Harland Sanders Café and Museum facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
Harland Sanders Café
|
|
Harland Sanders Café
|
|
 Location in Kentucky
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | 688 U.S. Route 25W, North Corbin, Kentucky |
|---|---|
| Built | 1940 |
| NRHP reference No. | 90001169 |
| Added to NRHP | August 7, 1990 |
The Harland Sanders Café is a special restaurant in North Corbin, Kentucky. It's famous because Colonel Harland Sanders, who started Kentucky Fried Chicken, ran this place from 1940 to 1956. This is also where Colonel Sanders created his super-secret KFC chicken recipe in the 1940s! The café became a historic landmark on August 7, 1990.
Contents
The Story of the Café
Starting Small
Colonel Sanders moved to Corbin, Kentucky, in 1930. He first opened a service station across the street from where the café is now. This station was right along U.S. Route 25, a busy road.
Sanders started serving food to people traveling through. He cooked meals for them right in the back of his service station. He only had one dining table, and it could seat six people.
Growing Bigger
By 1937, more and more people knew about Sanders' amazing cooking. His food became very popular! So, he built a bigger place called the Sanders Café. This new restaurant could seat 142 people.
Sadly, just two years later, in 1939, a fire destroyed the restaurant. But Colonel Sanders didn't give up!
Rebuilding and Expanding
Soon after the fire, construction began on a new Sanders Café. This time, he also added a motel next to it. The restaurant and motel complex opened its doors on July 4, 1940.
A cool new feature in the café was a model of the motel rooms. This was a clever way to show customers what the rooms looked like. It helped convince them to stay the night at the motel.
A Changing Road and New Plans
Business at the café was great because it was on U.S. Route 25. This was the main road for people traveling north and south through central Kentucky.
However, the main road eventually changed. A new part of U.S. Route 25 was built, which bypassed the restaurant. Later, Interstate 75 was completed, also going around the area. This meant fewer travelers passed by the café.
In 1956, Sanders sold the café. He then focused on selling franchises for KFC. This meant other people could open their own KFC restaurants using his famous recipe.
From Café to Museum
After KFC started franchising, a KFC restaurant opened inside the original café building. It used the old kitchen. The model motel room was changed into bigger restrooms. This KFC stayed open until 1988.
The Harland Sanders Café was then renovated and reopened in the fall of 1990. It became a museum! A modern KFC kitchen was built right next to the old café. The two buildings are now connected by a lobby.
When you visit the museum, you can see Colonel Sanders' old office. You can also see the kitchen where he created his secret KFC recipe. Plus, there are lots of cool KFC items on display!
See also
In Spanish: Harland Sanders Café and Museum para niños
