Colonel Sanders, Founder Of KFC
“I feed truck drivers, millionaires all at the same table.” – Colonel Sanders
We are all aware of the iconic KFC, which does not know about the finger-licking good chicken they serve. Kentucky Fried Chicken is a popular fast food chain that is famous for their iconic fried chicken as well as their logo, which, even after so many years, still has the image of the original Colonel Sanders image. KFC’s innovative, crispy, flavorful chicken recipe is a crowd-pleaser. The story of the KFC starts with the story of its founder, Colonel Harland.
Colonel Harland David Sanders was born on 9 September 1890 in Indiana, being born as the old child of the family. He had quite a few responsibilities, and after the death of his father at the age of six, he started completely cooking and taking care of his siblings. Eventually, he became quite good with vegetables and bread. His life was filled with hardship and difficulties, and eventually he dropped out of school and decided to start working as a farmhand.
When he was 16, he forged his age and decided to work in the army. After the army, he went to work on the railroads. Here, his job was to empty the ash pans from the rail engines. He was also honorably discharged from the army in 1907. After which he moved with his uncle to Alabama. He worked as a fireman in the railways for approximately three years, eventually being fired due to being in subordinate
He did various kinds of jobs and also had a career in the legal field, which was for a short leave because of a courtroom brawl with his client. This was one of the lowest moments in his life, which left him to move back with his mother and hand. After that, he started working as a laborer on the Pennsylvania Railways, and by 1916, he started selling life insurance again. He was fired due to his insubordination.
He had also established a ferryboat business by his 30s on the Ohio River, but that business eventually was no longer profitable due to a bridge being built nearby. He also had many other ventures, such as an oil lamp business, which failed miserably.
In 1939, he purchased a motel that was destroyed in a fire and rebuilt it into a restaurant. His KFC journey started at the age of 50, by which he was able to create the secret recipe for the fried chicken. Just by the first year, sales of the fried chicken increased by 75%.
By 1939, he had to sell his properties to keep himself upfloat. Sanders had always been a strong old man who was looking for an opportunity to rebuild his restaurant. The major setback that he faced was in 1956, due to the highway bypass.
With a pension of just $105 per month as a Social Security check, his KFC franchisee was again on track. While traveling, he met his acquaintance Pete Harman, who loved his fried chicken and made it a fixed item on his menu. At the age of 66, in 1963, Colonel Sandals retired with 600 patients, including franchisees based overseas, in 1964. He sold his business for $2 million. Currently, there are around 20,000 KFC outlets in 108 countries.
Colonel Sanders is a very popular name who has taught us to never give up, no matter how many failures you come across. He died at the age of 90 on December 16, 1918, in Louisiana, Kentucky. He was one of the most popular businessmen and restaurateurs here of his time. Colonel Sanders had created a charitable organization that was registered in Canada. This organization would donate a lot of money to children’s hospitals all over the country. Sanders legacy is a testimonial of success for a restaurant here today. From starting with the borrowed $87 and selling his delicious Fried Chicken go-to door, Colonel Sanders had many hardships prior, and while building the iconic KFC, not a single rejection in his life was able to push him from his path towards success.
KFC is a global brand that is spread across the world. Everyone, from children young to old, loves their various fried chicken. Many brands have tried to copy the taste of KFC but have failed.