KFC facts for kids
 |
|
| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Restaurants |
| Genre | Fast food restaurant |
| Founded |
|
| Founder | |
| Headquarters | 1441 Gardiner Lane Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. Dallas, Texas, U.S. (global) |
|
Number of locations
|
30,000 (2024) |
|
Key people
|
|
| Products | |
| Revenue | US$2.83 billion (2023) |
| Parent | Yum! Brands |
KFC, also known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, is a famous American fast food chain. It's known for its delicious fried chicken. KFC started in Louisville, Kentucky, and is now the second-largest restaurant chain in the world. Only McDonald's is bigger!
KFC has over 30,000 restaurants in 150 countries. It is part of Yum! Brands, a company that also owns Pizza Hut and Taco Bell.
The company was founded by Colonel Harland Sanders (1890–1980). He was an entrepreneur who began selling fried chicken from his small roadside restaurant. This was in Corbin, Kentucky, during the Great Depression. Colonel Sanders saw a big opportunity in restaurant franchising. The very first "Kentucky Fried Chicken" franchise opened in Salt Lake City, Utah, in 1952.
KFC made chicken popular in the fast-food world. It offered something different from the usual hamburgers. Colonel Sanders became a well-known figure in American culture. His image is still used in KFC ads today. Because the company grew so fast, the aging Sanders sold it in 1964. A group of investors led by John Y. Brown Jr. and Jack C. Massey bought it.
KFC was one of the first American fast-food chains to go global. By the mid-1960s, it had opened restaurants in Canada, the United Kingdom, Mexico, and Jamaica. The company changed owners several times over the years. However, it kept growing overseas. In 1987, KFC was the first Western restaurant chain to open in China. China is now KFC's biggest market. Later, KFC became part of Yum! Brands.
KFC's main product is pressure-fried chicken pieces. They are seasoned with Colonel Sanders' secret "11 herbs and spices". This recipe is a trade secret. Large servings of fried chicken come in a cardboard "bucket." This bucket has been a famous part of KFC since 1957. Since the 1990s, KFC has added more items to its menu. These include chicken fillet sandwiches, wraps, salads, and side dishes. You can also find French fries, coleslaw, desserts, and soft drinks. KFC is famous for its slogans like "It's Finger Lickin' Good!" and "So good."
The Story of KFC
How it all Began
Harland Sanders was born in 1890. He grew up on a farm in Indiana. When he was five, his father died. His mother had to work, so Harland, as the oldest, took care of his younger siblings. When he was seven, his mother taught him how to cook. Harland left home at 13 and tried many different jobs.
In 1930, Sanders started working at a Shell gas station in North Corbin, Kentucky. Here, he began serving travelers the recipes he learned as a child. These included fried chicken, steaks, and country ham. He served them right from his own dining room table!
After four years, Sanders bought a bigger gas station across the road. He added six tables for his restaurant. By 1936, his food was so popular that he was given the honorary title of Kentucky Colonel. In 1937, he made his restaurant even bigger. He added a motel and called it Sanders Court & Café.
Sanders didn't like that it took 35 minutes to cook his chicken in a frying pan. He didn't want to deep fry it because he thought it made the chicken less tasty. If he cooked chicken ahead of time, some would go to waste. In 1939, pressure cookers came out. Sanders bought one and changed it into a pressure fryer. This new method cooked chicken much faster. It also kept the great taste of pan-fried chicken.
The Secret Recipe and Franchises
In July 1940, Sanders perfected his "Original Recipe" of 11 herbs and spices. He never told anyone the full recipe. He only said it included salt and pepper and that the rest "stand on everybody's shelf." In 1950, he was again named a Kentucky Colonel. After that, Sanders started dressing the part. He grew a goatee, wore a black frock coat (later a white suit), and a string tie. He called himself "the Colonel."
In 1952, Sanders shared his recipe with his friend Pete Harman. Harman ran a large restaurant in South Salt Lake, Utah. The Sanders Court & Café served travelers. But a new highway was planned that would bypass his restaurant. So, Sanders sold his properties. He then traveled around the US to offer his recipe to other restaurant owners.
Independent restaurants would pay Sanders a small fee for each chicken they sold. In return, they got his recipe. They could also use his name and picture to promote their food. Don Anderson, a sign painter, came up with the name "Kentucky Fried Chicken." Pete Harman trademarked the slogan "It's finger lickin' good." This became the company's famous saying.
Harman also introduced the "bucket meal" in 1957. It had 14 pieces of chicken, five bread rolls, and gravy in a cardboard bucket. Serving chicken in a paper bucket became a classic part of KFC.
By 1963, there were 600 KFC restaurants. It was the largest fast food business in the United States. KFC helped make chicken a popular fast food choice. It gave people an alternative to hamburgers.
Growing Globally
In 1964, Colonel Sanders sold KFC to a group of investors. They were led by John Y. Brown Jr. and Jack C. Massey. The sale was for US$2 million. Sanders still got a salary for life. He also agreed to be the company's quality controller. By 1970, KFC had grown to 3,000 restaurants in 48 countries.
KFC kept expanding around the world. In November 1987, KFC opened its first restaurant in China. It was in Beijing. KFC has grown very fast in China. It is now the company's largest market.
In 1991, the company officially changed its name to KFC. This was because people already called it that. Also, the company wanted to move away from the idea of "fried" food. The early 1990s saw new popular products. These included spicy "Hot Wings" (1990) and popcorn chicken (1992). The "Zinger," a spicy chicken fillet sandwich, came out in 1993.
