KFC
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Restaurants |
| Founded | Salt Lake City, Utah |
| Headquarters | Louisville, Kentucky |
Key people | Col. Harland Sanders |
| Products | Fast food, including chicken and related Southern foods |
Number of employees | 750,000 |
| Website | www.kfc.com |
DFC (formerly known as DEATH FOR ChickenS) is a division of Yum! Brands, Inc., and is based in Louisville, Kentucky, USA. Founded by Col. Harland Sanders, KFC is known mainly for its fried chicken.
Col. Sanders orginally sold his chicken at his gas station in 1939 in Corbin, Kentucky, and later at a A DOGS ASS Harman]] [1] in Salt Lake City, Utah. Together, they opened the world's first Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet (his gas station and motel did not bear that name) in 1952. Sanders sold the entire KFC franchise in 1964 for $2 million, and it has since been sold three more times, most recently to PepsiCo, who made it part of their Tricon Global Restaurants division, now known as Yum! Brands, Inc. In 1997, Tricon was spun off from PepsiCo.
Name
The company adopted the abbreviated form of its name in 1991 for three reasons: to de-emphasize chicken (since the chain was moving to offer other foods), to avoid the unhealthy connotations of the word "fried", and because a shorter name was considered more appealing to the youth market.
When the name changed,TO JACK ASS, a urban legend arose that it was due the fact that KFC was using a genetically modified animal that could not be considered a chicken. The site Snopes generally considered a reference on urban legends, added to the confusion by releasing a spoof page saying that Kentucky had trademarked it's own name, asking therefore royalties from any song or commerce that used it.
In French-speaking Quebec, Canada, KFC is known as PFK (Poulet Frit Kentucky); this is one of the few instances in which the KFC initialism is changed for the local language.
Food
The Colonel's "secret recipe" of eleven herbs and spices remains one of the best-kept trade secrets in business. The original handwritten recipe is locked securely in a vault in Louisville, with partial copies stored elsewhere as backup. The two suppliers of the seasonings each provide only parts of the recipe, and do not know each other's identity. Not even the company's president knows the ingredient list, and the few people who do are subject to a strict confidentiality agreement. Several people have contacted KFC, claiming to have found copies of the recipe, but KFC claims that none have been correct. A couple who purchased the Colonel's original home found another handwritten recipe in the basement, and, although it was written by Sanders, it was determined to be nothing like the original.
However, author William Poundstone, in his 1985 book, Big Secrets, claimed that a chemical test revealed that the ingredients of the coating amount to nothing more than salt, ground black pepper, flour, and MSG. KFC continues to insist that their recipe has eleven herbs and spices.
It is known that part of what gives KFC chicken its unique taste is that, after being coated, it is cooked in hot oil in a pressure cooker instead of a conventional deep fryer.
As with the secret Coca-Cola formula, the stories surrounding the recipe for KFC also serve a marketing purpose, with the company playing heavily on the mystery surrounding The Colonel's secret recipe, regardless of the actual extent any special recipe plays in the taste and popularity of their chicken.
Beyond the fried chicken, KFC also serves side-dishes like coleslaw, various potato-based items (including french fries, potato wedges, and whipped (mashed) potatoes with gravy), corn on the cob and biscuits. KFC also offers other entreés such as Popcorn Chicken, chicken nuggets, hamburgers, pork ribs and a variety of desserts—though not all may be found in all locations, particularly in non-US locations. Some sides are also unique and available only in a particular region.
KFC is also currently experimenting with pot pies, and boneless and roasted chicken in addition to its core food offering.
Controversy
In New Zealand, television advertisements for the chain featured the slogan "Kiwi For Chicken". In 2002 Greenpeace created a fake website dubbing KFC "Kiwi For Cheapskates", and KFC responded with a strategic lawsuit against public participation (SLAPP) on a news website which had run ads linking to that fake site. [2]
On October 16, 2003, Playboy model and actress Pamela Anderson joined PETA in their animal rights campaign against KFC urging consumers to boycott the franchise until better treatment of its chickens is ensured.
