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Harland Sanders opens the "Sanders Court & Café."
In the midst of the depression, Harland Sanders 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 & Café." -
sanders becomes a Colonel
Kentucky Governor Ruby Laffoon makes Harland Sanders an honorary Kentucky Colonel in recognition of his contributions to the state's cuisine. -
Birthdate of the Original Recipe
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Colonel Sanders opens the first KFC (franchise)
first "Kentucky Fried Chicken" franchise opening in Utah in the early 1950s. -
the franchise
The Colonel begins actively franchising his chicken business by traveling from town to town and cooking batches of chicken for restaurant owners and employees. The Colonel awards Pete Harman of Salt Lake City with the first KFC franchise. A handshake agreement stipulates a payment of a nickel to Sanders for each chicken sold. -
sanders sells the Sanders Court & Café
An interstate highway is built to bypass Corbin, Kentucky. Sanders sells the service station on the same day that he receives his first social security check for $105. After paying debts owed, he is virtually broke. He decides to go on the road to sell his Secret Recipe to restaurants. -
Kentucky Fried Chicken first sold in buckets
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Colonel Sanders sells the company
Its rapid expansion saw it grow too large for Sanders to manage, and he eventually sold the company to a group of investors. -
Period: to
KFC changes hands
KFC had mixed success at home as it went through a series of corporate owners who had little or no experience in the restaurant business