KFC

Type: Subsidiary
On the web: http://www.kfc.com

KFC rules the roost when it comes to serving chicken. One of the world's largest fast-food chains, the company owns and franchises more than 15,500 outlets in more than 100 countries. (About 5,300 locations are in the US.) The restaurants offer the Colonel's trademark fried chicken (in both Original Recipe and Extra Tasty Crispy varieties) along with chicken sandwiches, chicken pot pies, crispy chicken strips, mashed potatoes and gravy, and potato wedges. Its locations can be found operating as free-standing units and kiosks in high-traffic areas. More than 20% of the restaurants are company-operated; the rest are franchised or licensed. KFC is a division of global fast-food franchiser YUM! Brands.

Officers:
President and Chief Concept Officer: Roger Eaton
EVP Marketing and Food Innovation: Javier Benito
Director Public Relations: Laura Schalow

Competitors:
Church's Chicken
Chick-fil-A
Popeyes

Incorporated: 1955 as Kentucky Fried Chicken
NAIC: 722110 Full Service Restaurants
SIC: 5812 Eating Places

KFC Corporation operates the world's largest chain of chicken restaurants, Kentucky Fried Chicken, with some 11,000 restaurants in locations in 80 countries and territories across the globe. Headquartered in Kentucky, where the brand originated, the company receives about half its profits from international sales. KFC has some 5,300 domestic restaurants. The largest unit in its international division is its China operation, which comprises over 1,600 restaurants. KFC Corp. is wholly owned by Yum! Brands, Inc., which also operates the Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Long John Silver's, and A&W restaurant chains.

The Early Life of Colonel Sanders

Kentucky Fried Chicken was founded by Harland Sanders in Corbin, Kentucky. Sanders was born on a small farm in Henryville, Indiana, in 1890. Following the death of Sanders's father in 1896, Sanders's mother worked two jobs to support the family. The young Sanders learned to cook for his younger brother and sister by age six. When Mrs. Sanders remarried, her new husband did not tolerate Harland. Sanders left home and school when he was 12 years old to work as a farm hand for four dollars a month. At age 15 he left that job to work at a variety of jobs, including painter, railroad fireman, plowman, streetcar conductor, ferryboat operator, insurance salesman, justice of the peace, and service-station operator.

In 1929 Sanders opened a gas station in Corbin and cooked for his family and an occasional customer in the back room. Sanders enjoyed cooking the food his mother had taught him to make: pan-fried chicken, country ham, fresh vegetables, and homemade biscuits. Demand for Sanders's cooking rose; eventually he moved across the street to a facility with a 142-seat restaurant, a motel, and a gas station.

During the 1930s an image that would become known throughout the world began to develop. First, Sanders was named an honorary Kentucky Colonel by the state's governor; second, he developed a unique, quick method of spicing and pressure-frying chicken. Due to his regional popularity, the Harland Sanders Court and Café received an endorsement by Duncan Hines's Adventures in Good Eating in 1939.

Sanders Court and Café was Kentucky's first motel, but the Colonel was forced to close it when gas rationing during World War II cut tourism. Reopening the motel after the war, Sanders's hand was once again forced: in the early 1950s, plans for Interstate 75 would bypass Corbin entirely. Though Sanders Café was valued at $165,000, the owner could only get $75,000 for it at auction, just enough to pay his debts.

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 persuaded several other restaurant owners to add his Kentucky Fried Chicken to their menus.

In 1955 Sanders incorporated and the following year took his chicken recipe to the road, doing demonstrations onsite 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. By 1963 Sanders's recipe was franchised to more than 600 outlets in the United States and Canada. Sanders had 17 employees and traveled 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.

New Management for Kentucky Fried Chicken

In 1964 Sanders sold Kentucky Fried Chicken for $2 million and a per-year salary of $40,000 for public appearances; that salary later rose to $200,000. The offer came from an investor group headed by John Y. Brown, Jr., a 29-year-old graduate of the University of Kentucky law school, and Nashville financier John (Jack) Massey. A notable member of the investor group was Pete Harman, who had been the first to purchase Sanders's recipe 12 years earlier.

Under the agreement, Brown and Massey owned national and international franchise rights, excluding England, Florida, Utah, and Montana, which Sanders had already apportioned. Sanders would also maintain ownership of the Canadian franchises. The company subsequently acquired the rights to operations in England, Canada, and Florida. As chairman and CEO, Massey trained Brown for the job; meanwhile, Harland Sanders enjoyed his less hectic role as roving ambassador. In Business Week, Massey remarked: "He's the greatest PR man I have ever known."

Within three years, Brown and Massey had transformed the "loosely knit, one-man show ... into a smoothly run corporation with all the trappings of modern management," according to Business Week. Retail outlets reached all 50 states, plus Puerto Rico, Mexico, Japan, Jamaica, and the Bahamas. With 1,500 take-out stores and restaurants, Kentucky Fried Chicken ranked sixth in volume among foodservice companies. It trailed such giants as Howard Johnson, but was ahead of McDonald's Corporation and International Dairy Queen.

In 1967, franchising remained the foundation of the business. For an initial $3,000 fee, a franchisee went to "KFC University" to learn all the basics. While typical costs for a complete Kentucky Fried Chicken start-up ran close to $65,000, some franchisees had already become millionaires. Tying together a national image, the company began developing prefabricated red-and-white striped buildings to appeal to tourists and residents in the United States.

The revolutionary choice Massey and Brown made was to change the Colonel's concept of a sit-down Kentucky Fried Chicken dinner to a stand-up, take-out store emphasizing fast service and low labor costs. By 1970, this idea created 130 millionaires, all from selling the Colonel's famous pressure-cooked chicken. Such unprecedented growth came with its cost, however, as Brown remarked in Business Week: "At one time, I had 21 millionaires reporting to me at eight o'clock every morning. It could drive you crazy." Despite the number of vocal franchisees, the corporation lacked management depth. Brown tried to use successful franchisees as managers, but their commitment rarely lasted more than a year or two. There was too much money to be made as entrepreneurs.

Stock Plummets in 1970

Several observations about franchise arrangements noted by stock market analysts and accountants in the late 1960s became widespread news by 1970. First, Wall Street noticed that profits for many successful franchisers came from company-owned stores, not from the independent shops, though this was not the case with Kentucky Fried Chicken. This fact tied in with a memorandum circulated at Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Company, and an article published by Archibald MacKay in the Journal of Accountancy stating that income labeled "initial franchise fees" was added when a franchise agreement was signed, regardless of whether the store ever opened or fees were collected. Such loose accounting practices caused a Wall Street reaction: franchisers, enjoying the reputation as "glamour stocks" through the 1960s, were no longer so highly regarded. Kentucky Fried Chicken stock hit a high of $55.50 in 1969, then fell to as low as $10 per share within a year.

In early 1970, following a number of disagreements with Brown, Massey resigned. When several other key leaders departed the company, Brown found the housecleaning he planned already in progress. A number of food and finance specialists joined Kentucky Fried Chicken, including R. C. Beeson as chief operational officer and Joseph Kesselman as chief financial officer. Kesselman brought in new marketing, controlling, and computer experts. He also obtained the company's first large-scale loan package ($30 million plus a $20 million credit line). By August 1970 the shake-up was clear: Colonel Harland Sanders, his grandson Harland Adams, and George Baker, who had run company operations, resigned from the board of directors. Colonel Sanders, at 80, knew his limits. In a 1970 New York Times article, Sanders stated, "[I] realized that I was someplace I had no place being. ... Everything that a board of a big corporation does is over my head and I'm confused by the talk and high finance discussed at these meetings."

CEO Brown spent the rough year of 1970 shoring up his company's base of operations. By September, Kentucky Fried Chicken operated a total of 3,400 fast-food outlets; the company owned 823 of these units. The company, once too large for the Colonel to handle, grew too mammoth for John Y. Brown as well. In July 1971 Kentucky Fried Chicken merged with Connecticut-based Heublein Inc., a specialty food and alcoholic beverage corporation. Sales for Kentucky Fried Chicken had reached $700 million, and Brown, at age 37, left the company with a personal net worth of $35 million. Interviewed for the Wall Street Journal regarding the company's 1970 financial overhaul, Brown commented, "You never saw a more negative bunch. ... If I'd have listened to them in the first place, we'd never have started Kentucky Fried Chicken." Article author Frederick C. Klein included closing parenthetical remarks in which observers close to the company noted that "in engineering Kentucky Fried Chicken's explosive growth, Mr. Brown neglected to install needed financial controls and food-research facilities, and had let relations with some franchise holders go sour."

Heublein Makes Changes

Heublein planned to increase Kentucky Fried Chicken's volume with its marketing know-how. Through the 1970s the company introduced some new products to compete with other fast-food markets. The popularity of barbecued spare ribs, introduced in 1975, kept the numbers for Kentucky Fried Chicken looking better than they really were. As management concentrated on overall store sales, they failed to notice that the basic chicken business was slacking off. Competitors' sales increased as Kentucky Fried Chicken's dropped.