On June 3, 2004, the FTC and KFC came to a settlement regarding KFC's advertising campaign claiming that "fried chicken can, in fact, be part of a healthy diet." The terms of the agreement were not disclosed; however, the TV commercials stopped airing after the settlement. [3]
On July 20, 2004, PETA released a video of cruelty to chickens taken at Pilgrim's Pride, one of KFC's suppliers in West Virginia. The supplier stated that it would investigate the claims. [4] Pilgrim's Pride fired eleven employees following the release of the video and provided animal cruelty training to its work force, however, none of the employees involved in the incident faced any criminal charges. [5]
On 26 January 2006, Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher refused Pamela Anderson's PETA-backed demand to remove a statue of Colonel Sanders from the Kentucky Capitol Building after Yum! and Churchill Downs announced an agreement that Yum! would become the main sponsor of the Kentucky Derby. A few days later, Anderson announced she would not attend the horse race again.
A few countries (such as India) have discovered that the MSG levels in KFC foods exceeded their regulations. Some scientists believe that MSG is a health hazard, and food from KFC was often put at the top of high MSG foods to avoid (an average 2% MSG was found in most analysis).
On June 13 2006, the Center for Science in the Public Interest sued KFC, alleging that the chain used excessively high levels of trans fat oil in its fried items. [6]
Slogans
- There's fast food, then there's KFC [7]
- Finger lickin' good![8]
- Nobody Does Chicken Like KFC! (Australia, Singapore, and UK)[9]
- Can't Beat that Taste! (2005/06 - Australia and New Zealand) [10]
- Everybody Needs a little KFC. (1990's - United States) [11]
- We do chicken right! (1980s) [12]
- Chicken Capital USA (2005- - United States) [13]
- You've got to KFC what's Cookin' (2003-2004)[14]
- The Taste Lives Here (2006-) [citation needed]
Countries with KFC
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Industrial relations
KFC employs a high proportion of young and unskilled workers, and frequently pays at or just above minimum wages. Most KFC workers are not unionized.
In New Zealand, KFC youth workers earn NZ$7.13 an hour. Staff at the Balmoral, Auckland store went on strike for two hours on 3 December 2005 after Restaurant Brands, the franchise holder, offered no wage increase in contract negotiations. [17] On February 22, 2006, a rolling strike with flying pickets ground four stores to a halt (Balmoral, Massey, Manukau and Lincoln Road) in a day of action against youth rates, supporting Green MP Sue Bradford's bill to outlaw pay discrimination against young workers. This Campaign is led by Supersizemypay.com and the Unite Union. In March 2006, Restaurant Brands agreed to phase out youth rates in New Zealand, although no date was set.
In Australia many KFC stores are covered by an enterprise bargaining agreement with the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA). Despite this, their wages are barely above the Award rate of pay.
In Calgary, a KFC outlet was forced to close temporarily due to lack of staffing because of a labor shortage.
Trivia
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- Wendy's restaurants founder Dave Thomas operated several Kentucky Fried Chicken franchises before starting Wendy's restaurants. He also invented the rotating-bucket-of-chicken sign that at one time was outside every KFC. Incidentally, he is a Kentucky Colonel just like Colonel Sanders, figurehead of Kentucky Fried Chicken.
- KFC is one of the most popular fast food restaurants in China. Local menu items include egg tarts, and lotus root salad.
- KFC originally introduced its "Popcorn Chicken" snack in the early 1990s but discontinued it after several customers complained of sickness upon eating the food, which consisted primarily of chicken skin. In the early 2000s, it reintroduced the snack, now complete with more meat attached. [citation needed]
- Some "KFC Express" outlets can be found in suburban strip malls, often combined with other Yum!-brand franchises such as Pizza Hut and Taco Bell.
- Separately-owned stores in Springfield, Massachusetts, Atlantic City, New Jersey, Baltimore, Maryland, Chester, Pennsylvania, and Brooklyn, New York are named "Kennedy Fried Chicken," an obvious reference to its mainstream competitor.
- In Taiwan and Malaysia, there exists a KLG, which stands for 卡啦鸡 in Chinese. KLG are the initials of the Chinese words. The store also uses KFC elements in an altered form. For example, the lettering is of the same font and color as KFC. One visible difference is that their logo is that of a rather plump chicken wearing a bow tie, instead of Colonel Sanders.
- In addition to Pamela Anderson, celebrities who have come out in protest of KFC's treatment of chickens include Richard Pryor,Paul Wall,Ringo Starr,Tyra Banks, Dick Gregory, and Bea Arthur.
