KFC (Kentucky fried chicken) is a fast-food restaurant chain based in America. KFC is famous for its delicious chicken products and especially fried chicken. Louisville, Kentucky is the headquarters for KFC, which is spread globally in 150 countries. Approx 25000 outlet locations embrace this widely spread fast food chain. Here we will see about Who Owns Kfc?
Who Founded KFC?
Colonel Harland Sanders is the founder of this widely spread and rapidly growing chain, KFC. He owned a roadside restaurant in Corbin, Kentucky where he sold fried chicken in that space during the great depression. But sooner, He identified the real potential of the restaurant franchising concept. He proudly welcomed his customers to the first KFC franchise in Utah formally in 1952. KFC emerged as a champion in the food catering business. It proved itself as a great competitor for the established dominance of the hamburger. KFC popularized chicken snack items in the fast food industry and ruled the hearts of chicken lovers. Colonel sanders became Well known personality in American cultural history. Presently, KFC still uses its image for its advertising.
Kaisi also became the first American fast-food chain to expand internationally. By the mid-1960s, numerous outlets of KFC were opened in various countries across the globe including Canada, the United Kingdom, Mexico, and Jamaica.
Who owns KFC?
Colonel Harland Sanders founded KFC but none of his family owns the chain today. It is owned by the Yum! Brand Inc., formally Tricon global restaurants, inc., is an American fast-food corporation. Yum! the brand forms one of the largest chains of restaurants presently. Several brands like Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and habit burger grill are also managed under this successful chain of restaurants. It is a Foodservice industry founded in 1997 with its headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky.
Changes in the Ownership OF KFC:
During the 1970s and 80s, KFC faced a series of changes in corporate ownership. In the early 1970s, the spirits distributor Heublein took possession. Later it was taken over by the RJ Reynolds food company. The company later sold the chain to Pepsi co. KFC’s expansion was rapid in its current largest market i.e. china. Pepsi co. later spun off its restaurant’s division as Tricon global restaurants. Later, the company changed its name, and today it’s widely known as Yum! Brand.
Fast food items that kFC serves traditionally:
The most sold and the classic original recipe of KFC is Pressure-fried chicken pieces which are classically seasoned with Sander’s signature recipe made with traditional “11 herbs and spices”. The constituent of this recipe is a trade secret. The company sold huge portions of fried chicken in cardboard buckets which became a feature of KFC. As the period of the year 1990 crossed its next six decades, KFC started offering a wide variety of chicken products on its menu. Today, the menu of KFC has approximately 300 dishes and more varying from region to region. The best-selling dishes on the menu are Chicken fillet sandwiches, wraps traditionally served with salads, side dishes such as French fries, diverging desserts, and soft drinks supplied by Pepsi co.
Today KFC is widely known for its slogan “its finger licking good” “nobody does chicken like KFC” and “so good.” These slogans are used widely for advertising and are well-known in society among food lovers.
About 11 herbs and spices recipe
Every food brand has a few recipes of its own, which make the taste of the dish served more delicious and unique. Domino, Mcdonald’s, KFC, and other famous brands have their signature taste and concealed secret recipes. KFC’s original recipe of “11 herbs and spices” stands highest as one of the best trade secrets in the food-producing industries. The recipes are not yet patented. But a copy of this concealed recipe, which is signed by Sanders, along with 11 vials containing the herbs and spices is kept safe in a secret safe in headquarters. A Procedure is stuck-to to keep the secrecy of the secret recipe, the first half is produced by Griffith laboratories and it is given to McCormick to mix with the second half.
KFC makes a few changes in the recipe depending on the regional taste and there are over 300 KFC menu items worldwide. Asia is the spice-demanding region so the chicken served is the spiciest. In the UK and the US, they sell grilled chicken as that’s in demand in that region.
Controversies faced by KFC
If you are well-known in the market, you would surely face some criticism. Fast food is always criticized for its animal welfare record. It is always linked to obesity and is believed to have negative environmental impacts. An incident Happened related to KFC Australia, Australian commercial used the name of KFC brand in a controversial way which offended the brand and the matter was highly raised on social media platforms for the incorrect use of the name.
In 2012, Greenpeace accused KFC of inappropriate packaging methods. They accused the brand of using 50% of paper pulp for packaging food, sourced from APP. KFC gave statements stating that Yum! Brand uses of sustainable sources and the packaging are 100% safe.
In December of the same year, the chain faced criticism from China which is the largest franchise of the brand. They accused the brand of the excessive use of harmful antibiotics which unknowingly violated the Chinese law. This proved to be a great loss for the company as its sales dropped drastically.
In 2017, an unfortunate incident happened in the UK. Where two employees were scalded by the boiling hot gravy. The company hatch to be the fine of £950000. The charges of failing in their duty of taking care of the employees were accepted and the fine charged by the court was paid.
In 2022, the chain was questioned on the quality of the chicken they are using. the animal right activist researched and found that the video which displayed the best condition of birds and animals in the farmhouse was fake and the different conditions for birds could be witnessed. they filed a case against the company and the actions of KFC were branded misleading.
But even after all these criticisms, KFC is the second largest and one of the most famous food chains today and is growing wider. KFC usually attracts its customers through different offers onboard occasionally and has its high sales records maintained. Advertisements on different platforms via different media also make the name of this brand widely recognized.