For Heublein, acquisitions were doing more harm than good: Kentucky Fried Chicken was stumbling just when the parent company had managed to get United Vintners, bought in 1969, on its feet. In 1977 the company appointed Michael Miles, who was formerly responsible for the Kentucky Fried Chicken ad campaign at Leo Burnett and had joined Heublein's marketing team in 1971, to chair the ailing Kentucky Fried Chicken. Richard Mayer, vice-president of marketing and strategic planning for Heublein's grocery products, took charge of the Kentucky Fried Chicken U.S. division.

Mayer found that the product mainstay, fried chicken, was not up to the high quality Colonel Harland Sanders would expect. Miles and Mayer also faced the same problem John Y. Brown had not managed to surmount: relations with franchisees were sour. In the mid-1970s, the franchisees sold more per store than company-owned stores. Faring better without Heublein's help, they resented paying royalty fees to the ineffective corporate parent. To top that off, the stores were looking out of date.

Having unloaded well over 300 company-owned stores in the early 1970s, by the end of the decade Heublein began to buy some back from the franchisees. Renovation of the original red-and-white striped buildings began in earnest, with Heublein putting $35 million into the project. On the outside, Kentucky Fried Chicken facades were updated, while on the inside, cooking methods veered back to the Colonel's basics. Sticking to a limited menu kept Kentucky Fried Chicken's costs down, allowing the company time to recoup. Timing was fortunate on Kentucky Fried Chicken's turnaround; it happened just in time for Colonel Sanders to witness. After fighting leukemia for seven months, Harland Sanders died on December 16, 1980.

Profits and Expansion

Miles and Mayer's work culminated with the highly successful 1981 ad campaign, "We Do Chicken Right." A year later, in step with the fast-paced 1980s, R.J. Reynolds Industries Inc. acquired Heublein, giving Kentucky Fried Chicken another lift; the company had expansionary vision, capital, and the international presence to tie it all together. Kentucky Fried Chicken sales that year reached $2.4 billion. By 1983 the company had made impressive progress. With 4,500 stores in the United States and 1,400 units in 54 foreign countries, no other fast-food chain except McDonald's could compete. Yet while many industry insiders were crediting the team with victory, Mayer was not so quick to join in. As he noted in Nation's Restaurant News, "People keep talking about the turn-around at KFC. I'd really rather not talk about it. The turn-around is only halfway over."

With the entrance of R.J. Reynolds came the exit of Michael Miles, who resigned to become CEO of Kraft Foods; Mayer took over as chairman and CEO. Mayer continued on a cautious line for the next several years, refusing to introduce new products as obsessively as its competitors. "In the past two years," Mayer said in a KFC company profile in Nation's Restaurant News, "people have gone absolutely schizoid. ... A lot of chains have blurred their image by adding so many new menu items." In further commentary, he added, "We don't roll out a flavor-of-the-month."

PepsiCo Buys Company in 1986

Mayer's conservatism gained him the respect of Wall Street and his peers in the fast-food industry. In 1986 soft-drink giant PepsiCo, Inc., bought Kentucky Fried Chicken for $840 million. Reasons cited were the company's superior performance and its 1980-85 increase in worldwide revenue and earnings. The successful operator of the Pizza Hut and Taco Bell chains, PepsiCo did quite well introducing new products through those restaurants. It was just a matter of time before Kentucky Fried Chicken would be expected to create new products.

To foster new product introduction, in 1986 Kentucky Fried Chicken opened the $23 million Colonel Sanders Technical Center. In addition, the company began testing oven-roasted chicken through multiple-franchisee Collins Foods; further test-marketing of home delivery was undertaken using PepsiCo's successful Pizza Hut delivery system as an example. By late 1986 Donald E. Doyle, succeeding Mayer in the post of Kentucky Fried Chicken's U.S. president, inherited the task of developing new menu items.

The overall market for fast food seemed glutted by the late 1980s. PepsiCo CEO D. Wayne Calloway saw Kentucky Fried Chicken's national niche as secure for two reasons: first, with competition spurred by the large number of fast-food suppliers, weaker chains would inevitably leave the market; second, Kentucky Fried Chicken still had room to grow in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions. Internationally, the company planned 150 overseas openings in 1987. Japan, a major market, had 520 stores, Great Britain had 300, and South Africa had 160. KFC International, headed by Steven V. Fellingham, planned to concentrate on opening units in a handful of countries where its presence was limited. The People's Republic of China was the most notable new market secured in 1987; KFC was the first American fast-food chain to open there.

Franchisee Problems with New Parent Company

Imperative to the success of Kentucky Fried Chicken was the establishment of successful relations with the numerous franchisees. Most of them lauded parent PepsiCo's international strength and foodservice experience; KFC had its own inherent strength, however, according to franchisees, which the parent company would do well to handle with care. That strength was the sharing of decision making.

In 1966, for instance, the Kentucky Fried Chicken Advertising Co-Op was established, giving franchisees ten votes and the company three when determining advertising budgets and campaigns. As a result of an antitrust suit with franchisees, in 1972 the corporation organized a National Franchisee Advisory Council. By 1976, the company worked with franchisees to improve upon contracts made when Brown and Massey took over. Some contracts even dated back to when Colonel Sanders had sealed them with a handshake. The National Purchasing Co-Op, formed in 1979, ensured franchisees a cut of intercompany equipment and supply sales. All of these councils had created a democratic organization that not only served the franchisees well, but helped keep operations running smoothly as Kentucky Fried Chicken was shifted from one corporate parent to another. As time passed, however, PepsiCo's corporate hand seemed to come down too heavily for franchisee comfort.

In July 1989, CEO and Chairman Richard Mayer resigned becoming president of General Foods USA. Mayer, who together with Mike Miles was credited for bringing Kentucky Fried Chicken out of the 1970s slump, departed as the company battled over contract rights with franchisees. John M. Cranor, an executive who had joined PepsiCo 12 years earlier, took over as CEO. Kyle Craig, formerly with Burger King, Steak & Ale, and Bennigan's, began in an advisory role, later stepping up to become president of KFC-USA.

Within months Cranor was meeting with franchisee leaders in Louisville to defend parent PepsiCo's contract renewal. Among the issues debated was PepsiCo's plan to revise the franchisee-renewal policy, which guaranteed operators the right to sell the business, and an automatic ten-year extension on existing contracts with reasonable upgrading required. It was in KFC's long-term interest to settle the dispute without litigation, Cranor believed, and with good reason. In August 1989 franchisees had established a $3.6 million legal fund, averaging $1,000 per unit, to fight the battle in court if necessary. Cranor remained optimistic, relying on the history of positive relations with franchisees.

Despite contract battles and communication troubles, in the fall of 1990 Kentucky Fried Chicken called a one-day truce to celebrate in honor of Colonel Sanders's 100th birthday. Meanwhile, fast-food competitors with stricter organization were keeping up with changes in consumer demand and introducing new products at a dizzying rate. KFC, in contrast, had difficulty in creating new products linked to the cornerstone fried chicken concept, as well as in getting them out quickly through franchisee stores. Hot Wings, brought out in 1990, were KFC's only hit in a number of attempts, including broiled, oven-roasted, skinless, and sandwich-style chicken.

In late September 1990, Kentucky Fried Chicken increased its holding of company-owned stores by buying 209 U.S. units from Collins Foods International Inc.; Collins retained its interest in the Australian KFC market. The acquisition boosted Kentucky Fried Chicken's control of total operating units to 32 percent. The corporation also added Canada's Scott's Hospitality franchises to its fold, an increase of 182 units.

To update its down-home image and respond to growing concerns about the health risks associated with fried foods, in February 1991 Kentucky Fried Chicken changed its name to KFC. New packaging still sported the classic red-and-white stripes, but this time wider and on an angle, implying movement and rapid service. While the Colonel's image was retained, packaging was in modern graphics and bolder colors. New menu introductions were postponed, as KFC once again went back to the basics to tighten up store operations and modernize units. A new $20 million computer system not only controlled fryer cooking times, it linked front counters with the kitchen, drive-through window, manager's office, and company headquarters.

International Success

Though KFC may have had problems competing in the domestic fast-food market, those same problems did not seem to trouble them in their international markets. In 1992 pretax profits were $92 million from international operations, as opposed to $86 million from the U.S. units. Also, between 1988 and 1992, sales and profits for the international business nearly doubled. In addition, franchise relations, always troublesome in the domestic business, ran smoothly in KFC's international markets. To continue capitalizing on their success abroad, KFC undertook an aggressive construction plan that called for an average of one non-U.S. unit to be built per day, with the expectation that by 1995 the number of international units would exceed those in the United States.

