KFC, known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, is a chain of fast food restaurants based in Louisville, Kentucky. In the midst of the depression, Harland Sanders who was born just outside Henryville (Indiana), opens his first restaurant in the small front room of a gas station in Corbin, Kentucky.
Sanders serves as station operator, chief cook and cashier and names the dining area “Sanders Court & Cafe.In 1936, Kentucky Governor Ruby Laffoon makes Harland Sanders an honorary Kentucky Colonel in recognition of his contributions to the state’s cuisine. The Sanders Court; Cafe adds a motel and expands the restaurant to 142 seats. In 1952, the Colonel began actively franchising his chicken business by traveling from town to town and cooking batches of chicken for restaurant owners and employees and awarded Pete Harman of Salt Lake City with the first KFC franchise.
Every day, more than 12 million customers are served at KFC restaurants in 109 countries and territories around the world. KFC operates more than 5,200 restaurants in the United States and more than 15,000 units around the world.
Customers around the globe also enjoy more than 300 other products — from Kentucky Grilled Chicken in the United States to a salmon sandwich in Japan. KFC is part of Yum! Brands, Inc. , the world’s largest restaurant company in terms of system restaurants, with more than 36,000 locations around the world. The company is ranked #239 on the Fortune 500 List, with revenues in excess of $11 billion in 2008.
