooker into a pressure fryer in 1939
- Iconic Bucket: Introduced in 1957, containing 14 pieces of chicken, 5 rolls and gravy
- Global Reach: From one location to 30,000+ restaurants in 150 countries
No wonder KFC has remained “finger lickin’ good” for over 80 years!
1964 – Time to step back
As a network of franchises grows across the USA, the Colonel feels its time to slow down, and sells the KFC Company to investors.
1980 – A legend passes
After a rich and full life, Harland Sanders sadly passes away at the age of 90. His legacy lives on through his Original Recipe chicken and the company logo adapts over the years, with the Colonels face remaining at the forefront of the design.
Where Was The First Kentucky Fried Chicken Restaurant? – Southern Culture Collective
FAQ
Who invented KFC fried chicken?
KFC was founded by Colonel Harland Sanders, an entrepreneur who began selling fried chicken from his roadside restaurant in Corbin, Kentucky during the Great Depression. KFC’s original product is pressure fried chicken pieces, seasoned with Sanders’ recipe of 11 herbs and spices. The constituents of the recipe are a trade secret.
Where did Kentucky Fried Chicken come from?
It would be recalled that Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) with origin in the United States came into Nigeria some years ago and opened its first outlet on the 19th December, 2009 at City Mall, Onikan, Lagos.
Where did fried chicken come from?
Others say that it comes from Brasov and it was originally made from beef instead of pork. Endre Papp, the sometime leader of the Matthias Cellar Restaurant in Budapest acknowledged this dish as his invention, which he first cooked in 1950.
Was the first KFC in Utah or Kentucky?
Where did Colonel Sanders start Kentucky Fried Chicken?
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.
What is the KFC 7 minute rule?
KFC India’s new Express Pick-up service assures an order is safely packed, ready for pick-up, yet hot and delicious inside within just 7 minutes. They can place their order at the restaurant or through the KFC app or website and it will be ready to be picked ‘tez’ and will surely taste ‘amaze’ – that’s the KFC promise.
Which is older, KFC or McDonald’s?