International sales, particularly in Asia, continued to bolster company profits. In 1993, sales and profits of KFC outlets in Asia were growing at 30 percent a year. Average per store sales in Asia were $1.2 million, significantly higher than in the United States, where per store sales stood at $750,000. In addition, profit margins in Asia were double those in the United States. KFC enjoyed many advantages in Asia: fast food's association with the West made it a status symbol; the restaurants were generally more hygienic than vendor stalls; and chicken was a familiar taste to Asian palates. The company saw great potential in the region and stepped up construction of new outlets there. It planned to open 1,000 restaurants between 1993 and 1998.

Nontraditional service, often stemming from successful innovations instituted in the company's international operations, was seen as a way for KFC to enter new markets. Delivery, drive-through, carryout, and supermarket kiosks were up and running. Other outlets in testing were mall and office-building snack shops, mobile trailer units, satellite units, and self-contained kiosks designed for universities, stadiums, airports, and amusement parks. To move toward the 21st century, executives believed KFC had to change its image. "We want to be the chicken store," Cranor stressed in a 1991 Nation's Restaurant News. Cranor's goal was total concept transformation, moving KFC to a more contemporary role.

New product introductions were part of the company's plan to keep up with competitors. Having allowed Boston Market to grab a significant portion of the chicken market, KFC tried to catch up with the introduction of Rotisserie Gold Chicken. The company's new CEO, David Novak, also decided to test Colonel's Kitchen, a clear imitation of the Boston Market format. To counter McDonald's and Burger King's "value meals," KFC brought out the "Mega-Meal dinner": an entire rotisserie chicken, chicken nuggets, mashed potatoes, macaroni, cole slaw, biscuits, and a chocolate chip cake for $14.99. In 1995, KFC expanded the idea to "Mega-Meal-for-One," and decided to test chicken pot pie and chicken salad.

These moves gave a small boost to KFC's image, which had grown somewhat out-of-date, and to its bottom line. However, problems with the franchisees continued, and PepsiCo was not seeing the return on its assets that it saw with its beverage and snack food divisions. PepsiCo was having similar problems with its other restaurant subsidiaries, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut, and decided the drain of capital expenditure was not worth it.

In 1996 the company prepared to rid itself of its restaurant division by drawing together Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and KFC. All operations were now overseen by a single senior manager, and most back office operations, including payroll, data processing, and accounts payable, were combined. In January 1997 the company announced plans to spin off this restaurant division, creating an independent publicly traded company called Tricon Global Restaurants, Inc. The formal plan, approved by the PepsiCo board of directors in August 1997, stipulated that each PepsiCo shareholder would receive one share of Tricon stock for every ten shares of PepsiCo stock owned. The plan also required Tricon to pay a one-time distribution of $4.5 billion at the time of the spinoff, which took place in the fall of 1997.

Growth Under Tricon/Yum! Brands

KFC had benefited from the hands-on management style of David Novak, who became head of Tricon. In the year before the spinoff, KFC had surprised investors with an increase in profits of over 20 percent. Novak attributed the chain's perseverance in spite of general stagnation in the domestic fast-food market both to strategic menu changes, such as the Mega-Meal and chicken pot pie, and to a more friendly and encouraging corporate culture. Novak spent three days a week on the road, often sleeping in the homes of franchisees, and he cultivated a friendly and inclusive corporate culture along the lines of Wal-Mart and Mary Kay. Novak seemed to have a deft touch, shepherding in some successful innovations, such as a chicken sandwich that brought in 30 percent more sales than anticipated. Nevertheless, the chicken business was touchy. While the chicken sandwich sold well, it may have eaten into sales of other KFC products. KFC's bottom line was also propped up by sales of company-owned restaurants to franchisees. In 1999, the chain had domestic sales of $3.2 billion, which was almost equivalent to the combined sales of its top four competitors. Boston Market, which had been a strong competitor only a few years earlier, was in bankruptcy in 1999. While there were some good things happening in the domestic market, overall, fast-food chicken was no longer an expanding area, and at home, KFC was stuck in flat or 2 to 3 percent sales growth.

KFC's parent Tricon came up with one solution to low growth beginning in 1998, opening what it called multibrand stores which combined two or three of the Tricon chains. By 2002, Tricon had developed 1,375 multibrand stores. Tricon changed its name in 2002 to Yum! Brands, and it acquired two more restaurant chains, the seafood restaurants Long John Silver's, and the hamburger and root-beer chain A&W. This opened up some more possibilities for multibranded stores. In 2003, KFC Corp. got a new top executive, Gregg Dedrick, who succeeded Cheryl Bachelder. David Novak still headed the parent company. While total sales reached $4.8 billion in 2002 and KFC controlled some 46 percent of the U.S. fast-food chicken market, the brand was still seen as troubled. Issues regarding the healthfulness of its predominantly fried food, and of KFC's treatment of animals, had dogged the company in recent years. In 2004, parent Yum! told KFC that it could not open any more multibrand restaurants (of which there were almost 1,000) until its domestic same-store sales figures improved.

While the domestic market was far from vibrant, KFC continued to do very well internationally, especially in Asia. By 2001, Kentucky Fried Chicken was the most recognized foreign brand in China, where the company had 500 restaurants. KFC also had about 300 outlets in Thailand, and more than 150 in Indonesia. The company adapted its recipes to local tastes, and successfully navigated the differing political and regulatory climates abroad. Tricon's profits increased by close to 50 percent for its combined China operations in 2000, a figure not dreamed of by any domestic divisions. By 2006, KFC had 1,700 restaurants in China, more than tripling in five years. Profit and sales figures saw increases of over 25 percent for some quarters, while comparable figures domestically were 1 and 2 percent. KFC significantly outsold McDonald's in China, and by 2006, KFC was opening a new Chinese outlet every 22 hours. Yum!'s boss David Novak told Business Week (October 30, 2006) that he hoped to eventually have as many KFC restaurants in China as in the United States. "There is no one else in China expanding at this level with the returns we are generating," he told the magazine. Thus while the U.S. market had continued to slumber for KFC in the years it had been run by Tricon/Yum!, overseas KFC was a powerful force.

Principal Competitors

McDonald's Corporation; Faircloth Food Services, Inc.; Popeyes Chicken and Biscuits.

Further Reading

"Colonel Sanders Bowing Out," New York Times, August 8, 1970.

"Cooking Up Profits, Southern Style," Business Week, June 24, 1967.

"'Corporate' Meets the Colonel in KFC's Entrepreneurial Cranor," Nation's Restaurant News, November 18, 1991.

"The Education of Hicks Waldron," Forbes, December 8, 1980.

"A Finger-Lickin' Good Time in China," Business Week, October 30, 2006, p. 50.

"Franchising: Too Much, Too Soon," Business Week, June 27, 1970.

Garber, Amy, "Bruised but Not Battered," Nation's Restaurant News, July 7, 2003, p. 4.

"Heublein May Buy Kentucky Fried via Stock Swap," Wall Street Journal, January 22, 1971.

"Heublein Merger Plan with Kentucky Fried Is Ratified by Holders," Wall Street Journal, July 9, 1971.

Hume, Scott, "KFC to Stick with What It's Finally Doing Right," Advertising Age, June 27, 1983.

Jargon, Julie, "McD's Slips in China," Crain's Chicago Business, March 6, 2006, p. 1.

Jeffrey, Don, Peter Romeo, and Rick Van Warner, "KFC Company Profile" (a multiple-article series), Nation's Restaurant News, December 15, 1986.

Keegan, Peter O., "KFC Shuns 'Fried' Image with New Name," Nation's Restaurant News, February 25, 1991.

------, "KFC Takes Step Back to Move Forward," Nation's Restaurant News, November 18, 1991.

Klein, Frederick C., "John Y. Brown, Rich and Taking It Easy," Wall Street Journal, April 1, 1975.

Koeppel, Dan, "The Feathers Are Really Flying at Kentucky Fried," Adweek's Marketing Week, September 3, 1990.

Martin, Richard, "Collins to Sell 209 KFC Units to PepsiCo for $123 Million," Nation's Restaurant News, September 24, 1990.

O'Keefe, Brian, "What Do KFC and Pizza Hut Conjure Up Abroad?" Fortune, November 26, 2001, p. 102.

Paperniek, Richard L., "Tricon Profits Rise Despite Sales Dip," Nation's Restaurant News, May 8, 2000, p. 5.

"PETA Kills Anti-KFC Suit, Plans Worldwide Protest," Nation's Restaurant News, September 8, 2003, p. 3.

Prewitt, Milford, "Cranor Answers KFC Critics," Nation's Restaurant News, November 27, 1989.

------, "Mayer Flies KFC Coop; PepsiCo Names Cranor," Nation's Restaurant News, July 31, 1989.

Rudnitsky, Howard, "Leaner Cuisine," Forbes, March 27, 1995, pp. 43-44.

Sellers, Patricia, "Pepsico's Shedding Ugly Pounds," Fortune, June 26, 1995, pp. 94-95.