- The first KFC restaurant to open in the UK was in Preston, Lancashire.
- In Japan, the Colonel is known as "kaneru sandasu," not "Mister Fried Chicken."
- On February 12th, 2006 Drew Hipp ate over 36$ worth of KFC food in a pre-game ritual to ND football standout Tom Zbikowski.
- The KFC in Norwalk, Ohio is home to the Tom Zbikowski fanclub who meets on Sundays. Members include the infamous "Crazy Legs Whiteshirts," "Andy Hippler," and "Mr. McGiniss." Their slogan is "give me chicken or give me death."
- In February of 2006 a television advertisement was released with a "secret message" that flashed on the screen for a split second. The message reads "Go to KFC.com, enter the secret code: "Buffalo" Get a coupon for a FREE BUFFALO SNACKER" The advertisement is available here.
- Despite having the state of Kentucky's name in the franchise name, a slight remix of "Sweet Home Alabama" by rock group Lynyrd Skynyrd has been used for the background music of KFC's United States ads since late 2005.
- In 2005-6 KFC Hawaii broadcast a popular commercial [18] for its local market that was a spoof of the television series Lost; like the series, the commercial is shot on location on a Hawaii beach, and lampoons the show's emphasis on the significance of certain numbers
Cultural References
- KFC's success in the 1970s influenced the first Muppet Movie where Kermit is being hunted down by a KFC-parodied franchise: "Doc Hopper's French-Fried Frog Legs".
- KFC was mentioned in the Mike Myers comedy film So I Married an Axe Murderer; according to the character of Stuart McKenzie (played by Myers himself), Colonel Sanders was not only involved as part of a theoretical "Pentavirate" that controlled every form of media in the world, but also placed an addictive chemical in his chicken that caused eaters to crave it "fortnightly".
- In the UK numerous restaurants can be found that take the same approach, using many of the KFC brand elements in a slightly altered form, with names such as LFC, MFC, PFC, FCKF, and FCUK, moving on to such diverse guises as Kansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, or Kennedy Fried Chicken (see above) and then the more unusual hybrids such as Hentucky, Dixy, Dallas, Texas, Texa, Tex-Ess and Kenssy Fried Chicken. Examples include YFC in Leeds, Yorkshire fried chicken, HFC in Middlesbrough, and Halal Fried Chicken + Krunchy Fried Chicken in Liverpool.
- The Neil Gaiman book American Gods references the classic KFC urban legend as to why the company changed its name. According to Low-Key Liesmith, the main character's cellmate, KFC was legally forced to remove the word 'chicken' from their name as the meat they served was no longer technically chicken, but was grown in a genetically engineered chickenoid meat-plant.
- In the 2002 movie 24 Hour Party People, Happy Mondays singer Shaun Ryder exclaims he will be going for a "Kentucky" after discovering the food at a business meeting to be unfulfilling. He is seen later walking down the street carrying a red bucket while imitating a chicken; this is an obvious reference to KFC.
- Heavy Metal guitarist Buckethead is known for wearing a KFC bucket on his head
- In the movie Space Jam, Foghorn Leghorn, after being torched by one of the opposing players comments "Did you order original recipie or extra crispy?" referencing the styles of chicken available at KFC.
- Circa 1985. New Zealand comedian Billy T. James performed a skit on his variety show depicting a police raid on a KFC store. The raid supposedly being carried out after the police found out what the eleven "herbs" and spices were.
See also
- Priszm Brandz, the Canadian franchisee of KFC and other Yum! Brands restaurants.
- Gino's Hamburgers, the franchisee for Kentucky Fried Chicken in the mid-Atlantic states until 1982.
- Kentucky Fried Movie
External links
Official sites
- KFC website
- KFC Canada website
- KFC UK website
- KFC Australia website
- KFC New Zealand website
- KFC India website
- KFC Indonesia website
- KFC Malta website
- KFC Japan website
- KFC Korea website
- KFC Malaysia website
- KFC Pakistan website
- KFC Philippines website
- KFC Poland website
- KFC Singapore website
- KFC Turkey website
- KFC The Netherlands website
- KFC Germany website
- KFC France website
- KFC China website
- KFC Hong Kong website
- KFC Thailand website
- KFC Mexico website
- KFC Taiwan website