Kentucky Fried Chicken Restaurant - KFC - Amman, Jordan

A young chef becomes the famous Kentucky Fried Chicken Colonel

Founded by Colonel Harland Sanders, the Kentucky Fried Chicken chain has blossomed into one of the world's largest fast food restaurants, serving more than a billion delicious meals annually in more than 100 countries. But the road to success was not easy.

In 1896, Harland's father died, forcing his mother to work to support the family. Six-year-old Harland became responsible for caring for his younger siblings and preparing food for the family. After one year, he became able to cook several local dishes. Over the next 30 years, Sanders moved between several jobs including a tramway ticket collector and insurance sales representative; However, his skill in cooking did not leave him throughout this period.

A chef  

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becomes a colonel

In 1930, the then 40-year-old Sanders was working at a gas station in Corbyn, Kentucky, where he began cooking for hungry travelers who stopped to refuel their cars. He hadn't opened a restaurant yet, so customers were eating at his own table in that humble station. He then created what was called a "home meal alternative", selling whole meals to families who did not have time to prepare food. And he called it "Sunday dinner, throughout the week."

As Sanders became more famous, Governor Ruby Lavon awarded him the rank of Colonel Kentucky in 1935 in recognition of his culinary endeavors in the state. Within 4 years his restaurant was included in Duncan Haynes' book "Gourmet Adventures."

And as people started flocking exclusively to eat, move to the opposite side of the street to increase customer capacity. Over the next decade, he perfected his secret blend of 11 herbs and spices and a basic cooking technique still in use today.

The Colonel's recipe is spreading around the world

In 1955, believing in the quality of his fried chicken, the Colonel dedicated himself to developing the franchising of his chicken business. Less than 10 years later, Sanders has more than 600 Kentucky Fried Chicken franchises in the United States and Canada. In 1964, he sold his stake in the American company for $ 2 million to a group of investors, including John Brown, Jr. (who later became Kentucky).

Under the management of the new owners, the Kentucky Fried Chicken Company experienced a rapid boom. In 1966, it went public and listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1969, when it was eventually acquired by PepsiCo in 1986. In 1997, PepsiCo split from quick service restaurants - including Kentucky Fried Chicken - and transformed it into an independent restaurant company, Tricon Restaurants International. The restaurant company (now YUM! Brands, Inc.) has become the world's largest in terms of system units with about 35,000 units spread in more than 100 countries and territories of the world.

Before his death from leukemia - blood cancer - in 1980 at the age of 90, the colonel used to travel 250,000 miles a year to visit Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants around the world.