------, "Pepsi's Eateries Go It Alone," Fortune, August 4, 1997, p. 27.

------, "Why Pepsi Needs to Become More Like Coke," Fortune, March 3, 1997, pp. 26-27.

Smith, Rod, "Restaurant Veteran to Lead KFC," Feedstuffs, September 22, 2003, p. 16.

Spielberg, Susan, "Yum Halts Co-Branding of KFC Chain in U.S.," Nation's Restaurant News, December 20, 2004, pp. 1, 10.

"Success Story: Potential Ruin Is Turned to Boom," New York Times, March 22, 1964.

Tanzer, Andrew, "Hot Wings Take Off," Forbes, January 18, 1993, p. 74.

"Tricon's Fast-Food Smorgasbord," Business Week Online, February 11, 2002.

Zuber, Amy, "Wall Street Pans Yum's 4th Qtr Outlook As Anything but Tasty," Nation's Restaurant News, October 21, 2002, p. 1.

— Frances E. Norton; Updated by Susan Windisch Brown, A. Woodward

For other uses, see KFC (disambiguation).

KFC Corporation

Type	Private (subsidiary of Yum! Brands)
Genre	Southern fried chicken
Founded	1930 (original) (North Corbin, Kentucky) 1952 (franchise) (South Salt Lake, Utah)
Founder(s)	Harland Sanders
Headquarters	Louisville, Kentucky
Key people	Roger Eaton President Harvey R. Brownlea COO James O'Reilly VP for Marketing
Industry	Fast food
Products	Fried Chicken, Grilled chicken, related Southern foods
Revenue	$520.3 million USD (2007)[1]
Employees	24,000 (2007)[1]
Parent	Yum! Brands
Website	http://www.kfc.com

KFC Corporation, or KFC, founded and also known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, is a chain of fast food restaurants based in Louisville, Kentucky. KFC has been a brand and operating segment, called a "concept",^[2] of Yum! Brands since 1997 when that company was spun off from PepsiCo as Tricon Global Restaurants Inc.

KFC primarily sells chicken in form of pieces, wraps, salads and sandwiches. While its primary focus is fried chicken, KFC also offers a line of roasted chicken products, side dishes and desserts. Outside North America, KFC offers beef based products such as hamburgers or kebabs, pork based products such as ribs and other regional fare.

The company was founded as Kentucky Fried Chicken by Colonel Harland Sanders in 1952, though the idea of KFC's fried chicken actually goes back to 1930. The company adopted the abbreviated form of its name in 1991.^[3] Starting in April 2007, the company began using its original name, Kentucky Fried Chicken, for its signage, packaging and advertisements in the United States as part of a new corporate re-branding program;^[4][5] newer and remodeled restaurants will have the new logo and name while older stores will continue to use the 1980s signage. Additionally, Yum! continues to use the abbreviated name freely in its advertising.

Contents 1 History 2 The secret recipe 3 Products 3.1 Packaging 3.2 Menu items 3.2.1 Chicken 3.2.2 Other products 3.2.3 Sides 3.2.4 Discontinued products 3.2.5 Nutritional value 4 Advertising 5 Criticisms 5.1 Environmental concerns 5.2 Trademark disputes 5.3 Wages and working conditions 5.4 Animal rights 5.5 Hygiene 6 International operations 6.1 Global locations 6.2 Gallery 7 See also 8 Notes 9 External links

History

The restaurant in North Corbin, Kentucky where Colonel Sanders developed Kentucky Fried Chicken

World's first KFC in South Salt Lake, Utah, since replaced by a new KFC on the same site

Born and raised in Henryville, Indiana, Sanders passed through several professions in his lifetime.^[6] Sanders first served his fried chicken in 1930 in the midst of the Great Depression at a gas station he owned in North Corbin, Kentucky. The dining area was named "Sanders Court & Café" and was so successful that in 1936 Kentucky Governor Ruby Laffoon granted Sanders the title of honorary Kentucky Colonel in recognition of his contribution to the state's cuisine. The following year Sanders expanded his restaurant to 142 seats, and added a motel he bought across the street.^[7] When Sanders prepared his chicken in his original restaurant in North Corbin, he prepared the chicken in an iron skillet, which took about 30 minutes to do, too long for a restaurant operation. In 1939, Sanders altered the cooking process for his fried chicken to use a pressure fryer, resulting in a greatly reduced cooking time comparable to that of deep frying.^[8] In 1940 Sanders devised what came to be known as his Original Recipe.^[9]

The Sanders Court & Café generally served travelers, often those headed to Florida, so when the route planned in the 1950s for what would become Interstate 75 bypassed Corbin, he sold his properties and traveled the U.S. to sell his chicken to restaurant owners. The first to take him up on the offer was Pete Harman in South Salt Lake, Utah; together, they opened the first "Kentucky Fried Chicken" outlet in 1952.^[10] By the early 1960s Kentucky Fried Chicken was sold in over 600 franchised outlets in both the United States and Canada. One of the longest-lived franchisees of the older Col. Sanders' chicken concept, as opposed to the KFC chain, was the Kenny Kings chain. The company owned many Northern Ohio diner-style restaurants, the last of which closed in 2004. Sanders sold the entire KFC franchising operation in 1964 for $2 million USD^[11] Since that time, the chain has been sold three more times, most recently to PepsiCo, which made it part of its Tricon Global Restaurants division, which in turn was spun off in 1997, and has now been renamed to Yum! Brands. Additionally, Colonel Sanders' nephew, Lee Cummings, took his own Kentucky Fried Chicken franchises (and a chicken recipe of his own) and converted them to his own "spin-off" restaurant chain, Lee's Famous Recipe Chicken.

Today, some of the older KFC restaurants have become famous in their own right. One such restaurant is located in Marietta, Georgia. This store is notable for a 56-foot (17 m) tall sign that looks like a chicken. The sign, known locally as the Big Chicken, was built for an earlier fast-food restaurant on the site called Johnny Reb's Chick, Chuck and Shake. It is often used as a travel reference point in the Atlanta area by locals and pilots.^[12]

The secret recipe

The Colonel's secret flavor recipe of 11 herbs and spices that creates the famous "finger lickin' good" chicken remains a trade secret.^[13][14] Portions of the secret spice mix are made at different locations in the United States, and the only complete, handwritten copy of the recipe is kept in a vault in corporate headquarters.^[15] On September 9, 2008, the one complete copy was temporarily moved to an undisclosed location under extremely tight security while KFC revamped the security at its headquarters. Before the move, KFC disclosed the following details about the recipe and its security arrangements:^[16]

• The recipe, which includes exact amounts of each component, is written in pencil on a single sheet of notebook paper and signed by Sanders.
• The recipe was locked in a filing cabinet with two separate combination locks. The cabinet also included vials of each of the 11 herbs and spices used.
• Only two executives had access to the recipe at any one time. KFC refuses to disclose the names and titles of either executive.^[17]
• One of the two executives said that no one had come close to guessing the contents of the secret recipe, and added that the actual recipe would include some surprises.

On February 9, 2009, the secret recipe returned to KFC's Louisville headquarters in a more secure, computerized vault.^[18]

In 1983, writer William Poundstone examined the recipe in his book Big Secrets. He reviewed Sanders' patent application, and advertised in college newspapers for present or former employees willing to share their knowledge.^[19] From the former he deduced that Sanders had diverged from other common fried-chicken recipes by varying the amount of oil used with the amount of chicken being cooked, and starting the cooking at a higher temperature (about 400 °F (200 °C)) for the first minute or so and then lowering it to 250 °F (120 °C) for the remainder of the cooking time. Several of Poundstone's contacts also provided samples of the seasoning mix, and a food lab found that it consisted solely of sugar, flour, salt, black pepper and monosodium glutamate (MSG). He concluded that it was entirely possible that, in the years since Sanders sold the chain, later owners had begun skimping on the recipe to save costs.^[20][21][22] Following his buyout in 1964, Colonel Sanders himself expressed anger at such changes, saying:

"That friggin' ... outfit .... They prostituted every goddamn thing I had. I had the greatest gravy in the world and those sons of bitches they dragged it out and extended it and wa­tered it down that I'm so goddamn mad."^[21][22]

Ron Douglas, author of the book "America's Most Wanted Recipes," also claims to have figured out KFC's secret recipe.^[23]

Products

Packaging

The famous paper bucket that KFC uses for its larger sized orders of chicken and has come to signify the company was originally created by Wendy's restaurants founder Dave Thomas. Thomas was originally a franchisee of the original Kentucky Fried Chicken and operated several outlets in the Columbus, Ohio area. His reasoning behind using the paper packaging was that it helped keep the chicken crispy by wicking away excess moisture. Thomas was also responsible for the creation of the famous rotating bucket sign that came to be used at most KFC locations in the US.^[24]

Menu items

This is a list of menu items sold at KFC.