By 1994, KFC had over 9,407 restaurants worldwide. In 1997, KFC became part of a new public company called Tricon Global Restaurants. This company later changed its name to Yum! Brands in 2002.
In 2015, KFC started a new plan to update its look. This included new packaging, restaurant designs, and uniforms. They also expanded their menu. New ads featured different actors playing Colonel Sanders. This helped bring the famous Colonel back to life.
KFC's Products
KFC's main product is its pressure fried chicken pieces. They are seasoned with Colonel Harland Sanders' "Original Recipe" of 11 herbs and spices. You can usually get two or three pieces of chicken. Or, you can get a family-size cardboard bucket with six to 16 pieces. In some countries, like Canada and the UK, each chicken is cut into nine pieces. In the United States, it's usually eight pieces.
The chicken is breaded by hand at each KFC restaurant. It's coated with wheat flour mixed with the special seasoning. Then, it's pressure fried for seven to 10 minutes. The oil is very hot, at 185 degrees Celsius. After frying, the chicken cools for five minutes before going into a warming oven. KFC makes sure chicken is fresh. If it's not sold within 90 minutes, it's thrown away. The type of frying oil used can be different in various regions.
Besides bone-in chicken, KFC also sells chicken burgers. These include the Zinger and the Tower. They also have wraps like "Twisters" and "Boxmasters." You can also find finger foods like crispy chicken strips and hot wings. Popcorn chicken, which are small pieces of fried chicken, is very popular. Some places, like Australia and South Africa, also sell chicken nuggets.
Most KFC restaurants sell PepsiCo drinks. But some places, like Greece and New Zealand, sell Coca-Cola products. In Peru, you can find the local favorite, Inca Kola.
The Krusher/Krushem drinks were launched in 2009. These are frozen drinks with "real bits" of things like Kit Kat and Oreo. They are available in many restaurants. Egg custard tart is a popular dessert worldwide. Other desserts include ice cream sundaes.
In 2012, KFC started offering a breakfast menu called "KFC AM." It includes items like pancakes, waffles, and porridge, along with fried chicken. In 2019, KFC even tested meatless chicken in Atlanta, Georgia.
The 11 Herbs and Spices
Colonel Sanders' "11 herbs and spices" recipe is one of the most famous trade secrets in the food world. The recipe is not patented. This is because patents expire, but trade secrets can stay secret forever.
A copy of the recipe, signed by Sanders, is kept in a safe at KFC's headquarters in Louisville. There are also 11 small bottles with the herbs and spices. To keep the recipe secret, half of it is made by one company. Then, it's given to another company, McCormick, which adds the second half.
In 2016, a nephew of Colonel Sanders claimed to have found a copy of the recipe. Some people at the Chicago Tribune tried cooking with it. They said that with a flavor enhancer, the chicken tasted "indistinguishable" from real KFC chicken.
Different Menus Around the World
KFC changes its menu in different countries to fit local tastes. There are over 300 different KFC menu items worldwide! Some places, like the UK and the US, sell grilled chicken. In countries where most people are Islamic, the chicken served is halal. In Asia, people often like spicy foods, like the Zinger chicken burger. Many international markets offer a hot and spicy version of the chicken.
In Bangladesh, India, and Nepal, you can find a grilled chicken called "Smoky Red." KFC in Taiwan and Vietnam offers a roasted option called Flava Crava. KFC's menu in China includes Chinese food items. These are things like rice bowls, noodle dishes, and chicken made like Peking duck. Some KFCs in the US sell fried chicken livers and gizzards. A few US locations even have an all-you-can-eat buffet.
Value menu items are sold under the "Streetwise" name in places like Canada and South Africa. Side dishes often include French fries, coleslaw, barbecue baked beans, corn on the cob, mashed potato, bread rolls, and American biscuits. Salads include bean salad and Caesar salad. Many KFCs sell onion rings. In most of Asia and Africa, you can find rice-based side dishes. In Greece, potato wedges are sold instead of French fries.
Some places in Eastern Europe and Portugal offer beer with meals. In 2023, KFC in the UK and Ireland introduced new 'signature fries' with herbs and spices.
-
Hot wings and fries served in paper buckets
-
Hot wings menu set sold in Berlin
-
Hot & spicy chicken, colonel rice, coleslaw and nuggets in Malaysia
-
Spaghetti and gravy as sold in the Philippines
-
KFC century eggs and pork congee sold in China in breakfast hours only
_and_Chicken_Nuggets.jpg)
.jpg)
Advertising KFC
.jpg)
Colonel Sanders was a very important part of KFC's advertising until he passed away in 1980. Even after his death, he is still a key symbol for the company. Early slogans for KFC included "North America's Hospitality Dish" and "We fix Sunday dinner seven nights a week." The "finger lickin' good" slogan started in 1956. It became one of the most famous slogans of the 20th century.
KFC started advertising on US television in 1966. They had a budget of US$4 million. In 1969, KFC hired its first national advertising agency. A famous ad campaign in 1972 used the song "Get a bucket of chicken, have a barrel of fun."
In December 2020, KFC even showed off the KFConsole. This is a new gaming console that has a "Chicken Chamber" to keep your food warm!
See also
In Spanish: Kentucky Fried Chicken para niños
- Cuisine of the Southern United States
- List of chicken restaurants
- List of fast food restaurant chains
