A highway cut off Colonel Sanders' cafe. KFC has 30,000 restaurants.
Harland Sanders had fried chicken in Corbin, Kentucky, since around 1930. Duncan Hines recommended his cafe in 1939. Then the state rerouted the highway, and by 1956, in his words, "we were lucky to get out with enough to pay the bills." He sold the cafe.
His first Social Security check came for $105. "That won't go very far," he remembered telling his wife. He loaded a 1946 Ford with a pressure cooker, 50 pounds of seasoned flour and a blanket, and drove from restaurant to restaurant, sleeping many nights in the car. Owners promised him five cents for every chicken they sold.
By 1964 he counted 600 franchises and sold the company for $2 million. As of October 2026, KFC lists more than 30,000 restaurants in 150 countries.
He showed other cooks his method and got paid per chicken they sold.
One-minute true story. AI-generated illustration with narration by an AI voice.
What would you package if your one big client went away tomorrow?
What the captions say
- This is the story of how a highway cut off Colonel Sanders' cafe, and his franchise became KFC, with 30,000 restaurants.
- Harland Sanders left school at 12. Around 1930, he was serving fried chicken at his gas station in Corbin, Kentucky.
- In 1939, Duncan Hines' restaurant guide recommended his cafe. In 1952, he signed his first franchise, in Salt Lake City.
- His cafe needed the cars that passed his door. In his words, the blow fell. The state rerouted the highway.
- Sanders wrote: "By 1956, we were lucky to get out with enough to pay the bills." That year he sold the cafe.
- His first Social Security check arrived while he and his wife were still talking about their next move. It was for $105.
- Sanders remembered telling her: "That won't go very far." At 66, he took his chicken on the road.
- He loaded his 1946 Ford with a pressure cooker, a 50-pound tin of seasoned flour, and a blanket to sleep under.
- He drove from restaurant to restaurant and slept many nights in the car. Owners who signed up promised him 5 cents for every chicken they sold.
- By 1964, in just 8 years, he had 600 franchises running on the honor system.
- Then he sold the company to a group of investors for $2 million.
- As of October 2026, KFC lists more than 30,000 restaurants in 150 countries. He said the check wouldn't go very far.