Chicken

• KFC's specialty is fried chicken served in various forms. KFC's primary product is pressure-fried pieces of chicken made with the original recipe. The other chicken offering, extra crispy, is made using a garlic marinade and double dipping the chicken in flour before deep frying in a standard industrial kitchen type machine.
• Kentucky Grilled Chicken – This marinated grilled chicken is targeted towards health-conscious customers. It features marinated breasts, thighs, drumsticks, and wings that are coated with the Original Recipe seasonings before being grilled. It has less fat, calories, and sodium than the Original Recipe fried chicken.^[25] Introduced in April 2009.
• KFC has two lines of sandwiches: its "regular" chicken sandwiches and its Snackers line. The regular sandwiches are served on either a sesame seed or corn dusted roll and are made from either whole breast fillets (fried or roasted), chopped chicken in a sauce or fried chicken strips. The Snackers line are value priced items that consist of chicken strips and various toppings. In the UK, Australia and New Zealand, sandwiches are referred to as "burgers"; there is the chicken fillet burger (a chicken breast fillet coated in an original-recipe coating with salad garnish and mayonnaise) and a Zinger Burger (as with the former but with a spicier coating and salsa). Both of these are available as "tower" variants, which include a slice of cheese and a hash brown.
• A variety of smaller finger food products are available at KFC including chicken strips, wings, nuggets and popcorn chicken. These products can be ordered plain or with various sauces, including several types of barbecue sauces and buffalo sauce. They also offer potato wedges.
• Several pies have been made available from KFC. The Pot Pie is a savory pie made with chicken, gravy and vegetables. In the second quarter of 2006, KFC introduced its variation on Shepherd's pie called the Famous Bowl. Served in a plastic bowl, it is layered with mashed potatoes or rice, gravy, corn, popcorn chicken, and cheese, and is served with a biscuit. The bowl had been available at KFC's special test market store in Louisville since the third quarter of 2005.
• The KFC Twister is a wrap that consists of either chicken strips or roasted chicken, tomato, lettuce and (pepper) mayonnaise wrapped in a tortilla. In Europe, the Twister is sold in two varieties: 1) the Grilled Twister (chicked strips),^[26][27][28] and 2) the Grilled Mexican twister/Spicy Toasted Twister (UK) (chicken breast supplemented by tortilla chips and salsa, UK: adds only salsa to pepper mayonnaise),^[29][30][31]
• KFC Fillers are a 9 in (23 cm) sub, available in four varieties over the summer period in Australia.
• Shish kebab – in several markets KFC sells kebabs.
• Kentucky Barbecued Chicken – barbecued chicken dipped in the original recipe
• Wrapstar is a variant of the KFC Twister, consisting of chicken strips with salsa, cheese, salad, pepper mayonnaise and other ingredients, contained in a compressed tortilla.^[32][33]

Other products

Coleslaw

• In some international locations, KFC may sell hamburgers, pork ribs or fish. In the U.S., KFC began offering the Fish Snacker sandwich during Lent in 2006. The Fish Snacker consists of a rectangular patty of Alaskan Pollock on a small bun, and is the fifth KFC menu item in the Snacker category.^[34]
• Some international locations also may sell KFC 'Mashies' - balls of mashed potato cooked in original recipe batter ^[35]
• Three types of salads (which can be topped with roasted or fried chicken) are available at KFC: Caesar, house, and BLT salads (in the US).
• The Boneless Banquet
• Zinger Burger – A regular sized burger which regularly consists of a boneless fillet of hot and spicy chicken, lettuce and mayonnaise in a burger bun. Cheese, tomato, bacon and pineapple can be added upon request. Barbecue sauce can also replace/join the mayonnaise.
• Chili Cheese Fries^[36] – By 2007, 2 former KFC/A&W Restaurants locations in Berlin and Cologne, Germany had reverted to KFC-only locations and the third location in Garbsen (by Hannover) was closed in 2005. The only remnant from the former A&W menu are the Chili Cheese Fries which were added to the systemwide KFC Germany menu.
• Parfait desserts – "Little Bucket Parfaits" in varieties such as Fudge Brownie, Chocolate Crème (once called the Colonel's Little Fudge Bucket), Lemon Crème and Strawberry Shortcake are available at most locations in the US.^[37]
• Sara Lee Desserts – Available in either Cookies and Cream Cheesecake or Choc Caramel Mousse.

Sides

• Other than fried chicken, many KFC restaurants serve side dishes like coleslaw, various potato-based items (including potato wedges, french fries and mashed potatoes with gravy), biscuits, baked beans, macaroni and cheese, macaroni salad, rice, steamed vegetables and corn on the cob.

Discontinued products

• The Colonel's Rotisserie Gold – This product was introduced in the 1990s as a response to the Boston Market chain's roasted chicken products, and a healthier mindset of the general public avoiding fried food. Purportedly made from a "lost" Col. Sanders recipe, it was sold as a whole roaster or a half bird.^[38]
• Tender Roast Chicken – This product was an off-shoot of 'The Colonel's Rotisserie Gold'. Instead of whole and half birds, customers were given quarter roasted chicken pieces. For a time, customers could request chicken "original", "Extra Tasty Crispy", or "Tender Roast".
• Chicken Little sandwich – a value oriented sandwich that sold for $0.39(USD)^[39] in the U.S. during the late 1980s and early 1990s. It was a small chicken patty with mayonnaise on a small roll, similar to White Castle's mini chicken sandwich.^[40]
• Extra Tasty Crispy (ETC) – Chicken much like the Extra Crispy served today, except ETC was prepared using chicken that had been soaking for 15 minutes in a special marinade machine. There is some speculation that the marinade may have been made with trans-fats, and KFC boasts to no longer use trans-fats in their chicken, the known ingredients were garlic and chicken stock. In the summer of 2007, KFC started marketing the chicken just as "Extra Crispy" without the marinade.
• Kentucky Nuggets were a chicken nugget product available at KFC until 1996. No reason has been given for their discontinuation.
• Smokey Chipotle – Introduced in April 2008. The chicken was dipped in chipotle sauce then doubled breaded and fried. It has been discontinued since August 2008.

Nutritional value

KFC formerly used partially hydrogenated oil in its fried foods. This oil contains relatively high levels of trans fat, which increases the risk of heart disease. The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) filed a court case against KFC, with the aim of making it use other types of oils or make sure customers know about trans fat content immediately before they buy food.

In October 2006, KFC announced that it would begin frying its chicken in trans fat-free oil. This would also apply to their potato wedges and other fried foods, however, the biscuits, macaroni and cheese, and mashed potatoes would still contain trans fat. Trans fat-free soybean oil was introduced in all KFC restaurants in the U.S. by April 30, 2007. CSPI announced that it would immediately drop its lawsuit against KFC and was hopeful that this would create a ripple effect on other restaurants or fast food chains that prepare food rich in trans fat. "If KFC, which deep-fries almost everything, can get the artificial trans fat out of its frying oil, anyone can," CSPI executive director Michael Jacobson said in a statement.^[41]

Advertising

KFC's logo used from 1997 until November 2006

Early television advertisements for KFC regularly featured Colonel Sanders licking his fingers and talking to the viewer about his secret recipe. Despite his death in 1980 Sanders remains a key symbol of the company in its advertising and branding.

Throughout the mid 1980s, KFC called on Will Vinton Studios to produce a series of humorous, claymation ads. These most often featured a cartoon-like chicken illustrating the poor food quality of competing food chains, mentioning prolonged freezing and other negative aspects.^[42] TV ads also featured Foghorn Leghorn advising Henery Hawk to visit the restaurant for better chicken.

In the 80s, KFC was an associate sponsor for Junior Johnson's NASCAR Winston Cup Series cars, with such drivers as Darrell Waltrip, Neil Bonnett, and Terry Labonte.

In 1997 KFC briefly re-entered the NASCAR Winston Cup Series as sponsor of the #26 Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet with driver Rich Bickle at the Brickyard 400.

A co-branded Long John Silver's and KFC

By the late 1990s, the stylized likeness of Colonel Sanders as the KFC logo had been modified. KFC ads began featuring an animated version of "the Colonel" voiced by Randy Quaid with a lively and enthusiastic attitude. He would often start out saying "The Colonel here!" and moved across the screen with a cane in hand. The Colonel was often shown dancing, singing, and knocking on the TV screen as he spoke to the viewer about the product.

The animated Colonel is uncommon today. Still using a humorous slant, the current KFC campaign revolves mostly around customers enjoying the food. It also features a modified version of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" as the theme song for practically all its commercials, though the restaurant actually hails from Kentucky.

In 2006, KFC claimed to have made the first logo visible from outer space, though Readymix has had one since 1965.^[43][44] KFC says "It marked the official debut of a massive global re-image campaign that will contemporize 14,000-plus KFC restaurants in over 80 countries over the next few years." The logo was built from 65,000 one-foot-square tiles, and it took six days on site to construct in early November. The logo was placed in the Mojave Desert near Rachel, Nevada.^[45] It is located in the northern section of Rachel, Nevada at 37°38′46″N 115°45′03″W / 37.6460°N 115.7507°W / 37.6460; -115.7507 (KFC logo) .

