In 1930, Sanders opened up a service station along U.S. 25, a busy highway which ran through Kentucky. It was not just a regular gas station. When people stopped to refill their gas tanks, Sanders made sure they refilled their stomachs as well. With home-cooked meals that his wife and children helped to prepare, Sanders’ first venture into the fast-food industry had begun. His station might have been simple, with only one table and six chairs, but it was a start.
It was the Great Depression, but Sanders proved his doubters wrong by showing that people would still eat out if it was convenient for them. His station was so successful that soon Sanders had to move to a bigger establishment. He relocated across the street and opened up not just another gas station, but also a motel and a dining room with 142 seats. Knowing little about restaurant or hotel management, Sanders signed up for an eight-week course from Cornell University to better understand the business.
Sanders’ restaurant became known for its homey Southern cooking. There was no menu, but people knew where to go if they wanted pan fried chicken or biscuits. After a positive review by a well-known restaurant critic at the time, the popularity of Harland Sanders Court & Café exploded. In 1935, Kentucky Governor Ruby Laffoon even honored its founder with the title of state Colonel.
Two years later, Sanders tried to expand his business, starting a chain of restaurants throughout the state. He also tried to open a similar motel and restaurant operation in Asheville, North Carolina. Both attempts, however, failed.
Sanders put his plans for expansion on hold for the meantime, deciding instead to focus on perfecting his chicken recipe. He wanted to find a way to create his unique fried chicken with its special blend of spices faster than the 45 minutes it usually took to prepare. After figuring out how to use a new product on the market called a pressure cooker, Sanders figured out how to achieve his goal. Finally, he could make his special chicken in a fraction of the traditional time.
All of Sanders’ hard work, however, seemed to come to an end when the federal government announced it was going to build a new highway that would essentially make Sanders’ site worthless. Forced to sell off his property to pay his debts, Sanders found himself broke at the age of 66.
Yet Sanders still had faith in his chicken recipe. He loaded all his equipment and ingredients in his car and began to travel the country demonstrating his unique process to restaurant owners. He offered them a deal: for every chicken sold with Sanders’ secret recipe, he would get five cents of the sale. After being rejected numerous times, Sanders finally found a few takers. His popularity rebounded and Sanders found himself back on track. Sanders then reopened his own restaurant and begun to sign franchise agreements with many of these other restaurants. By 1960, he had over 400 franchisees.
Four years later, Sanders sold his operation to a group of investors for $2 million, as well as a lifetime annual salary of $40,000. While it was a decision he would later regret, Sanders remained an integral part of the company, and served as its spokesperson until he died of leukemia at the age of 90. Today, although the company’s name has been shortened to just KFC so as not to be associated with fried and unhealthy foods, the image of its founder remains as strong a part of its corporate identity as ever.
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