KFC is one of the most iconic chicken restaurants in the world, and is showing no signs of slowing down. Everyone knows who Colonel Sanders is, knows about the 14 herbs and spices, and knows about the delicious taste of the biscuits. But, there’s a lot of things people don’t know about this beloved fast food chain.
Even if you’re a major KFC fan, we’re willing to bet at least one of these fun facts will surprise you.
1.KFC is a holiday tradition in Japan. Thanks to careful marketing and a little luck, KFC managed to make its meals a Christmastime tradition in Japan. It all started off with a Christmas Party Barrel marketed in 1972.
It was as massive hit and soon evolved into a cultural phenomenon. Most people in Japan didn’t have Christmas traditions because they aren’t Christian. It just caught on. There’s now a 3-day waitlist and line for KFC every Christmas in Japan.
2.People regularly try to “reverse engineer” the chicken recipe and fail. Seriously, it’s been tried time and time again. Even scientists gave it a whirl. The secret recipe still evaded discovery, proving once again that timeless recipes can’t always be copied.
3.China’s first KFC had a really gory slogan. KFC corporate tried to translate “Finger-lickin’ good!” to Chinese customers at their flagship store. Unfortunately, it came out botched and actually said, “We’ll eat your fingers off!”
It was fixed after the scandal hit, and ended up being a small footnote in the company’s history.
4.Harland Sanders isn’t a military colonel, but he is a colonel. In Kentucky, you can get the title of “Colonel” if a special counsel votes for your right to the name. Harland Sanders’ amazing success landed him the honor, giving him a very epic title despite no military service.
5.KFC started in a gas station. Sanders used to wander the streets in a Cadillac, begging people to sell chicken made with his recipe. No one took him up on it, but eventually, he found a service station willing to give him a try as owner. He sold his food there.
The service station rapidly gained popularity, and within a couple of years, he had multiple franchises under his belt. The people who turned him down were definitely eating their words!
6.He’s starred in his own dating sim. Love Colonel Sanders a little bit too much, even for a KFC fan? Well, a marketing company released a dating simulation game where you can win the Colonel’s heart. It’s part shock, part humor, and all bizarre.
7.KFC has “deaf restaurants” in different parts of the world. Deaf people have a difficult time finding employment. KFC decided to help them out in several countries, including India and Afghanistan.
They did it by creating entire restaurants equipped with technology capable of helping the deaf run their venue. These restaurants only employ the deaf, and also mostly serve deaf people.