Many KFC locations are co-located with one or more of Yum! Brands restaurants, Long John Silver's, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, or A&W Restaurants. Many of these locations behave like a single restaurant, offering a single menu with food items from both restaurants.^[46]

The resurrected Kentucky Fried Chicken logo

One of KFC's latest advertisements is a commercial advertising its "wicked crunch box meal". The commercial features a fictional black metal band called "Hellvetica" performing live, the lead singer then swallows fire. The commercial then shows the lead singer at a KFC eating the "wicked crunch box meal" and saying "Oh man that is hot".

In 2007, the original, non-acronymic Kentucky Fried Chicken name was resurrected and began to reappear on company marketing literature and food packaging, as well as some restaurant signage.

Criticisms

Environmental concerns

KFC in the US has been accused by Greenpeace of a large destruction of the Amazon Rainforest, because the supply of soy used for chicken food that KFC receives from Cargill has been traced back to the European KFC. Cargill has reportedly been exporting soy illegally for several years.^[47] The Greenpeace organization researched the issue and brought it to the attention of the parent company YUM! Brands, Inc. The parent company denied the illegal operation, and said that their supply of soy is grown in parts of Brazil.^[47] Greenpeace has called on KFC to stop purchasing soy from Cargill, to avoid contributing to the destruction of the Amazon.^[47][48]

Trademark disputes

In 1971, Sanders sued Heublein Inc., KFC's parent company at the time, over the alleged misuse of his image in promoting products he had not helped develop. In 1975, Heublein Inc. unsuccessfully sued Sanders for libel after he publicly referred to their gravy as "sludge" with a "wallpaper taste".^[49]

In May 2007 KFC (Great Britain) requested that Tan Hill Inn, in the Yorkshire Dales, North Yorkshire, UK refrain from using the term 'Family Feast' to describe its Christmas menu,^[50] although this problem was quickly resolved with the pub being allowed to continue use of the term.^[51]

Wages and working conditions

Balmoral KFC workers and allies picketing the store

Like many fast food outlets, KFC employs a high proportion of young, unskilled workers, at or just above minimum wage, and its workers are not unionized. In New Zealand, KFC youth workers earn NZ$10.13 an hour. Staff at the Balmoral, Auckland store went on strike for two hours on December 3, 2005 after Restaurant Brands, the franchise holder, offered no wage increase in contract negotiations.^[52] In March 2006, Restaurant Brands agreed to phase out youth rates in New Zealand, although no date was set.

Many stores in western Canada are unionized with the Canadian Auto Workers, and as a result many non-franchise stores in western Canada pay higher than minimum wage.

Animal rights

Protesters demonstrating outside a KFC restaurant in Royal Oak, Michigan

Since 2003, animal rights and welfare organizations, led by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), have been protesting KFC’s treatment of the animals used for its products. These groups claim that the recommendations of the KFC Animal Welfare Advisory Council have been ignored.^[53] Adele Douglass, a former member of the council, said in an SEC filing reported on by the Chicago Times, that KFC "never had any meetings. They never asked any advice, and then they touted to the press that they had this animal-welfare advisory committee. I felt like I was being used."^[54][55]

KFC responded by saying the chickens used in its products are bought from suppliers like Perdue Farms, Tyson Foods, and Pilgrim's Pride, and that these suppliers are routinely monitored for animal welfare violations.^[56] Several PETA undercover investigations and videos of these and other KFC suppliers purporting to show chickens being beaten, ripped apart, and thrown against walls contradict KFC’s claims.^[57] PETA has criticised some of the practices of chicken breeders, such as beak trimming and overcrowding, but KFC says its suppliers meets UK legal requirements. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs recommends a maximum stocking density of 34 kg—around 30 chickens—per square metre, and say that in circumstances where beak trimming needs to be carried out to prevent the birds injuring each other, only one third of the beak should be trimmed "measured from the tip towards the entrance of the nostrils".^[58] PETA states that they have held more than 12,000 demonstrations at KFC outlets since 2003 because of this alleged mistreatment of chickens by KFC suppliers.^[59]

In June 2008, KFC Canada agreed to PETA's demands for better welfare standards, including favoring suppliers who use controlled-atmosphere killing (CAK) of chickens, and other welfare standards as well as introducing a vegan sandwich at 65% of its outlets. PETA has called off its campaign against KFC Canada, but continues to demonstrate against KFC elsewhere in the world.^[60]

Hygiene

In February, 2007, a KFC/Taco Bell outlet in New York City was found to be rat infested. A video showing the rats running wild inside the restaurant was shown on television news bulletins around the world, as well as disseminated on the internet via sites such as YouTube.^[61]

Two KFC outlets in Sydney, Australia, were fined record amounts for having unhygienic food preparation areas. Inspectors found layers of grease and dirt, as well as evidence of vermin. The KFC stores had been repeat offenders, and had ignored previous warnings to keep their restaurants clean. They were charged with 11 breaches of food hygiene laws.^[62]

International operations

Global locations

Countries with KFC restaurants
Key:
Blue: Countries currently with KFC restaurants

(Listed alphabetically by country)

Andorra  Antigua and Barbuda  Australia  Austria  Bahamas  Bahrain  Bangladesh  Barbados  Botswana  Brazil  Brunei  Bulgaria  Cambodia  Canada PFK (Poulet Frit Kentucky) in Quebec  Chile  People's Republic of China (肯德基)  Hong Kong  Macau  Colombia  Costa Rica  Cyprus  Czech Republic  Denmark  Dominica  Dominican Republic  Ecuador

El Salvador  Egypt  Fiji  France  Germany  Greece  Grenada  Guyana  Honduras  Hungary  Iceland  India  Indonesia  Iran  Iraq[63]  Ireland  Israel  Jamaica  Japan ケンタッキー (kentakkii?)  Jordan  Kuwait  Lebanon  Lithuania  Malaysia  Malta  Mauritius

Mexico  Morocco  Namibia  Netherlands  Aruba  Netherlands Antilles  Curaçao  Sint Maarten  New Zealand  Nicaragua  Oman  Pakistan  Panama  Peru  Philippines  Poland  Portugal (Franchised by Ibersol Group)  Qatar  Romania  Russia  Saudi Arabia  Saint Kitts and Nevis  Serbia  Singapore

Suriname  Slovakia  South Africa  South Korea  Spain  Sri Lanka  Syria  Taiwan  Thailand  Trinidad and Tobago  Turkey  United Arab Emirates  United Kingdom  Bermuda  Cayman Islands  United States  Guam  Puerto Rico  United States Virgin Islands  Venezuela  Vietnam  Yemen  Zimbabwe

Gallery

KFC in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia	Gulshan, Dhaka, Bangladesh	Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China	KFC at Hohe Straße 120–122 (former Pizza Hut location), one of 3 KFC locations in Cologne, Germany
co-located KFC and Domino's in Kolkata, India	KFC clone (BFC) in Shiraz, Iran	Kingston, Jamaica	Keihan Moriguchi City station, Osaka, Japan
Kuwait City, Kuwait	Bangkok, Thailand	Singapore	Angeles City, Philippines
KFC in Meville Street Saint George's, Grenada

