25 Facts About KFC

KFC is an American fast food restaurant chain headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, that specializes in 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 popularized chicken in the fast-food industry, diversifying the market by challenging the established dominance of the hamburger.

KFC was one of the first American fast-food chains to expand internationally, opening outlets in Canada, the United Kingdom, Mexico and Jamaica by the mid-1960s.

Since the early 1990s, KFC has expanded its menu to offer other chicken products such as chicken fillet sandwiches and wraps, as well as salads and side dishes such as French fries and coleslaw, desserts and soft drinks; the latter often supplied by PepsiCo.

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KFC's associates went along with the title change, "jokingly at first and then in earnest", according to biographer Josh Ozersky.

For Harman, the addition of KFC was a way of differentiating his restaurant from competitors; a product from Kentucky was exotic and evoked imagery of Southern hospitality.

KFC popularized chicken in the fast food industry, diversifying the market by challenging the dominance of the hamburger.

KFC entered the Chinese market in November 1987, with an outlet in Beijing.

In 1991, the KFC name was officially adopted, although it had already been widely known by that initialism.

Kyle Craig, president of KFC U S, admitted the change was an attempt to distance the chain from the unhealthy connotations of "fried".

KFC launched a new initiative with a plan to revamp its packaging, decor and uniforms and expand its menu.

KFC is incorporated under Delaware General Corporation Law, and has its headquarters at 1441 Gardiner Lane, Louisville, Kentucky, in a three-story colonial style building known colloquially as the "White House" due to its resemblance to the US president's home.

In 2012, the "KFC AM" breakfast menu began to be rolled out internationally, including such items as pancakes, waffles and porridge, as well as fried chicken.

KFC adapts its menu internationally to suit regional tastes and there are over 300 KFC menu items worldwide.

KFC initially used stove-top covered cooking pots to fry its chicken.

In 1969, inventor and engineer Winston L Shelton developed the "Collectramatic" pressurized fryer to overcome the problems KFC faced in quickly frying chicken to meet growing customer demand.

KFC helped set the stage for that with true engineering thinking.

From 2013 onwards, KFC has been transitioning from using Collectramatic cookers to pressure fryers produced by Henny Penny, which supplies KFC with various equipment.

The first KFC logo was introduced in 1952 and featured a "Kentucky Fried Chicken" typeface and a logo of the Colonel.

In 1969, KFC hired its first national advertising agency, Leo Burnett.

In 2010, according to The Guardian, "in the US where fried chicken remains closely associated with age-old racist stereotypes about black people in the once segregated south", KFC Australia aired the 30-second promotion on television named "KFC's cricket survival guide" which shows a cricket fan surrounded by fans from the opposing team.

In December 2012, the chain was criticized in China when it was discovered that a number of KFC suppliers had been using growth hormones and an excessive amount of antibiotics on its poultry in ways that violated Chinese law.

KFC apologized by taking out adverts in British newspapers showing the company's initials rearranged to read "FCK", followed by an apology, which was well received.

In November 2021, Finland's first KFC restaurant was opened at the Itis shopping center in Itakeskus, Helsinki.

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