Colonel Harland Sanders

At the age of 65, Colonel Harland Sanders began franchising his chicken business using his $105 monthly social security check. Today over two billion of the Colonel's chicken dinners are served each year making KFC one of the largest retail food services in the world.

The Colonel lost his father at the early age of 6. So at a young age, he started caring for his brother and sister, which included much of the family cooking. At the age of 7 he had already mastered several regional dishes. At the age of 40 in a Corbin, Kentucky service station he began cooking for hungry travelers who stopped by. He did not have a restaurant but served guests at his own dining room table in his living quarters. As word spread and more people started coming for the food, he moved across the street to a motel and restaurant that seated 142 people. During the next 9 years he perfected his secret blend of 11 herbs and spices that is still used today. The special recipe is still a closely guarded secret.

In the late 1930's Sanders went to a demonstration on a new device called the pressure cooker that turned out great tasting green beans in a matter of minutes. He started to wonder if it would do the same for his chicken. After experimenting with the pressure cooker he came out with the best-fried chicken he had tasted. To this day KFC still fries the chicken in pressure cookers.

In 1952 the Colonel devoted himself to the chicken franchising business. He traveled across the country and cooked batches of his chicken for restaurant owners and their employees. The deal was sealed with only a verbal agreement and handshake. It was agreed that for each piece of chicken sold, the Colonel would be paid a nickel. By 1964 there were more than 600 franchised outlets for his chicken. In that same year Sanders sold his interest in the company for $2 million, and remained a predominant spokesman.

Sanders was the recipient of the Horatio Alger Award in 1965. In 1976, the Colonel received another honor when he was ranked as the world's second most recognizable celebrity.

KFC is the world's most popular chicken restaurant chain. Around the world nearly 8 million customers are served every day.

At the age of ninety the Colonel was fatally stricken with leukemia. Until his death in 1980, the Colonel traveled 250,000 miles a year visiting the empire that he had founded.

 Print Friendly