See also

• List of fast-food restaurants

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b} Joe Bramhall. "KFC". Hoovers.com. http://www.hoovers.com/kfc/--ID__56325--/free-co-factsheet.xhtml. Retrieved 2008-02-21. 
2. ^ "Yum 2008 Annual Report" (PDF). http://www.yum.com/annualreport/docs/annualReport08.pdf. 
3. ^ Peter O. Keegan (1991-02-21). "KFC shuns 'fried' image with new name – Kentucky Fried Chicken has changed its name to KFC". Nation's Restaurant News. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3190/is_n8_v25/ai_10403447/. Retrieved 2007-08-24. 
4. ^ "KFC Resurrecting Old Kentucky Fried Chicken Name, With New Image". buzzle.com. 2005-05-01. http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/4-30-2005-69337.asp. Retrieved 2007-08-28. 
5. ^ Anne DiNardo. "Kentucky Fried Chicken: Fast Food Makeover". VMSD.com date=2005-08-29. http://vmsd.com/content/kentucky-fried-chicken-0. Retrieved 2007-08-28. 
6. ^ Doug Bennett, Jr.. "Kentucky’s Colonel Sanders". The Courier-Journal. http://www.courier-journal.com/foryourinfo/010305/010305.html. Retrieved October 28, 2007. ^{[dead link]}
7. ^ Kevin Beimers, Aimee Lingman. "Doing Chicken Right Since 1932". roadtrip.beimers.com. http://roadtrip.beimers.com/day99.html. Retrieved October 28, 2007. 
8. ^ KFC (2007). "The Pressure Cooker". KFC. http://www.kfc.com/about/pressure.asp. Retrieved October 28, 2007. 
9. ^ KFC (2007). "History". KFC. http://www.kfc.com/about/history.asp. Retrieved October 28, 2007. 
10. ^ Jenifer K. Nii (2004). "Colonel's landmark KFC is mashed". Deseret Morning News. http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,595057690,00.html. Retrieved October 28, 2007. 
11. ^ I've Got A Secret interview, originally broadcast April 6, 1964 (rebroadcast by GSN March 30, 2008).
12. ^ Roadside America. "The Big Chicken". Roadside America. http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/7021. Retrieved 2007-04-16. 
13. ^ Andrew Shanahan (2005-10-28). "Anatomy of a dish: KFC Family Feast - eight pieces of chicken(known as the "finger lickin chicken"), four regular fries, gravy and corn cobettes, £9.99". the Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/2005/oct/28/food.lifeandhealth. Retrieved 2008-01-17. 
14. ^ "KFC bolsters security – for secret recipe". CNN Money. September 9, 2008. http://money.cnn.com/2008/09/09/news/companies/kfc_recipe/index.htm?cnn=yes. 
15. ^ According to a profile of KFC done by the Food Network television show Unwrapped.
16. ^ Schreiner, Bruce, Associated Press (2008-09-09). "KFC shoring up security for secret recipe". Yahoo! News. http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=5758482. Retrieved 2008-09-21. 
17. ^ Bulleit, Jim. "KFC'sSecret Recipe Returns Home". WLKY. http://www.wlky.com/news/18684033/detail.html. Retrieved 2009-03-09. 
18. ^ "Colonel’s recipe returns to KFC". Business First of Louisville. 2009-02-10. http://louisville.bizjournals.com/louisville/stories/2009/02/09/daily26.html. Retrieved 2009-02-13. 
19. ^ Poundstone, William (1983). Big Secrets: The Uncensored Truth About All Sorts of Stuff You are Never Supposed to Know. New York: Morrow. pp. 228 pages. ISBN 0-688-02219-7. 
20. ^ Poundstone, pp 20-21.
21. ^ ^{a b} Ritzer, George (2004). The McDondaldization of Society. New York: Pine Forge Press. p. 64. 
22. ^ ^{a b} Dr. John S. Mahoney (2007). "Notes to Accompany Chapter 4 of Ritzer (McDonaldization)". Virginia Commonwealth University. http://www.people.vcu.edu/~jmahoney/MCDONCH4.htm. Retrieved October 28, 2007. 
23. ^ Jennifer Fermino (July 20, 2009). "Fryin' on a Wing and a Prayer". New York Post. http://www.nypost.com/p/news/regional/fryin_on_wing_prayer_Hy386ava5MATTLOODrb8UJ. 
24. ^ Wepman, Dennis. "Dave Thomas" (in En). American National Biography Online. http://www.anb.org/articles/10/10-02290.html. Retrieved 2009-04-22. 
25. ^ "Nutrition - Grilled Chicken". http://www.kfc.com/nutrition/grilled.asp. 
26. ^ "KFC Kentucky Fried Chicken | grilled twister". Kfc.de. http://www.kfc.de/97/grilled_twister/. Retrieved 2009-03-13. 
27. ^ "KFC Kentucky Fried Chicken | grilled twister". Kfc.nl. http://www.kfc.nl/58/grilled_twister/. Retrieved 2009-03-13. 
28. ^ All Time Classics. "Toasted Twisters made wrapped in a Warm Flour Tortilla grilled to seal in the flavour - KFC.co.uk". Kfc.co.uk. http://www.kfc.co.uk/our-menu/toasted-twister/. Retrieved 2009-03-13. 
29. ^ "KFC Kentucky Fried Chicken | grilled mexican twister". Kfc.de. http://www.kfc.de/98/grilled_mexican_twister/. Retrieved 2009-03-13. 
30. ^ "KFC Kentucky Fried Chicken | grilled mexican twister". Kfc.nl. http://www.kfc.nl/59/grilled_mexican_twister/. Retrieved 2009-03-13. 
31. ^ All Time Classics. "Spicy Toasted Twister with Hot Salsa wrapped in a Warm Flour Tortilla grilled to seal in the flavour - KFC.co.uk". Kfc.co.uk. http://www.kfc.co.uk/our-menu/toasted-twister/toasted-salsa-twister/. Retrieved 2009-03-13. 
32. ^ Kelly, Sean (2009-04-13). "The Wrapstar: Review". Pictou County, Nova Scotia: The News. http://www.ngnews.ca/index.cfm?sid=241673&sc=57. Retrieved 2009-10-29. 
33. ^ "Non-broadcast Adjudications: Kentucky Fried Chicken (Great Britain) Ltd t/a KFC". Advertising Standards Authority (United Kingdom). 2008-02-20. http://www.asa.org.uk/asa/adjudications/non_broadcast/Adjudication+Details.htm?Adjudication_id=44012. Retrieved 2009-10-29. 
34. ^ Alex Davis for the Louisville Courier-Journal (2007). "KFC tries Kentucky fried fish". Archive. Kentucky Community and Technical College System. Archived from the original on 2007-12-23. http://web.archive.org/web/20071223114532/http://www.kctcs.edu/todaysnews/index.cfm?tn_date=2007-02-22#9105. Retrieved October 28, 2007. 
35. ^ "Promos - KFC". kfc.co.nz. http://www.kfc.co.nz/index.cfm?contentNodeID=425. Retrieved 2009-10-13. 
36. ^ "KFC Kentucky Fried Chicken | chili cheese fries". Kfc.de. http://www.kfc.de/103/chili_cheese_fries/. Retrieved 2009-03-13. 
37. ^ "Little Bucket Parfaits - KFC.com". KFC.com. http://www.kfc.com/menu/desserts_parfaits.asp. Retrieved 2009-03-13. 
38. ^ Peter O. Keegan (1993). "Rotisserie Gold media blitz storms nation". Nations Restaurant News. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3190/is_n37_v27/ai_14418375/. Retrieved 2007-08-21. 
39. ^ January 04, 2008 (2008-01-04). "YouTube – KFC Chicken Littles 1987 TV Commercial". Youtube.com. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzzh_XbblN4. Retrieved 2009-03-13. 
40. ^ Webb Howell, (2000). "Power to the People". QSR Magazine. http://www.qsrmagazine.com/issue/interview/darlenepfieffer.phtml. Retrieved 2007-08-21. 
41. ^ Todd Zwillich (2006). "KFC to Fry Chicken Without Trans Fats". WebMD. http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20061030/kfc-to-fry-chicken-without-trans-fats. Retrieved October 28, 2007. 
42. ^ Animate Clay!. "Vinton Studio Commercials". Animate Clay!. Archived from the original on 2007-12-21. http://web.archive.org/web/20071221235722/http://www.animateclay.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=viewarticle&artid=101&page=1. Retrieved 2009-03-09. 
43. ^ KFC (2006). "KFC Creates World's First Brand Visible from Space". Press Release. KFC. Archived from the original on 2006-12-24. http://web.archive.org/web/20061224114447/http://www.kfc.com/about/pressreleases/111406.asp. Retrieved October 28, 2007. 
44. ^ Stephen Hutcheon (2006). "Giant Nullarbor logo zooms back into focus". The Sydney Morning Herald. http://www.smh.com.au/news/web/nullarbor-logo-zone/2006/12/13/1165685690455.html. Retrieved 2007-10-28. 
45. ^ "KFC Unveils New Logo with Giant Image in Nevada Desert". Associated Press. Fox News. 2006. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,229308,00.html. Retrieved October 28, 2007. 
46. ^ Melanie Warner (2005-07-11). "Diners Walk Through One Door and Visit Two Restaurants". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/11/business/11yum.html. Retrieved 2007-12-29. "Yum's multibranded stores have two illuminated logos, but they function as one restaurant. They have combined kitchens, a single line of cashiers and a staff trained to prepare both sets of menu items." 
47. ^ ^{a b c} Greenpeace (2006). "KFC exposed for trashing the Amazon rainforest for buckets of chicken". Greenpeace. http://www.greenpeace.org/international/press/releases/kfc-exposed-for-trashing-the-a. Retrieved October 28, 2007. 
48. ^ Brazil Magazine (2006). "KFC's Secret Ingredients Include Soy That's Destroying the Amazon, Says Greenpeace". Brazil Magazine. http://www.brazzilmag.com/content/view/6429/54/. Retrieved October 28, 2007. 
49. ^ Kleber, John E.; Thomas D. Clark, Lowell H. Harrison, and James C. Klotter (June 1992). The Kentucky Encyclopedia. University Press of Kentucky. p. 796. ISBN 0-81311-772-0. 
50. ^ "Pub Fights KFC for 'Family Feast'". BBC. 2007-05-10. http://news.bbc.co.uk/mobile/bbc_news/england/nwyl/north/north_yorkshire/664/66418/story6641819.shtml?l. Retrieved 2008-04-29. 
51. ^ Porter, John (10 May 2007). "KFC lets Yorkshire pub keep its family feast". The Publican. http://www.thepublican.com/story.asp?storyCode=55352. Retrieved 2008-09-17. 
52. ^ The New Zealand Herald (2005). "KFC staff to strike". The New Zealand Herald. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10357158. Retrieved October 28, 2007. 
53. ^ Dr. Temple Grandin, Dr. Johan Raj, Dr. Ian Duncan (2005). "Animal welfare recommendations and proposed plan of action for implementation at KFC suppliers" (PDF). People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. http://www.kentuckyfriedcruelty.com/pdfs/March11document.pdf. Retrieved October 28, 2007. 
54. ^ Securities and Exchange Commission (2006). "Relating to an Animal Welfare Standards Report – Shareholder Proposal". EDGAR Online, Inc.. http://s.edgar-online.com/yum-brands-inc/def-14a-proxy-statement-definitive/2006/03/30/Section11.aspx. Retrieved October 28, 2007. ^{[dead link]}
55. ^ David Montgomery (2003). "Small But Mighty Rights Group Tries Gentler Approach". Archived. http://lists.envirolink.org/pipermail/ar-news/Week-of-Mon-20030915/006487.html. Retrieved October 28, 2007. 
56. ^ CNN (2003). "Pamela Anderson takes on KFC". CNN. http://www.cnn.com/2003/BUSINESS/10/17/anderson.kfc/index.html. Retrieved October 28, 2007. 
57. ^ PETA (2005). "Undercover Investigations". PETA. http://www.kentuckyfriedcruelty.com/u-undercover.asp. Retrieved October 28, 2007. 
58. ^ Andrew Shanahan (2005-10-28). "Anatomy of a dish: KFC Family Feast – eight pieces of chicken (known as the "finger lickin chicken"), four regular fries, gravy and corn cobettes, £9.99". the Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/2005/oct/28/food.lifeandhealth. Retrieved 2008-01-17. 
59. ^ "PETA v. KFC - Campaign Highlights". PETA. http://www.kentuckyfriedcruelty.com/h-campaign.asp. Retrieved August 17, 2009. 
60. ^ "'Kentucky Fried Cruelty' comes to an end". Edmontonsun.com. 2008-06-01. http://www.humanefood.ca/news_kfc08.html. Retrieved 2009-03-13. 
61. ^ "Rats Run Wild in KFC-Taco Bell in N.Y.". CBS News. 2007-02-04. http://www.redorbit.com/news/general/851536/rats_run_wild_in_kfctaco_bell_in_ny/index.html. Retrieved 12 March 2009. 
62. ^ "Finger lickin' awful". The Daily Telegraph. 2009-03-12. http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/story/0,22049,25176422-5001021,00.html. Retrieved 12 March 2009. 
63. ^ Tony Perry (July 28, 2007). "IRAQ: The colonel deploys to Fallouja". Los Angeles Times. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/babylonbeyond/2008/07/iraq-the-colone.html. Retrieved 2009-07-18. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Kentucky Fried Chicken

