Kentucky Fried Chicken, often known as KFC, might be the world’s most popular chicken-centric fast food chain. However, there are some things you probably don’t know about KFC, even if you eat there every day! Check out 10 little-known facts about Kentucky Fried Chicken below.
Number Ten: The Secret Recipe. Though many fans are aware that KFC has a top-secret recipe, most people don’t realize just how secretive it is. The recipe is hidden away in a vault and has not even been patented. KFC never patented its recipe because they knew that once it expired it would be available to the public.
Number Nine: Eat Those Fingers. KFC was one of the very first franchises to transition to the Asian market. However, their slogan got a little lost in translation. “Finger-lickin’ good” became “We’ll eat your fingers off!” Ouch.
Number Eight: Harland Sanders’ Background. The man behind KFC is often referred to as Colonel Sanders, but his real name is Harland Sanders. However, he actually is a colonel, but not in the way you might think. He was given the honorary title of Colonel by Kentucky’s governor at the time.
Number Seven: Expensive Suit. Colonel Sanders’ personal memorabilia was auctioned off at one point. One Japanese man bought Colonel Sanders’ iconic white suit and tie for a hefty $21,510.
Number Six: Leon “Pete” Harmon. Leon “Pete” Harmon might not be as well-known as Colonel Sanders, but he was just as important to KFC. Harmon was the first man to franchise KFC-brand chicken as his hamburger joint, and he also came up with the idea to put pieces of chicken in red and white striped buckets.
Number Five: Kentucky Fried Chicken for Christmas
In Japan, having KFC on Christmas is analogous to the way Americans eat turkey on Thanksgiving. A Japanese marketing campaign popularized the practice by using the slogan “Kentucky for Christmas.”
Number Four: The Origin of KFC. Kentucky Fried Chicken didn’t become KFC until 1991. Most people assume KFC began being used to shorten the name, but the real reason is that the chain wanted to distance themselves from the negative connotation of the word “fried.”
Number Three: Fast Food Mecca. The same company that owns KFC also owns Taco Bell and Pizza Hut. That’s why you’ll often see a combination of these three restaurants in the same building!
Number Two: Billboard Shooting. Colonel Sanders once actually shot a man over a billboard. Sanders had his employees paint over the sign of a local gas station to direct more business to his Kentucky Fried Chicken. However, his employees were caught by the gas station’s employees, who proceeded to shoot at the KFC employees. One of Sanders’ employees was killed, so Sanders retaliated and shot one of the gas station employees.
Number One: Fit for a…Dog? After Sanders sold the KFC business for $2 million in the mid-1970s, he became very displeased with the way the business was run. In fact, he went into one chain in New York City’s Greenwich Village and exclaimed that the gravy was not fit for a dog.