KFC
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For other uses, see KFC (disambiguation).
KFC Corporation
Type Wholly owned subsidiary (ofYum! Brands)
Industry Fast food
Genre Southern fried chicken
Founded 1930 (original)(North Corbin, Kentucky)
1952 (franchise)(South Salt Lake, Utah)
Founder(s) Harland Sanders
Headquarters Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
Key people Roger Eaton, President
Harvey R. Brownlea, COO
James O'Reilly, VP forMarketing
Products Fried chicken, grilled chicken, related Southern foods R [1] evenue $520.3 million USD (2007)
[1]
Employees 24,000 (2007)
Parent Yum! Brands
Website http://www.kfc.com
KFC Corporation (KFC), founded and also known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, is a chain of fast food restaurants based in Louisville, Kentucky in
theUnited States. KFC has been a brand and operating segment, termed a concept[2] of Yum! Brands since 1997 when that company was spun off
fromPepsiCo as Tricon Global Restaurants Inc.
KFC primarily sells chicken pieces, wraps, salads and sandwiches. While its primary focus is fried chicken, KFC also offers a line of grilled and 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 U.S. 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
[hide]
1 History
2 The secret recipe
3 Products
o 3.1 Packaging
o 3.2 Menu items
4 Advertising
5 Criticism
o 5.1 Environmental concerns
o 5.2 Trademark disputes
o 5.3 Wages and working conditions
o 5.4 Animal rights o 5.5 Hygiene
6 International operations
7 See also
8 Notes
9 External links
History
The restaurant in North Corbin, Kentucky where Colonel Sanders developed Kentucky Fried Chicken
The first KFC restaurant, situated inSouth Salt Lake, Utah and 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
becomeInterstate 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: to Heublein in 1971, to R.J. Reynolds in 1982 and most recently to PepsiCo in 1986, 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 ³ 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 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 theUK, 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.
KFC considers its Double Down product a sandwich in spite of containing no bread.
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 (chicken 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.
Krushers, available in Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. These are drinks containing "real bits". They include "classic krushers",
"smoothie krushers" and "fruit krushers". Selected outlets are now equipped with "Krushbars" to serve these drinks.
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, and by
the 1960s both the Colonel and the chain's striped bucket had became well-known. The bucket as product placement can be seen in the hands of both
Annette Funicello and Dwayne Hickman in 1965's How to Stuff a Wild Bikini, and was also featured prominently in the 1968 Peter Sellers vehicle, The
Party. The Colonel made appearances as himself in Jerry Lewis's The Big Mouth (1967), Herschell Gordon Lewis' Blast-Off Girls (1967) and Al
Adamson's Hell's Bloody Devils (1970), as well as an appearance in 1968 onRowan & Martin's Laugh-In.
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 advisingHenery Hawk to visit the restaurant for better chicken.
In the 1980s, 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 nearRachel, Nevada.[45] It is located in the northern section of Rachel, Nevada at 37.6460°N 115.7507°W .
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.
In 2010, an advertisement was shown in Australia showing an Australian cricket fan giving West Indies fans KFC chicken to keep them quiet. The ad
sparked a debate over racism in the ad, suggesting that all black people eat fried chicken. Fried chicken was eaten by black slaves[citation needed] because
it was cheap and easy to make. Though KFC stated that it was "misinterpreted by a segment of people in the US",[47] the ad was later pulled from TV.
However, several Australian commentators have expressed the opinion that the ad is not racist, because this is not a racial stereotype in Australia and
the cricket fans in the ad are not African American, but West Indies cricket supporters (the West Indies cricket team was playing a Test cricket series
against theAustralian cricket team at the time of the ad).[48][49]
Also in 2010, Yum! signed a naming rights deal with the Louisville Arena Authority for Louisville's new downtown arena, which will open in November of
that year as the KFC Yum! Center.
Criticism
This article's Criticism or Controversy section(s) may mean the article does not present a neutral point of view of the subject. It may be better to integrate the material in those sections into the article as a whole. (April 2010)
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.[50] 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.[50] Greenpeace has called on KFC to stop purchasing
soy from Cargill, to avoid contributing to the destruction of the Amazon.[50][51]
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".[52]
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,[53] although this problem was quickly resolved with the pub being allowed to continue use of the term.[54]
Wages and working conditions
Balmoral KFC workers and allies picketing the store
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
afterRestaurant Brands, the franchise holder, offered no wage increase in contract negotiations.[55] 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.[citation needed]
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.[56] 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."[57][58]
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.[59] 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.[60] 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 kg²around 30 chickens²per 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".[61] 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.[62]
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.[63]
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.[64]
Two KFC outlets in Sydney, Australia, were fined record amounts in 2009 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.[65]
In 2009, a KFC outlet in Leicester Square, London was charged with 13 food hygiene charges by officials from Westminster Council, claiming a mouse
was seen running across the floor and flies buzzed around their heads at the premises.[66]
A court case in August 2010 revealed poor hygiene at a KFC outlet in the suburb of Villawood in Sydney, Australia. KFC staff admitted to the court that they would drop cooked chicken pieces on the floor, and indulge in food fights using french fries and chicken pieces. The court was told that staff
did not wash their hands between handling raw chicken blood, and serving cooked chicken pieces to customers. An 11-year-old girl launched legal
action against the KFC outlet, claiming she caught salmonellosis after eating a Twister at the store, which she says left her with brain
damageand quadriplegia. KFC denied the girl's illness was caused by its food.[67]