KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) is a global chain of fried chicken fast food restaurants with its operational headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky in the United States. It was developed and built by Colonel Harland Sanders, who began selling fried chicken from his roadside restaurant in 1930. Sanders was an early pioneer of the restaurant franchise concept, with the first "Kentucky Fried Chicken" franchise opening in Utah in 1952. Sanders sold the company to a group of investors in 1964, although he continued to act as its goodwill ambassador until his death in 1980. His image remains an important part of the company's branding and advertisements, and he is often referred to simply as "The Colonel". KFC primarily sells fried chicken pieces and variations such as chicken burgers and wraps, as well as side dishes such as french fries and coleslaw, desserts and soft drinks, predominantly from PepsiCo. In 1971, Kentucky Fried Chicken was sold to Heublein for $285 million who were taken over by R.J. Reynolds in 1982, who sold the chain to PepsiCo for $850 million in 1986. PepsiCo spun off its restaurants division as Tricon Global Restaurants in 1997, which subsequently changed its name to Yum! Brands in 2002. As a Yum! subsidiary KFC is a core component of one of the largest restaurant companies in the world. As of 2011, there were over 17,000 KFC outlets in 105 countries and territories, making it the second largest restaurant chain in the world after McDonald's. Half of its total outlets are situated in either the United States or China. Eric Schlosser’s book Fast Food Nation (2002) and Morgan Spurlock's film Super Size Me (2004) were two prominent critiques of fast food and its consequences. KFC has been especially hard hit by negative publicity as the target for much of PETA's anti animal cruelty campaigning, and has been criticised for alleged environmental damage. Health campaigners influenced a change to a healthier frying oil in many regions.
No comments:
Post a Comment