• Official site
• "KFC Great American Success Story" by Bruce Schreiner (The Associated Press)

v • d • e Yum! Brands, Inc. A&W Restaurants · East Dawning · KFC · Long John Silver's · Pizza Hut · Taco Bell · WingStreet

v • d • e Fast food chicken chains Bojangles' · Boston Market · Brown's Chicken & Pasta · Buffalo Wild Wings · Chester's · Chick-fil-A · Chicken Express · Chicken Out Rotisserie · Chicken Treat · Church's · Cluck-U · Dixie Lee Fried Chicken · El Pollo Loco · Favorite Chicken · Foosackly's · Golden Chick · Guthrie's · Harold's Chicken Shack · Juan Pollo · Kenny Rogers Roasters · KFC · Lee's Famous · Mary Brown's · Max's of Manila · Nando's · Mrs. Winner's Chicken & Biscuits · Oporto · Pollo Campero · Pollos Frisby · Pollo Tropical · Popeyes · Raising Cane's · Red Rooster · Smithfield's Chicken 'N Bar-B-Q · Tip-Top · Wienerwald · Wing Stop · WingStreet · Wing Zone · Zankou Chicken · Zaxby's

v • d • e Fast food restaurant chains in the United States Burger chains A&W · Arctic Circle · Big Boy · Burger King · Burgerville · Carl's Jr. · Checkers/Rally's · Cheeseburger in Paradise · Culver's · Fatburger · Five Guys · Fuddruckers · Hardee's · In-N-Out Burger · Jack in the Box · Krystal · McDonald's · Red Robin · Roy Rogers · Sonic Drive-In · Steak n Shake · Wendy's · Whataburger · Red Robins Nation's White Castle · Winstead's Pizza chains California Pizza Kitchen · Chuck E. Cheese's · CiCi's Pizza · Domino's Pizza · Hungry Howie's Pizza · Little Caesars · Papa John's · Peter Piper Pizza · Pizza Hut · Rocky Rococo  · Sal's Pizza  · Sbarro · Shakey's Pizza · Chicken chains Bojangles' · Brown's · Chick-fil-A · Chicken Express · Church's · El Pollo Loco · Kentucky Fried Chicken · Pollo Tropical · Popeyes · Raising Cane's · Zaxby's Ethnic cuisine L&L Hawaiian Barbecue · Lee's Sandwiches (Vietnamese) · Jollibee (Filipino) Manchu Wok (Chinese) · Panda Express (Chinese) · Sarku Japan (Japanese) · Yoshinoya (Japanese) Ice cream chains Baskin-Robbins · Braum's · Carvel · Cold Stone Creamery · Culver's · Dairy Queen + Orange Julius · Tastee-Freez · TCBY Sandwich chains Arby's · Blimpie · D'Angelo Sandwich Shops · Firehouse Subs · Hogi Yogi · Jamba Juice · Jason's Deli · Jersey Mike's Subs · Jimmy John's · Milio's Sandwiches  · Planet smoothie · Potbelly Sandwich Works · Quiznos · Schlotzsky's · Smoothie King · Subway · Tropical Smoothie Cafe · Tubby's Seafood chains Arthur Treacher's · Captain D's · Long John Silver's Hot dog chains Hot Dog on a Stick · Nathan's Famous · Portillo's · Wienerschnitzel Tex-Mex Boloco · California Tortilla · Chipotle Mexican Grill · Del Taco · Mighty Taco · Moe's Southwest Grill · Qdoba Mexican Grill · Taco Bell · Taco Bueno · Taco Cabana · Taco John's · Taco Mayo · Taco Time Baked goods Auntie Anne's · Cinnabon · Dunkin' Donuts · Krispy Kreme · T.J. Cinnamons · Tim Hortons · Winchell's Donuts Beverages Starbucks · Orange Julius Peet's Coffee & Tea · Tully's Coffee · Seattle's Best Coffee · The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf · Jamba Juice Defunct Burger Chef · Carrols · Druther's · Gino's Hamburgers · Naugles · Red Barn · Sandy's

v • d • e Food chains in the United Kingdom Coffeehouse: AMT Coffee · Caffè Nero · Caffè Ritazza · Coffee Republic · Costa Coffee · Gloria Jean's Coffees · Starbucks Fast food restaurants: Bagel Nash · Baskin-Robbins · Burger King · Chicken Cottage · Dixy Chicken · Domino's Pizza · Favorite Chicken · KFC · Krispy Kreme · Little Chef · McDonald's · Millie's Cookies · Papa John's Pizza · Pizza Hut · Sbarro  · Shakeaway · Spudulike · Wimpy · Yogen Früz · YO! Sushi Casual dining: Aberdeen Angus Steak Houses · Beefeater · Bella Italia · Brewers Fayre · Café Rouge · Chiquito · Damon's · Fine Burger Company · Frankie & Benny's · Gourmet Burger Kitchen · Happy Eater (relaunches in 2010) · Hard Rock Cafe · Harry Ramsden's · Harvester · Hooters · Hungry Horse · Loch Fyne · Nando's · Outback Steakhouse · PizzaExpress · Planet Hollywood · Prezzo · Rainforest Cafe · Romano's Macaroni Grill · Strada · Taybarns · T.G.I. Friday's · Wagamama · Zizzi Sandwich shops: Bakers Oven · EAT. · Greggs · O'Briens · Pret A Manger · Quiznos · Sayers  · Subway · Upper Crust Pub chains: All Bar One · Scream Pubs · Slug and Lettuce · Walkabout · Wetherspoons · Yates's Former chains: ABC · Arby's · A&W Restaurants · Berni Inn · Blimpie · Chili's · Dunkin Donuts · Long John Silver's · Lyons Corner Houses · Popeye's · Quick · Schlotzsky's · Taco Bell · Wendy's

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)