Birthplace of Kentucky Fried Chicken
Laurel County, Laurel County, Kentucky
Marker Inscription
Birthplace of Kentucky Fried Chicken. In 1932 Colonel Harland Sanders bought the small restuarant near this site. Here he combined good cooking, hard work and showmanship to build regional fame for his fine food. His restaurant and a motel, now gone, flourished. To serve his patrons better Sanders constantly experimented with new recipes and cooking methods. Here he created, developed and perfected his world famous Kentucky Fried Chicken recipe. In 1956 plans were announced for a Federal highway to by-pass Corbin. Threatened with the traffic loss, Sanders, then 66, and undaunted, sold the restaurant and started travelling America selling seasoning, and his recipe for fried chicken to other restaurants. His success in this effort began the world's largest commercial food service system and made Kentucky a household word around the world. Presented by the innumerable friends of Kentucky's greatest goodwill ambassador.
The Story
In 1932 a 42-year-old Harland Sanders bought a small roadside restaurant near this Laurel County site, where he combined good cooking, relentless work, and a showman's flair to win regional fame for his fried chicken. Experimenting endlessly, he perfected the recipe and cooking method that would become world famous. When a planned federal bypass threatened his business in 1956, the undaunted 'Colonel,' by then 66, sold up and hit the road selling his seasoning and franchise—launching what grew into the world's largest food-service system.
Why it matters
This roadside cafe is the birthplace of a global franchising empire and a classic American second-act story of reinvention that made Kentucky a household word.
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Related people
- · Harland Sanders
Themes & tags
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